Open Source Intelligence and Cybersecurity Gamified Training for Anti-Corruption Activists and Investigative Journalists

5-6 February, 2024
Villa Grébovka, Prague,

TThe CEELI Institute is inviting anti-corruption activists and investigative journalists from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Croatia to join this innovative, interactive, and gamified course on open-source intelligence and cybersecurity.

Combatting corruption

Investigating and Prosecuting Official Corruption (5-day program)

This program, designed for investigators and prosecutors, brings together an extraordinary faculty line-up consisting of some of the world’s most experienced anti-corruption prosecutors, forensic accountants, and practitioners. The highly interactive training walks participants through the actual investigation of a model case involving official corruption. Participants work in small groups to develop their own investigation strategies, learning to use time-tested investigative tools along the way. Participants are ultimately tasked with making a recommendation to the plenary on whether this was a case they would pursue to prosecution or not. The course is designed to develop and improve practical skills as the participants pursue the investigation, augmented by expert guidance and instruction.

Participants from Central and Eastern European countries are eligible to apply.

In order to join the training, we require participants to be fully vaccinated by a EU-recognized vaccine.

Financial Investigations (5-day program)

The techniques discussed and practiced during this course can be applied to any investigation involving crimes of greed. The evidence resulting from using these techniques may corroborate the testimony of witnesses whose credibility is suspect, and provide circumstantial or direct evidence of the crime. Subject areas covered in this seminar include: Starting an Investigation; Sources of Financial Information; Financial Profiling; Financial Interviewing; Financial Crimes, Money Laundering, and Asset Forfeiture; and Financial Search Warrants. These sessions are interspersed with practical exercises related to the investigation. Differences between the investigations of financial crimes and other criminal investigations (and how those differences impact the techniques used during a financial crime investigation) are also highlighted in the course. The course has been designed and is delivered by two former U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigators/trainers, a former FBI agent and a former Supervising Officer of the FinCEN.

Asset Recovery (5-day program)

This course is focused on identifying, locating, freezing, seizing and returning assets which are the proceeds of a crime. Topics covered in the course include:

• Financial tracing of assets within or outside of a jurisdiction 
• Utilizing international cooperation in asset recovery investigations 
• Applying various legal methods to seek the seizure, forfeiture, and return of assets 
• Preparing formal written requests to collect evidence, including assets, in a foreign jurisdiction. 

The course has been developed and is currently being delivered by a former FBI agent, a former Supervising Officer of the FinCEN, a former prosecutor of the U.S. Department of Justice, a former IRS investigator, two acting World Bank prosecutors and an investigative journalist from the investigative group Bellingcat.

Open-Source Intelligence Tools for Law Enforcement (2-day program)

This course focuses on searching and using available open-source intelligence tools as evidence in official investigations. The training covers innovative ways to accessing, searching and analyzing public registers of companies, real estate registries, registries of vehicles, aircrafts etc. The course is conducted by an analyst from the investigative group Bellingcat and a former Supervising Officer of FinCEN.

Investigating Corruption as Law Enforcement (5-day program)

This course has been developed by a diverse faculty, including a former FBI agent, U.S. prosecutor, former FinCEN officers, and a World Bank prosecutor – all bringing experience in investigating and prosecuting cases globally. The course is intended for investigative journalists and civic activists to improve their knowledge of procedural steps and requirements of investigating corruption and money laundering by law-enforcement. The course was created with a hope to help bridge the gap of mutual misunderstanding and mistrust, which often exists between law-enforcement and civil society watchdogs in investigating official corruption and money laundering. The training is based on a fictional case, which participants would have to investigate, and later present in court as law-enforcement agents. The objective of this training is to provide investigative journalists with the knowledge of what constitutes legally actionable material for law enforcement, and what mechanisms exist to relay information to law enforcement actors.

Non-Conviction Based Forfeiture of Assets of Persons Under Sanctions

This course is designed to discuss issues of non-conviction based forfeiture of assets for the benefit of the state as a result of sanctions.

Determining When to or Not to Engage with Law Enforcement: A Course for Investigative Journalists

This course provides information about legal protection of journalists in their interaction with law enforcement, detail how law-enforcement can use materials published by investigative journalists, and they can protect sources and witnesses. The course also touches upon the subject of digital evidence in war crimes prosecution.

Judicial programs

A CEELI ONLINE CERTIFICATE COURSE

Application Of EU Instruments In Criminal Justice

The two-day seminar, organized in cooperation of the CEELI Institute and the Association of Croatian Judges, is designed for active criminal judges from EU member countries, focusing on the application of EU instruments in criminal justice, and providing access to the full extent of rights guaranteed by EU law. Specifically, this course focuses on Directive 2013/48/EU on the right of access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings, and Directive (EU) 2016/343 on the strengthening of certain aspects of the presumption of innocence and of the right to be present at the trial in a criminal proceeding.

A portion of the training will also be used to discuss the impact of “hate crime” legislation, by addressing Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA, which deals with combating certain forms and expressions of racism and xenophobia by means of criminal law.

Trainings for lawyers

Courses related to the European Court for Human Rights

The European Court for Human Rights (ECtHR) is currently among the most important avenues of international appeal and review open to citizens seeking redress from final judgments in the 47 member states of the Council of Europe. Such redress is particularly important for citizens of European countries that are not members of the European Union, such as Turkey and Ukraine. The CEELI Institute has developed and implemented a wide range of courses focusing on various aspects of applications to the Court, such as specific articles of the Convention, or their typical combinations (such as the rights for defendants in criminal cases), and technical trainings on developing successful applications.

Small and medium law firm management (2-day program)

This interactive training is aimed at managers of small and medium law firms and covers the following topics: challenges facing small and medium firms, financial management, generating growth, client care and marketing strategies, showing effective leadership and motivating staff, and information technology management and digital security.

Intellectual Property Rights (5-day program)

The course is designed to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and competencies to advise clients on intellectual property rights management, protection and enforcement. The main focus of the program is on copyright, trademarks and design rights. Patents are dealt with in passing only as a more comprehensive study is beyond the scope of this course.

Jury Trials Advocacy Course (5-day program)

This training program for practicing attorneys aims to develop skills essential to the effective representation of clients in jury trial cases. It starts with topics such as interviewing the client and case analysis and facilitates opportunities for all the participants to engage in mock trial advocacy exercises with a case study and develop trial advocacy skills; including jury selection, opening statements, first examinations, cross-examinations, and closing statements.

Legal Skills in a Time of War (2-week summer school)

This course was first offered in the summer of 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On 10-21 July 2023, we will offer this 2-week summer school again, open to Ukrainian law students and junior lawyers, both those who left Ukraine for other parts of Europe and those still in the country.