The faculty of professional development of the Academy of the Investigative Committee of Russia in Saint Petersburg organised and hosted an expanded workshop on the topic of cryptocurrency seizure. The event was a part of a larger program to improve the success rate of investigations into crimes committed with the use of cryptocurrency and other digital assets.
Other attendees included special investigators from the ICR, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, representatives of the Investigations Division, along with law enforcement officers from Belarus and Kazakhstan. A representative of the “Digital Control” research centre, cryptocurrency transaction research specialist Dmitry Sorokin, took part in the event via a video call.
Crimes, committed with the use of information technology in the financial field, are unique, since the financial information is stored on special digital storage mediums. In order to investigate such crimes, knowledge of digital currency and transaction control is required. It is necessary to know how regulatory bodies track cryptocurrency, and to understand the features of alternate payment systems. Today, the matter of seizing cryptocurrency and digital assets during investigations of digital crimes is very relevant.
During the workshop, such topics as the recognition of digital currency as evidence along with the procedure for its storage during investigations of crimes in the area of finance were discussed. The validity of possible seizure of digital assets and cryptocurrency, despite the lack of their presence in the list of types of property, was also brought up. Special attention was paid to the procedure of enforcing court rulings in regard to seizure of digital assets and access to crypto and digital wallets.
A variety of solutions and possible courses of action in various situations, in regard to seizure of digital assets, have been offered during the workshop.