The International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) at the Basel Institute on Governance provides specialised and tailor-made training to law enforcement authorities and other relevant groups of the public or other sectors in asset tracing, mutual legal assistance (MLA) and asset recovery. ICAR also provides policy advice in both requesting and requested countries, in particular in the context of legal and institutional reform processes. Furthermore, ICAR offers strategic case advice to requesting countries in concrete and actual international bribery or money laundering cases with an asset recovery/MLA angle. These activities are supported by the ICAR’s research activities as well as by the ICAR’s IT team, which recently launched the first knowledge centre for asset recovery, accessible online at www.assetrecovery.org. It offers free access to asset recovery information to aid practitioners and others interested in the laws and treaties, mechanisms and techniques for recovering stolen assets that have been stashed in other countries. It is intended primarily to aid developing countries in their fight against corruption and build the capacity to carry out successful asset recovery. Experts around the world will contribute to the knowledge centre by way of country profiles, case studies and other practical tips and techniques to advance investigations to trace and freeze stolen assets and to seek international mutual legal and administrative assistance.

The ICAR distinguishes itself from other institutes working in the broad area of governance and anti-corruption by providing tailor made, country specific and highly targeted training, by combining training and practical case work and case consulting, and by embedding its practice oriented work into academic debate and research.