Following the Money: Sweden Helps Ukraine Strengthen Financial Crime Investigations
July 06, 2026
Recovering criminal assets is often far more difficult than identifying the crime itself. Criminal proceeds can be moved across several jurisdictions within hours, hidden behind shell companies or converted into seemingly legitimate assets. Following these financial trails requires specialised investigative techniques, close international cooperation and prosecutors who know how to turn complex financial evidence into successful prosecutions.
That is why, throughout June, Swedish prosecutors worked alongside Ukrainian colleagues in Kyiv, sharing the practical experience they have gained in investigating complex financial crimes. Together with the Prosecutor’s Training Center of Ukraine and the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) Ukraine, they delivered two complementary workshops that equipped Ukrainian prosecutors with practical tools to investigate money laundering, prosecute economic crimes and recover criminal assets.
The first workshop, held on 18-19 June, focused on money laundering investigations and asset recovery. Participants explored investigation techniques, European legal frameworks and international cooperation mechanisms that help prosecutors identify, freeze and confiscate criminal assets. The sessions were led by Karl-Erik Esbo, Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor at the National Unit against International and Organised Crime of the Swedish Prosecution Authority and Seconded National Expert at Eurojust, together with Ukrainian prosecutors.
A week later, the second workshop shifted the focus from tracing illicit assets to building strong criminal cases. Andreas Bergman, Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor at the Swedish Economic Crime Authority, guided participants through investigations into economic crime, tax evasion and courtroom practice.
The programme also examined international cooperation through Eurojust, Joint Investigation Teams and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, alongside practical use of the Asset Recovery Office (ARO) network and the Camden Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network (CARIN) for tracing criminal assets across borders.
“Financial crime is increasingly international in nature, which makes international cooperation and professional networks more important than ever. By bringing together Ukrainian prosecutors and Swedish experts, this workshop provided a valuable platform for exchanging practical experience, discussing real-life case studies, and strengthening the skills needed to investigate and prosecute complex money laundering cases. I am grateful to our partners at the Swedish Prosecution Authority and the Prosecutors’ Training Centre of Ukraine for making this cooperation possible,” said Åsa Valter, EUAM’s Senior Adviser on Prosecution (Financial and Organised Crime).
For Ukrainian prosecutors, the workshops provided practical knowledge that can be applied immediately.
“The training provided an opportunity to familiarise ourselves with effective international legal mechanisms for investigating money laundering offences, as well as practical methods of international cooperation in identifying, freezing and confiscating criminal assets. These insights are highly important for our daily work, as they contribute to more effective investigations, stronger international cooperation and greater accountability for financial crimes. The exchange of practical experience and modern approaches with our Swedish colleagues was particularly valuable,” said Ivan Tsermolonskyi, Prosecutor at the Darnytskyi District Prosecutor’s Office of Kyiv.
Ruslan Kandziuba, Head of Department at the Prosecutor General’s Office, said the workshops demonstrated how European experience can strengthen prosecutors’ day-to-day work in Ukraine.
“Since the training is organised jointly with EUAM Ukraine, prosecutors gain access to advanced European approaches to procedural management, bringing Ukrainian standards closer to those of the European Union. Learning how to use ARO and CARIN will help prosecutors identify, freeze and confiscate assets hidden abroad or within Ukraine more quickly and effectively. This means real revenue for the state budget and better compensation for damages”.
As financial crime becomes increasingly sophisticated, prosecutors need more than legal expertise. They need trusted international partners, practical experience and access to professional networks that extend beyond national borders. By sharing its prosecutorial expertise, Sweden is supporting Ukrainian prosecutors in building exactly those capabilities.
