“UNODC recognises the innovative work that the Governments of Kenya, Jersey, Switzerland and the UK have undertaken in developing the Framework for Return of Assets from Crime and Corruption in Kenya (FRACCK).”

– Brigitte Strobel-Shaw – Officer-in-Charge of the Corruption and Economic Crime Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Jersey is proactive in international efforts to help developing countries recover assets illicitly taken out of their countries. The Channel Islands as a whole have aided in numerous prosecutions across a number of diverse jurisdictions which have resulted in the substantial restraint, confiscation and repatriation of assets.

In 2017 following the confiscation of £3 million of stolen assets by Jerseys’ Royal Court the previous year, Senator Ian Gorst Jersey’s then Chief Minister, together with the Government of Kenya, signed an agreement which enabled these stolen assets to be return to the people of Kenya.

This month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, United Nations officials formally recognised the Island’s good practice in returning stolen assets to their rightful home country of Kenya.

Government of Jersey officials attended a three-day meeting in the capital, co-hosted by UNODC and the governments of Switzerland and Ethiopia. Participants from around the world congregated to identify good practice for the return of asset recovery. This provided a valuable opportunity for Jersey and Kenyan officials to jointly present on lessons learned from the FRACCK.

In 2018 Senator Ian Gorst, now Jersey’s Minister for External Relations, signed the FRACCK on behalf of the island and a bilateral Memorandum on Financial Cooperation between Jersey and Kenya. Jersey’s Director of Global Markets & International Agreements, Tom Le Feuvre also delivered a panel session on the development of the FRACCK, alongside Ms Maryann Njau-Kimani, Senior Deputy Solicitor General at the Kenyan Office of the Attorney General.

Ian Gorst

“Presenting on the FRACCK with our Kenyan partners demonstrates Jersey’s inclusive and pioneering approach to asset return, thereby placing the Island at the forefront of positive international conversations on this important issue. Increasing Jersey’s visibility and access to decision-makers in respected multilateral institutions, such as the United Nations, is an essential part of the Government of Jersey’s Global Markets strategy. I am pleased that officials from my department were invited by the UN to present at the International Experts Meeting and that Jersey’s reputation for expertise and innovation in this field has been recognised and strengthened.”

Ian Gorst (Senator)

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