Nicos ALIVIZATOS

Emeritus Professor of Constitutional Law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Member of the Venice Commission, Greece

Nicos C. Alivizatos is Professor Emeritus of Constitutional Law at the University of Athens, where he has been teaching for more than two decades. He is a graduate of the University of Paris II and holds a D.E.S. from the University of Paris II and a LL.B. from the University of Athens Faculty of Law. Dr. Alivizatos is currently active as attorney-at-law, having founded and managed Alivizatos, Kioussopoulou and Partners, He has also held several public positions, including Minister of the Interior ad interim of the Greek Government in 2004, and membership on committees such as the Hellenic Data Protection Authority and the National Broadcasting Authority of Greece. He is a co-editor and member of the editorial board of the Greek cultural quarterly review Synchrona Themata, and he has served as the President of the Board of the Hellenic Ligue of Human Rights. He is also a member of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.

Claire BAZY MALAURIE

President of the Venice Commission

• Graduate of the National School of Administration (ENA)
• Former president of Chamber at the Court of Auditors of France
• Former member of the Constitutional Council of France (2010-2022)

Veronika BILKOVÁ

Professor of Public International Law at Charles University in Prague, Member of the Venice Commission for the Czech Republic

Prof. Bílková is a Professor of International Law at Charles University. She holds a Doctor's Degree (PhDr.) in Political Science and International Relations, a Ph.D. Degree in International Law, and a Doctor's Degree (JUDr.) in Law, all from Charles University in Prague. In addition, she earned a Diploma in International Law from the University of Cambridge. She is the Head of the Department of Public International Law at the Faculty of Law of the Charles University and a senior researcher at the Centre for International Law of the Institute of International Relations. Prof. Bílková is a member of the Managerial Board of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency and has been a member of the European Commission for Democracy Through Law (Venice Commission of the Council of Europe) since 2010. Additionally, she has worked for the Czech Ministry of Defence and interned at the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva. In 2022-2023, she was a member of the three missions of experts on Ukraine established under the OSCE Moscow Mechanism.

Roberta CARLINI

Assistant Professor at the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom, European University Institute

Roberta Carlini is Assistant Part Time Professor at the European University Institute (EUI). Roberta joined the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) and the Centre for a Digital Society (CDS), based at the Schuman Centre of the European University Institute, after a career as journalist, specialised in economic and social issues.
Her research in the media studies focuses on the economic dimension of media pluralism and media freedom. At CMPF Roberta contributes to the project “Monitoring media pluralism in the digital era” (Media Pluralism Monitor), where she coordinates the Market Plurality area, focusing on media ownership concentration, media sustainability, digital markets, working conditions of journalists, public support to the media sector, editorial independence from commercial and owners’ influence. She co-authored the national report of MPM for Italy in the years 2020-2023. In 2022 she contributed to the Study on Media Plurality and Diversity Online, with a chapter on the online advertising market.
Roberta holds a degree in Law (University of Rome La Sapienza) and a Master degree in Public Finance at CNR (Centro Nazionale Ricerche). As a journalist, she covered economy and public finance, job market, media, education, social and gender issues for several Italian media; she has been deputy editor-in-chief of the newspaper Il Manifesto, and of the weekly magazine Pagina 99. She makes regular contributions for the magazine Internazionale and for Rai Radio Tre. She co-founded inGenere.it (a web-magazine disseminating knowledge and expertise on Gender and Economics) and is a consultant for Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini. As an essayist, she has written several books, most recently “Come siamo cambiati. Gli italiani e la crisi” (Laterza, 2015).

Raj CHARI

Professor in Political Science in Trinity College Dublin

Raj Chari is a Professor in Political Science in Trinity College Dublin. Born and raised in Canada, he earned his BA (hons.) and MA from the University of Saskatchewan, and his PhD from Queen's University (Canada) carrying out his doctoral research work in the Juan March Institute (Madrid). He studies comparative public policy, with a focus on the relationship between business and politics and the regulation of lobbyists. His six books have been published with leading presses such as Oxford University Press and Manchester University Press, and he has written over 35 papers and book chapters. He has advised and presented expert evidence throughout the globe on the development of lobbying laws, where some of these governments/institutions advised include: the UK, Scotland, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Serbia, New South Wales (Australia), Finland, the European Parliament, and the Council of Europe. He has also worked as an independent researcher for Open Government Partnership, evaluating Ireland’s commitment to transparency policies between 2014-2018. Since 2022 he serves as a member of Ireland’s Advisory Council Against Economic Crime and Corruption, whose role is to advise and make proposals on policy responses to combat financial crime and reduce corruption.

