The Regional Branches

The choice of location in areas affected by diverse criminal phenomena

Before deploying the branches across the entire national territory, it was decided to begin with an experimental phase by establishing, from March 1, 2021, two branches in the jurisdictions of courts of appeal with significant property seizures and financial stakes. These courts house two major interregional jurisdictions specializing in combating organized crime and complex economic and financial crime (the JIRS of Marseille and Lyon), and they are positioned just after the major Group 1 courts in Paris and its surrounding region.

Thus, the geographic jurisdiction of the branches mirrors that of the JIRS in Marseille and Lyon, covering:
- Four courts of appeal (Aix-en-Provence, Nîmes, Montpellier, and Bastia) and 22 judicial courts for the Marseille branch;
- Four courts of appeal (Lyon, Grenoble, Chambéry, and Riom) and 21 judicial courts for the Lyon branch.

Given the criminal landscape of these jurisdictions, which experience both significant everyday crime and a strong presence of criminal and mafia organizations linked to international networks, whose primary objective is often to launder "crime money", it became relevant to bring the agency closer to the field actors such as investigative services, magistrates, and court clerks.

Resources, Recruitment, and the Strength of Interministerial Coordination

The regional branches in Marseille and Lyon are led by a coordinating magistrate and consist of:
- A branch chief managing a team of five members, including two clerks and a lead investigator, for the Marseille branch;
- A branch chief managing a team of three members, including one clerk and a lead investigator, for the Lyon branch.

To maximize the effectiveness of the branches and help them achieve their objectives, the following strategies were implemented:
- A multidisciplinary recruitment approach, bringing together investigators, court directors, clerks, and contractual staff under the coordination of a magistrate. This allows the full spectrum of the asset seizure and confiscation process to be addressed, from the detection of criminal assets (by investigators) to their seizure and confiscation, fostering knowledge sharing and experience exchange.
- Recruiting personnel from the relevant geographic area, ensuring they are familiar with the operation of the courts and already have connections within the judicial system and investigative services, networks essential for information gathering and transmission.

Objectives and Missions Implementing a Methodology Based on Proactive Action

These two branches were tasked with an objective-based contract, with a requirement for regular analysis and evaluation of their actions and results to assess the effectiveness of the program.

The objectives assigned to the branches are as follows:
- The need to better monitor seizures and more efficiently execute confiscation decisions within reasonable timeframes. There is also a need to provide advice and support to magistrates and investigators through increased assistance, even in cases involving small and medium-scale crime.
- The need to refine AGRASC's expert role and enable it to offer recommendations to courts for "better management of legal costs," particularly concerning the storage of seized assets.
- The need to provide regular training so that courts can better integrate the asset seizure system.

Thus, to meet the objectives and constraints of the pilot program, the branches implemented a methodology based on analysis and proactive action.

This methodology paved the way for the creation of the Lille and Rennes branches, which benefited from the work of the pilot branches. 

This proximity enables, through proactive action:. 
- Better execution of confiscation decisions,
- Improved targeting of cases to allow for better victim compensation by reducing delays,
- Increased availability and responsiveness in providing assistance and advice to magistrates and investigators,
- The ability to make proposals to the courts for managing seized assets, leading to better control of legal costs,
- Establishing partnership initiatives with the courts.

Results after 18 months
• Improved identification of the agency's contacts, easier communication, and clear encouragement to pursue asset seizures, made possible by the proximity of the pilot regional branches. The decentralization of AGRASC has demonstrated that it meets a genuine need among judicial actors for a localized structure. The regional branches are now fully integrated into the regional judicial landscape and are viewed as essential partners.
• A significant increase in the number of seizures and confiscations carried out.
• A notable increase in the number of seized vehicles assigned to investigative services.
• A growing awareness of the importance of asset confiscations, the only sanctions that contribute to weakening criminal networks financially