Article 5 — Asset recovery offices
1. Each Member State shall set up at least one asset recovery office to facilitate cross-border cooperation in relation to asset-tracing investigations. 2. Asset recovery offices shall have the following tasks: (a) to trace and identify instrumentalities, proceeds or property where necessary to support other national competent authorities responsible for asset-tracing investigations pursuant to Article 4 or the European Public Prosecutors Office (the EPPO); (b) to trace and identify instrumentalities, proceeds or property which are or might become the object of a freezing or confiscation order issued by a competent authority in another Member State; (c) to cooperate and exchange information with asset recovery offices in other Member States and the EPPO in the tracing and identification of instrumentalities, proceeds or property which are or might become the object of a freezing or confiscation order. 3. In order to perform their tasks pursuant to paragraph 2, point (b), asset recovery offices shall be entitled to request the relevant competent authorities, in accordance with national law, to cooperate with them where necessary for the tracing and identification of instrumentalities, proceeds or property; 4. Asset recovery offices shall be empowered to trace and identify property of persons and entities subject to Union restrictive measures where necessary to facilitate the detection of criminal offences referred to in Article 2(1), point (p), of this Directive, upon a request by national competent authorities based on indications and reasonable grounds for believing that a criminal offence pursuant to Article 3 of Directive (EU) 2024/1226 was committed. Such powers shall be without prejudice to relevant procedural requirements and safeguards established under national procedural law, including rules on the initiation of criminal proceedings or, where necessary, the requirement to obtain a judicial authorisation.
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Source: EUR-Lex CELLAR · retrieved 2026-09-04