Return of funds forfeited by the National Crime Agency (Luca Filat): agreement between UK and Moldova

As a signatory to UN Convention on Corruption (UNCAC), the UK is committed to preventing and tackling corruption, including through the confiscation and return of stolen funds to victim states under UNCAC definitions.

The UK is fully committed to recovering and returning corruptly-obtained assets to their rightful owner. This must be done in accordance with legal due process.

This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relates to the return of funds (“the Returned Funds”) forfeited by order of the magistrates court dated 14 November 2019 from Luca Filat. The Memorandum of Understanding ensures the return of £456,068.38 to Moldova, which will be used to the benefit of the people of Moldova, in support of social assistance projects. There will be monitoring of the returned money by Keystone Moldova, a Civil Society Organisation, which is also a provision related to transparency and monitoring within the MoU.

The MoU has been signed by the British Ambassador Steven Fisher and the Moldovan Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Mr Marcel Spatari.