"The Crime of Money Laundering" - public lecture by ICAR expert David Mattan

The audience of the National Institute of Justice - candidates for the positions of judge and prosecutor from the 18th and 19th promotions - participated on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, in a public lesson dedicated to the crime of money laundering. The activity, supported in English by David Mattan, an expert of the International Center for Asset Recovery (ICAR), provided a practical and theoretical view on how to investigate and sanction this crime, in accordance with international standards and national legislation.

In the opening of the event, the director of the INJ, Ramona Strugariu, and the deputy director, Ghennadi Epure, encouraged the future judges and prosecutors to be active, to ask questions and to apply the knowledge gained in their subsequent professional activity. At the same time, they emphasized the importance of interacting with an international expert and conducting the session in English, which contributes to the development of skills in an international context.

During the lesson, the participants analyzed the stages of the money laundering process - placement, layering and integration -, the differences between the "threshold" and the "stand-alone" approach, as well as the concepts of predicate offense and self-laundering. They also examined the provisions of Directive (EU) 2018/1673 on combating money laundering by criminal means and of Article 243 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Moldova. Through case scenarios, the audience identified the elements of a money laundering crime, the people involved and the necessary evidence, discussing the challenges encountered in the investigation process.

Earlier, the INJ audience attended the public lecture "Confiscation, Seizure and Extended Confiscation" by the same expert, which addressed international cooperation in the management of illicitly acquired assets. With extensive experience in combating money laundering and asset recovery, David Mattan operates in several international jurisdictions and contributes to training and legislative assistance in the Republic of Moldova.