Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime, 1990

The Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime was adopted at Strasbourg on 8 November 1990 and entered into force on 1 September 1993.

The aim of this Convention is to facilitate international co-operation and mutual assistance in investigating crime and tracking down, seizing and confiscating the proceeds thereof. The Convention is intended to assist State Parties in attaining a similar degree of efficiency even in the absence of full legislative harmony.

Parties undertake in particular:

• to criminalise the laundering of the proceeds of crime;
• to confiscate instrumentalities and proceeds (or property the value of which corresponds to such proceeds).

For the purposes of international co-operation, the Convention provides for:

• forms of investigative assistance (for example, assistance in procuring evidence, transfer of information to another State without a request, adoption of common investigative techniques, lifting of bank secrecy etc.);
• provisional measures: freezing of bank accounts, seizure of property to prevent its removal;
• measures to confiscate the proceeds of crime: enforcement by requested State of confiscation order made abroad, institution by the requested State, of domestic proceedings leading to confiscation at the request of another State.
  

See also the Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism of 2005.