Representative of Investigation Service of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia took part in an international forum: “financial and customs security of Ukraine, international cooperation in harmonized European space”,  held in Ukraine.

Activities and methodology to be carried out for improvement of customs and financial security of the country was discussed on the forum. Current tendencies and modern methods of combating against customs crime and illegal turnover of goods in the country were also a topics under consideration. Participants of the forum shared their experience of investigation of financial and economic crimes committed in the European Union and countries associated with it, including Georgia.

Within the frames of the forum, representative of the Investigation Service Mr. David Shakarashvili made a presentation regarding: “Financial investigation: practice of reforms (example of Georgia)”. Activities, authority and legislative basis of the Investigation Service, amendments introduced/made in 2017 in Criminal Code and Tax Code of Georgia, main challenges in investigating financial crime, statistics of customs and tax crime of the recent years, were the main aspects underlined in the presentation. “Container Control Program” - mutual project implemented in Georgia by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), was also one of main topics of the presentation, underlining its importance and showing existing positive results in the field of combating against smuggling.

Representatives of law enforcement agencies from Ukraine, Georgia, Sweden, Lithuania, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Republic of Belarus attended the forum, held in Kiev from May 31 to June 1 of the current year.

Within the frames of the forum, representative of the Investigation Service held bilateral meetings with the representatives of different countries, where issues of future professional cooperation were discussed.