Justice Minister Nela Kuburović met today with Italian National Anti-Mafia and Conterterrorism Prosecutor Federico Cafiero De Raho to discuss cooperation between Serbia and Italy in the fight against organised crime and corruption.
Minister Kuburović and the Italian Prosecutor emphasised that Serbia and Italy had cooperated well against organised crime and corruption; however, such cooperation needed to be further improved to meet the challenges of contemporary forms of cross-border crime.
They also underlined that joint investigation teams of the prosecution offices and police forces of the two countries are important for an effective fight against transnational crime.
Kuburović recalled that in 2017 a number of bilateral agreements between Serbia and Italy had been signed, one of them in connection with international legal cooperation in the fight against crime and corruption. Kuburović also mentioned that the Ministry of Justice had signed an agreement on cooperation with the Italian financial police (Guardia di Finanza), thanks to which prosecutors and police officers of Serbia go to that institution for training and professional development purposes.
Minister Kuburović said that the Serbian Organised Crime Prosecutor’s Office had strong cooperation with its Italian counterparts, explaining that a few years ago the Office received advanced data management software as a donation made by Italy.
Kuburović stressed that combating corruption and organised crime is one of the priorities of the Serbian Government and the Justice Ministry.
Prosecutor De Raho confirmed that he had very good cooperation with prosecution authorities in Serbia, most notably with the Organised Crime Prosecutor’s Office.
He indicated that the Italian Prosecutor’s Office continually changed its regulations so as to always have modern tools in the fight against organised crime and corruption, adding that the this authority remained at Serbia’s disposal as regards the exchange of experience and professional support.