Legal Research Consultant - Asset Recovery in Lebanon paper

The Lebanese Transparency Association is looking for a Legal Research Consultant to produce a research paper on Asset Recovery in the Lebanese context. The research paper should cover the following aspects:

1. Analyzing the national asset recovery legal and institutional setting;
2. Review the two draft laws on “Looted Funds” submitted to the parliament and assess their weaknesses/opportunities;
3. List and assess the international measures/conventions/regulations the Lebanese state can resort to in case of Asset Recovery;
4. Identify the current legal and institutional gaps with regard to Asset Recovery, ranging from investigative procedures to the recovery of assets;
5. Develop recommendations leading to improve the Lebanese compliance with asset recovery measures.

Scope of services

The key roles and responsibilities of the position are to provide the following services with strong legal analytic and qualitative skills:

1. Undertake desk-based research and analysis related to the Lebanese asset recovery legal and institutional frameworks in light of the international measures.

The desk-based research would cover the following areas, but not limited to:

1. The Lebanese Criminal Code;
2. Law No.154 on Illicit Enrichment & Asset Disclosure;
3. Law No.44 on fighting Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing;
4. Law No.55 on Exchange of Information for Taxation Purpose;
5. The Two draft laws on “Looted Funds” submitted to the Lebanese Parliament;
6. Chapter 5 on Asset Recovery of the United Nations Against Corruption (UNCAC);
7. Articles 12, 13 and 30 on International Cooperation for purposes of confiscation of illicit assets of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC);
8. The Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (MAC);
9. The Multilateral Competent Authority Agreements (MCAA);
10. OECD Treaties and Mechanisms;
11. The UNODC and World Bank Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (STAR)

1. Conduct at least 3 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs);
2. Produce the study including findings and recommendations.

Output/Deliverables

The contract shall commence on November the 20th, and ends on December 12th. The position is expected to deliver the following over the term of the contract to the satisfaction of the executive office:

1. Output 1: A Detailed outline of the research paper to be delivered by November 22^nd.
2. Output 2: First Draft of the research paper including desk-based review, KIIs, and recommendations by November the 30th.
3. Output 3: Final version of the research paper by December 10th.

Budget 

A Maximum of USD 5,000. Please note that this amount must cover any taxes that may apply. The suggested price is part of the selection criteria.

Qualifications and Experience

The Candidate will possess strong qualifications and experience to support (technical area) and policy making processes, including:

1. A Bachelor’s degree in Law, Public Policy, Good Governance, Anti-Corruption or other related areas.
2. At least 5 years relevant work experience in the area of law, public policy or equivalent.
3. Strong knowledge in the Lebanese legal context with a focus on Money Laundering, Fiscal Evasion, and Asset Recovery.
4. Excellent written and communication skills with fluency in Arabic and English.
5. Proficiency in data qualitative and legal analysis.
6. Proven ability to work independently and to take initiative to progress timely deliverables.

Evaluation Criteria

The Call will be evaluated and selected based on the following criteria:

Qualifications of the Research Team/Researcher: 50%

Previous Experience in similar research tasks: 40%

Budget: 10%