Data sources
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Database fields
Tab: Case identifier | |
Case title | The case title can be the name of an entity or individual involved (or allegedly involved) or a different case identifier may be used. If a country reported a case via the surveys, then, in most cases, the title provided by the country was used, with minor edits to improve clarity and avoid duplications. Unnamed cases were given a title by identifying the countries involved, type of asset or offence, year of freeze/confiscation/return, or other elements. |
Case cluster | The “case cluster” category is used to identify related cases, for example, asset recovery actions in different jurisdictions to go after assets belonging to the same individual. A cluster comprises a minimum of two case entries. Clusters can be viewed using the filter search options. |
Tab: Geographic reach | |
Country of origin | The jurisdiction of origin of the public official involved, or allegedly involved. Also sometimes referred to as the “Source Country” or “Victim State”. It is typically the country where the original corruption offence took place. |
Country of asset location | The country of asset location is defined as the jurisdiction or state where the proceeds of corruption are located. It is also sometimes referred to as the “Destination Country” or “Holding State”. |
Transit country | A country (other than the country of origin and the country of asset location) through which corrupt funds passed. |
Country of Bribe Payer | For bribery cases, the jurisdiction of the bribe-payer, or alleged bribe-payer (e.g., jurisdiction of involved company’s headquarters) |
Tab: Case summary | |
UNCAC Offences Implicated | The Database is comprised of asset recovery cases involving “proceeds of corruption”, which is defined as proceeds of crime (“any property derived from or obtained, directly or indirectly, through the commission of an offence”, Art. 2(e) UNCAC) derived from corruption offences in accordance with UNCAC Art.15-25, including money laundering cases with a corruption offense as a predicate offence. |
Public Officials involved or allegedly involved | Name and position held by public official while underlying offenses were committed, or allegedly committed. |
Sectors Involved | Sector/Industry involved in the corruption offense |
Professional intermediaries involved or allegedly involved | Professional intermediaries involved, or allegedly involved, in the corruption offense, e.g. bankers, lawyers, real estate professionals, accountants, real estate agents, art advisers, company service providers, etc. |
Tab: Asset recovery process | |
Asset Recovery Start | Year when asset recovery effort was initiated. This could be the year when the investigation was initiated, or the year when a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) request was sent to country of asset location, for example. |
Action Initiating Asset Recovery | This field describes how the asset recovery action was initiated. Options include: By an MLA request from the country of origin; by an MLA request from a third country; by an investigation in the country of origin; by an investigation in the country of asset location; by an FIU action to suspend a suspicious transaction; by an independent action from a financial institution; other procedure. If included in the database, this information was usually provided by the country authority in their survey response. |
Stage of Asset Recovery | Cases are labelled according to the most recent / most advanced stage of asset recovery on which information is available. For example, a case related to which there was an asset freeze/seizure, followed by a confiscation, followed by an asset return is labelled only as “assets returned”. The stage of asset recovery may be marked as “unknown” if there was not enough information provided to identify the stage. Options for this field are: Investigation; Assets frozen/seized; Assets unfrozen/released; Assets confiscated; On appeal; Assets returned (in part); Assets returned; Unknown. |
Legal Basis for Asset Recovery in the country of asset location | Asset recovery efforts can encompass a range of criminal and civil legal avenues. This field indicates the indicate the legal avenue(s) used in the country of asset location. If included in the database, this information was usually provided by the country authority in their survey response. |
Legal Basis for Asset Recovery in the country of origin | Asset recovery efforts can encompass a range of criminal and civil legal avenues. This field indicates the indicate the legal avenue(s) used in the country of origin. If included in the database, this information was usually provided by the country authority in their survey response. |
Legal basis for Asset Recovery in the country that initiated legal action to recover proceeds of corruption | This field indicates the indicate the legal avenue(s) used in the country that initiated legal action to recover proceeds of corruption. If included in the database, this information was usually provided by the country authority in their survey response. |
Legal Basis for International Cooperation | Options include: UNCAC; Bilateral Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty; other multilateral treaties; Reciprocity. |
Manner of Asset Transfer | For completed asset returns, this field describes how the funds were transferred, e.g. via direct wire transfer to a centralized government account (e.g. general budget); via direct wire transfer to a beneficiary government agency; to a separate, designated government account for the asset return; via an escrow or trust account; via physical transfer of a movable asset (e.g. car, yacht, artwork, aircraft); via wire transfer to a designated account held by a third party , e.g. CSO, international organization. |
Contributing Factors in Asset Recovery | Field for noting any specific factors that helped make asset recovery possible, where this information is available, e.g. a joint international investigation team; use of an unexplained wealth order or illicit enrichment law, use of FIU’s power to suspend suspicious transactions. |
Tab: Assets | |
Assets Returned | Asset amount of proceeds of corruption related to this case that were returned to another state, prior legitimate owner, or victims harmed by corruption in another state, based on available information. Multiple amounts are marked by #1, #2, #3, etc. |
Assets confiscated | Asset amount of proceeds of corruption related to this case that were confiscated (see article 2(f) UNCAC), based on available information. Multiple amounts are marked by #1, #2, #3, etc. |
Assets frozen or seized | Asset amount of proceeds of corruption related to this case that were frozen or seized (see article 2(g) UNCAC), based on available information. Multiple amounts are marked by #1, #2, #3, etc. |
Date of asset return/ | Month/year or time span. For some cases, the date for the asset freeze/seizure, confiscation or return is not provided – this is because this information was not always included in the country’s survey response. |
Asset type at time of return/ | Options include: Cash/bank deposit, Gold, Securities, Legal entity or arrangement, Real estate, Motor vehicle, Yacht/boat, Aircraft, Artwork Jewelry. |
Agreement for Returned Assets | Field to indicate whether an agreement for the transfer, disposal or management of the assets exists or is planned, e.g. an agreement under UNCAC Art.57(5), an asset-sharing agreement, or another type of agreement. If the agreement was provided, it is included in the case entry under “Sources”. |
Monitoring and Disbursement Arrangements | Any available details on the arrangement for monitoring and disbursement of assets, including for example any involvement of a third party such as a CSO or an international organization. |
USD conversion date | Date that was used to calculate the USD asset amount if original asset amount was provided in a different currency. |
Tab: Sources | |
Data Source | Field to indicate the type of data source for the case entry. Official information provided by country authorities = information was collected from authorities through questionnaires that were circulated by StAR or by the UNODC Secretariat Public source information/desk research = case entries were compiled through desk research using mostly official documents, such as court judgments and orders and government press releases, which are publicly available. In some cases, official documents were complemented with other public sources such as reliable media articles and reports by civil society organizations or international organizations. Official information provided by country authorities supplemented by StAR desk research/public source information = information provided by country authorities through questionnaires was used to update or supplement a case entry based on public source information to avoid duplicate database entries. Visually, cases based on survey information are marked by a dark blue header, while cases based on public source information are marked by a light blue header. |
Case information submitted by | Country/countries that reported case information (for survey-based cases) |
List of sources | Where available, the most relevant source documents have been appended to each case entry. Additional sources that are missing from the list can be sent to StAR starinitiative@worldbank.org. Please include the Case Title and Case ID number in your email. |