The DRC strengthens its expertise: A look back at the immersion training mission at AGRASC in France

A delegation led by Madam Marie-Rose MESSI, the General Manager of the DRC and also Chairperson of the Cameroonian Platform responsible for monitoring the recovery of debts arising from financial penalties imposed on behalf of the State and its departments, carried out an immersion training mission at the Agency of management and recovery of seized and confiscated assets (AGRASC) in Paris from 3 to 5 December 2025. This mission is part of the DRC’s desire to strengthen its operational expertise, particularly in view of the growing challenge of the extraterritoriality of the assets of convicted debtors. The AGRASC, considered as one of the most advanced European models for the management of criminal assets, shared its expertise in three strategic areas:

• the management and valuation of seized and confiscated assets ,
• the use of digital tools for monitoring and traceability ,
• the accounting and financial management of funds derived from confiscations .

The key points of the immersion

The delegation learned about the organisation and governance of AGRASC, which is notable for its dual tutelage (the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Public Accounts); also, its dual accounting system, including a special account for the products from confiscations, currently estimated at nearly €3 billion. In terms of digitisation, the focus was on the use of the Agency’s central software for tracking criminal cases and seized assets. Discussions also focused on the technical challenges associated with the seizure of crypto-assets and the imperative of data reliability. Finally, with regard to the management of real estate and movable property, the saling procedures of these assets, social allocation and restitution process were examined. And a notable difference with the Cameroonian framework was noted: under French law, the confiscation of property is equivalent to expulsion.

Prospects for the DRC

This immersion marks a major step forward for the DRC in its efforts to modernise its methods for recovering and managing seized and confiscated criminal assets. At the end of the mission, several recommendations were made:

• strengthen institutional communication and the visibility of the website ;
• Structure national cooperation around public recovery ;
• Continue benchmarking with international agencies, particularly Italian ones ;
• Develop continuing training for magistrates, judicial police officers and actors in the criminal justice system.

For more information: Agency of management and recovery of seized and confiscated assets