Confiscation of instrumentalities and proceeds of corruption crimes in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

A. Instrumentalities
Instrumentalities of corruption offences are typical objects for confiscation in accordance with the 
universally recognised international instruments in this field. 
Thus, paragraph 1 of Article 31 of the UN Convention against Corruption mandates each State Party to take 
measures to enable confiscation of the 
property, equipment or other instrumentalities used in or 
intended to be used in
the corresponding offences. According to paragraph 1 of Article 3 and paragraph C 
of Article 1 of the Warsaw Convention, the instrumentalities, namely any property used or intended to be 
used, in any manner, wholly or in part, to commit a criminal offence or criminal offences are subject to 
confiscation. Similar definition is provided in paragraph 3 of Article 2 of the Directive 2014/42/EU. 
Instrumentalities often make it possible or easier to commit an offence. 
Analysis of the questionnaire replies and the legislation of the ACN countries gives grounds to assert that 
the property, equipment and other instrumentalities of crime are, to an extent, the objects for confiscation in 
every country. Some countries distinguish “instruments of crime” and “means of crime”, others use the term 
“instruments and objects used to commit a crime”; in their legislation, different countries may sometimes 

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place different emphasis on the ‘instrumentalities’ and use different terminology for denomination. This 
question is discussed in detail in the following paragraphs.
Thus, for example, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 52 of the Criminal Code of 
Georgia
,
confiscation of the instrumentalities of crime shall mean the deprivation in favour of the State of the object 
owned or rightfully held by the accused or convicted person, which was used for the commission of an 
intentional crime or that was in any form intended for this purpose. The term ‘instrumentalities’ of crime is 
described in Article 73 of the Criminal Code of