In November, 2023, acting in framework of permanent cooperation with UN bodies, our Association sent submission to Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for its next report for Human Rights Council on the negative impact of the non-repatriation of funds of illicit origin to the countries of origin on the enjoyment of human rights, and the importance of improving international cooperation.
ARC’s submission, prepared by Professor Borys Babin and published at UN web-sources in February, 2024, reminded, inter alia, to UN bodies about the Crimean collaborators’ scam, committed after 2019 with internal loan bonds of AR Crimea, issued for the development of peninsula in 2011 for more that 50 million dollars.
ARC’s submission stressed, that the politicization and obviousness of Russia-committed war crimes, accompanied by statements and demands from both the leaders of the occupying “authorities” in the Crimea, and of the Russian leadership, including fabrication fake financial “claims” to Ukraine on alleged “damage to Crimea”, also as illegal “nationalisation” announced, has all the signs of Russia’s state terrorism.
Now the OHCHR Report A/HRC/56/37 on that issue, was reported to UN Human Rights Council Fifty-sixth session and published at UN web-sources in July, it also reflects the discussions at the expert meeting on the obstacles to the repatriation of funds of illicit origin, held on 13 February 2024.
OHCHR Report A/HRC/56/37 recognised in its article 52 that the Association of Reintegration of Crimea “highlighted obstacles and challenges to repatriation of funds” to Ukraine regarding above-described crimes and scams of Russian invaders and Crimean collaborators.
Regaridng those issues, OHCHR Report A/HRC/56/37 stressed in article 68 that “in the discussions and interventions, participants consistently reaffirmed that corruption and associated illicit financial flows posed a significant challenge to many societies, as they divert public revenues and hamper public budgets that should provide health care, housing, education and other essential services”.
So UN structures recognised officialy, upon ARC’s submission, problems and challenges, related with finacial machinations and money laundering in the occupied Crimea.
OHCHR Report A/HRC/56/37 summarised on duty of states to protect and support civil society organizations, whistle-blowers and investigative journalists and allow for their participation as relevant stakeholders in asset recovery and return processes; and to use data collection mechanisms and applicable technological advancements to track flows of funds of illicit origin and their repatriation, or the lack thereof, and use this evidence to advocate for policy changes. Our co-operation with UN bodies on those issues will be continued.
