Investigations
September 2026, Neum, Bosnia and Herzegovina – What can prosecutors in Bosnia and Herzegovina learn from a country that has spent decades confronting sophisticated mafia networks? And, just as importantly, what can Italy learn from the various experiences of its counterparts in Bosnia and Herzegovina? The XIX Expert Counselling of Prosecutors in Bosnia and Herzegovina, held from 28 to 30 September 2026, provided a space for practitioners, even beyond BiH, to share precisely their vast professional experience, primarily focusing on financial investigations and asset confiscation. The traditional counselling of prosecutors in BiH brought together more than 200 prosecutors, judges, law enforcement representatives and international experts, to expand knowledge and expertise in the most pressing areas of this profession.
As part of the Counselling, UNODC, together with other international and local partners, supported a dedicated panel on the financial aspects of combating crime, attended by more than 100 participants. The panel was backed by 6 Italian professionals – magistrates and law enforcement thanks to the project “Strengthening the Capacity and Coordination of Judiciary and Law Enforcement Authorities in BiH to Effectively Address Corruption and Organized Crime”, funded by the Italian Development Cooperation (AICS) and Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). The participating magistrates represented the Cabinet of the Minister of Justice – International Affairs Office, the Prosecutor General’s Office at the Court of Cassation, and the Florence Public Prosecutor’s Office – District Anti-Mafia Directorate.
During the session, experts from the Italian Ministry of Justice and the Italian Guardia di Finanza shared practical experience and digital tools used in financial investigations to identify and trace criminal assets, as well as approaches to non-conviction-based confiscation, including in cases involving cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. The discussions highlighted the importance of following financial flows alongside traditional criminal investigations. By tracing transactions, assets and financial links, prosecutors and investigators can uncover the wider structures behind organized crime and identify the proceeds that sustain criminal activities. As Mr. Edmondo De Gregorio emphasized: “The traditional principle of ‘following the money’ has to be linked with the ability to ‘follow the data’.”
Participants also discussed the challenges posed by increasingly complex financial schemes and digital assets, emphasizing the need for justice and law enforcement institutions to continuously strengthen their investigative capacities, adapt to new forms of criminality and enhance cooperation across institutions and borders.
Mr. De Gregorio also stressed: “Italy does not seek to export its domestic system as a rigid model. Rather, it offers the experience accumulated over several decades as a source of adaptable principles, practices and instruments capable of strengthening international cooperation, while respecting different legal traditions, the rule of law and fundamental rights.”
The exchange provided an opportunity for practitioners from Bosnia and Herzegovina to compare approaches with Italian counterparts, discuss practical challenges and consider how relevant international experience could be adapted to the national context. This exchange demonstrated that professional cooperation is not a one-way transfer of expertise. It is a conversation between practitioners facing many of the same challenges, despite working in different legal and institutional environments. And perhaps that is the most important lesson: organized crime may cross borders, but so can professional knowledge, experience and cooperation.
