India-led ARIN-AP meet focuses on tracing, confiscation and return of crime assets

New Delhi: The India-led annual general meeting of the Asset Recovery Interagency Network, Asia Pacific, focused on tracing illicit assets, confiscation, asset management and return of recovered proceeds, the ED said in an official statement on Saturday.

The 11th annual general meeting, hosted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under India's presidency of the network for 2026, concluded in New Delhi on September 30, with the presidency being handed over to Singapore for 2027, the statement said.

The three-day meeting brought together prosecutors, investigators, asset managers, financial intelligence officers and policy practitioners from member jurisdictions and observer organisations, along with representatives of Indian agencies and partner organisations, it said.


Asset Recovery Interagency Network, Asia Pacific, (ARIN-AP) is an informal network of law enforcement and judicial contact points engaged in recovering proceeds of crime in the Asia-Pacific region.

Launched in South Korea in 2013, it facilitates direct and rapid exchange of information and good practices among its 32 member jurisdictions and 10 observers, according to the statement.

The meeting was held on the theme "Closing the Loop: From Tracing to Return", bringing together different stages of an asset recovery case -- from the initial lead and tracing of assets to confiscation, custody and eventual return.

In his closing remarks, ED Director Rahul Navin highlighted discussions on tracing virtual assets, including the need for swift engagement with service providers and blockchain analytics and cross-border tracing involving foreign counterpart agencies, the statement said.

The meeting also discussed non-conviction-based confiscation, asset management and the return of assets through restitution to victims, return to the exchequer and social reuse of confiscated assets.

"India shared its experience of restoring assets to victims at scale under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002," the ED director said.

The ED said the meeting also featured case studies shared by agencies, including the Financial Conduct Authority and HM Revenue and Customs of the UK, IRS Criminal Investigation of the US, Guardia di Finanza of Italy, ARMA of Ukraine and Asset Reality.

Navin stressed that effective asset recovery requires financial intelligence, law enforcement cooperation, prosecution, courts and asset management to work in sequence, the statement said.

Referring to revisions to FATF Recommendations 4 and 38, he said these would shape assessment of confiscation regimes in the next round of mutual evaluations.

At the closing session, India handed over the ARIN-AP presidency to Singapore.

David Chew, Chief Prosecutor for International Engagement at Singapore's Attorney-General's Chambers, received the presidency and said trust among members was fundamental to the network's success, the statement said.

The ED director assured Singapore of India's full cooperation during its presidency in 2027 and beyond.