Expanding the mandate of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to include cases involving violations of sanctions against Russia and Belarus could become an important part of the pan-European response to sanctions evasion.
This was stated in a comment to Guildhall by Member of the Seimas of Lithuania Emanuelis Zingeris.
To minimize the likelihood of sanctions violations, efforts are needed “not only at the national level, but also at the European level.” In this regard, he believes that “expanding the mandate of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office so that it can investigate violations of sanctions imposed against Russia, as well as Belarus, would be a significant part of the solution.”
He stressed that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office already has structural advantages for such work. According to him, “the European Public Prosecutor’s Office is a single body operating in 24 EU member states,” and it “has created the EPPO area, and within it there are no borders, so it can act much faster and more effectively.”
In addition, as the Lithuanian lawmaker noted, “the European Public Prosecutor’s Office has specialized prosecutors in 24 EU member states, works with specialized law enforcement units, and can exchange information.” In his assessment, this means that after sanctions are introduced, the EPPO “can immediately see their impact and act effectively when it comes to asset seizure and the recovery of stolen funds.”
A Member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands stated that sanctions evasion against Russia is usually built not on the actions of individual persons, but on networks of intermediaries, and therefore effective enforcement must cover the entire chain of participants in such schemes.
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