HM Government of Gibraltar welcomes the adoption of Gibraltar’s first assessment report under the Warsaw Convention, following the 18th Plenary Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-198), held at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 4 and 5 November 2026.

The Warsaw Convention is an international agreement designed to help countries combat money laundering and terrorist financing, recover the proceeds of crime and cooperate with one another in tracing, freezing and confiscating criminal assets.

In practical terms, it seeks to ensure that criminals cannot retain the profits of their activities simply by moving money or assets between countries, and that authorities have effective powers to investigate financial crime, recover criminal property and, where appropriate, return assets to victims and legitimate owners.

The Convention was extended to Gibraltar by the United Kingdom and entered into force locally on 1 July 2025. Gibraltar is consequently subject to independent monitoring by the Conference of the Parties (COP-198), a specialist Council of Europe body which examines how participating jurisdictions implement particular provisions of the Convention.

Gibraltar's first assessment followed several months of engagement between the Ministry of Justice, Trade and Industry, the Government Law Offices, the Office of Criminal Prosecutions and Litigation, the Royal Gibraltar Police and other competent authorities. This included the submission of detailed questionnaires, supporting legislation, statistics and practical examples of financial investigations and asset recovery.

During the Plenary, Gibraltar's delegation engaged with representatives of other participating jurisdictions and the Council of Europe Secretariat on the findings of the assessment. The Conference accepted amendments and clarifications advanced by Gibraltar, which were incorporated into the report before its adoption.

The assessment also recognised Gibraltar's legislative and operational arrangements for confiscating and managing criminal property, including the recovery of assets through both criminal and civil proceedings.

Gibraltar’s report is due to be published in the coming weeks.

The Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry, the Hon Nigel Feetham KC MP, said: “This is an important part of Gibraltar's continued commitment to combating financial crime and maintaining confidence in our jurisdiction. Criminals should not be able to benefit from the proceeds of their activities, whether those assets are held locally or overseas. As laundering and terrorist financing typologies evolve, our work never stops.

“The Government will continue to work to address recommendations made on Gibraltar’s legal and operational arrangements, working closely with our local and international partners, as well as the private sector. I thank all those involved in preparing Gibraltar's assessment and representing our jurisdiction at the Plenary.”

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Christian Rocca KC, said: “The effective investigation and prosecution of financial crime increasingly requires cooperation across international borders. Criminal assets may move rapidly between jurisdictions, and it is essential that investigators and prosecutors have the legal tools to identify, restrain and recover them. The assessment provided an opportunity to demonstrate how Gibraltar's legislation operates in practice, supported by examples of successful prosecutions and asset recovery proceedings. We welcome the Conference of the Parties’ recognition of these arrangements and their positive comments regarding the detail of our submissions and subsequent presentation of our case, for which I thank all relevant Crown Counsel involved in putting our best case forward.”

Gibraltar's participation in COP-198 forms part of its wider programme of international cooperation and continued development of its financial crime framework, alongside its ongoing engagement with MONEYVAL and the Financial Action Task Force standards.

The Council of Europe's announcement of the Plenary outcome is available at:

https://www.coe.int/en/web/cop198/-/outcome-of-the-18th-plenary-meeting-of-the-conference-of-the-parties