This week, Europol, jointly with EU Member States, Eurojust and Frontex, launched Operation Oscar to support financial investigations by EU Member States targeting criminal assets owned by individuals and legal entities sanctioned in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Operation Oscar will also aim to support criminal investigations by Member States in relation to the circumvention of EU-imposed trade and economic sanctions. It will continue for a period of at least one year and include a number of separate investigations.
Europol will centralise and analyse all information contributed under this operation to identify international links, criminal groups and suspects, as well as new criminal trends and patterns. The organisation will provide tailor-made analytical support to investigations, operational coordination, forensics and technical expertise, and financial support to the relevant national authorities.
Eurojust will provide legal assistance and support and strengthen cooperation between national investigating and judicial authorities, and Frontex will contribute to the operation by enhancing the scrutiny of the persons who are crossing EU’s external borders and fall under the scope of the sanctions.