Despina CHATZIVASSILIOU-TSOVILIS

Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis is the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; she is the first woman to be elected to this post in the Assembly’s 72-year history.
Before her election in January 2021, Dr Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis had a total of 27 years of professional experience in the Council of Europe. She has worked for 21 years with and for parliamentarians from all over Europe in the Parliamentary Assembly. During the last 12 years, she has led the Secretariats of the Monitoring and then Political Affairs and Democracy committees. She provided advice to four successive Secretaries General of the Assembly, numerous committee Chairpersons and Presidents of the Assembly.
She has also acquired solid experience in intergovernmental cooperation having worked for the Committee of Ministers monitoring procedure at the Directorate of Strategic Planning (DSP). Along with strong team management skills, she developed her experience in human resources management as Human Resources Correspondent for the whole DSP.
She is a Doctor in law, holding a PhD on the European Convention of Human Rights from the European University Institute (EUI, Florence, Italy). She started her Council of Europe career at the European Commission of Human Rights. She is of Greek nationality.
Previously, Dr Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis worked at the European University Institute (EUI), Florence, Italy, as Research Assistant for Professor Antonio Cassese, former President of the CPT and of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (1992-1993). She was a trainee lawyer at Law firm A.Chiotellis-I.Yannidis, Athens, Greece (1988-1989) and a member of the editorial board of the Criminal Law Review, Poenika Chronika, Athens, Greece (1986-1993). She is a member of the Athens Bar Association since 1994.

Irakli CHIKOVANI

Deputy Chairman of Parliament of Georgia

Irakli Chikovani was born on 28 August 1980 in Zugdidi, Georgia. In 2002 graduated with honors Tbilisi State University, LLM in International Law. In 2005 graduated from NATO Defense College (Rome, Italy).
He began public service career in 2000, at the Ministry of Defense of Georgia. Till 2004 he worked at the Ministry in the Department of Defense Policy and International Relations on various positions. By the end of 2004 continued working at the National Security Council of Georgia as Director of State and Public Security Department.
From 2006 he joined diplomatic service. Served as the Director of International Organizations Department, later Director of International Law Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, before appointment as Deputy Permanent Representative of Georgia to the United Nations in January 2007.
In 2009 he resigned from the position of Deputy Permanent Representative of Georgia to the United Nations to engage in politics. In 2011 - 2014 was member of the Political Council of ruling coalition “Georgian Dream”. In 2012 was elected to the Parliament of Georgia. He served as Chairman of Faction, also he was member of Foreign Relations Committee and Defense and Security Committee and member of the Parliamentary Delegations of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
During 2016-2018, he participated in various international projects as an independent expert on issues of international relations, security, and legislative procedure. In 2018-2020, he was an advisor to the Prime Minister of Georgia on strategic communications issues and later served as advisor to the Prime Minister of Georgia in international relations. Since 2020, he is a member of the 10th convocation of the Parliament of Georgia, majoritarian deputy for the Zugdidi district. Since December 2021 is member of Political Council of “Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia” political party. In October 2023, he was elected as Deputy Chairman of Parliament of Georgia. He is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Committee on Defense and Security issues. He also heads the permanent delegation of Georgia to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Irakli Chikovani holds Diplomatic rank of Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary and Civil Service rank of First Class State Councilor. He is married and has three children.

Yves-Marie DOUBLET

Expert of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) of the Council of Europe

Dr Yves-Marie Doublet was Deputy Director of the National Assembly until May 2022. He was head of the legal department of the Constitutional Council.
He is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris and holds a doctorate in law from Paris II.
He is an expert with the Council of Europe.
He has drafted legislation for foreign parliaments and electoral commissions.
He has worked (reports, conferences) on electoral law, the financing of political life, corruption, lobbying and public procurement for the European Union, GRECO , the Venice Commission, the United Nations, the OECD, the OSCE, PACE , USAID. It has evaluated the political finance systems of several GRECO member states: Austria, Belarus, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Serbia, Spain and Ukraine.
He is the author of several books and articles on the financing of political life in German, English and Spanish. He is the author of a book on Election Law, which received a prize from the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences in 2015.
He is the author, among others, of the Synthesis of the third GRECO evaluation cycle on the financing of political life, 2010; a training manual for the detection of forms of irregular financing of political life, 2016; a report on disinformation and electoral campaigns for the Council of Europe, 2019.. He is the author of a report on good practice in combating the misuse of public funds for electoral purposes in Council of Europe member states, 2020. He participated in the drafting of a handbook on hate speech in electoral campaigns, international standards and good practices for Georgia, Council of Europe, 2021.
He was a lecturer in legal issues at the Ecole nationale d'administration. He is a member of the scientific council of the German Institute of Political Parties at the University of Düsseldorf . He is a member of the German section of the International Commission of Jurists.

Mogens JENSEN

General Rapporteur on media freedom and safety of journalists, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, SOC

Mogens Jensen is a member of the Danish Parliament (Folketing) since 2005 and has held varying committee and ministerial positions. As a member of the Social Democrats, he served as the Chairman of the parliamentary group of the Social Democratic Party, Vice-chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation, Vice-chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee, Minister for Food, Fisheries and Equal Opportunities and Minister for Nordic Cooperation, Chairman of the Transport Committee, Spokesman on Defence and Spokesman on Cultural Affairs.
Mogens Jensen is the current Chairman of the Danish Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the General Rapporteur on media freedom and safety of journalists. In his previous Chairmanship to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe he was the Chairperson of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.
Before being elected as a member of the Danish Parliament, he was a trained trade union manager, most notably he worked as a consultant to the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions for 18 years. He was also a consultant on developing countries and cultural affairs with the National Federation of the Workers' Educational Association.
Besides other publications, he is the co-author of the book “They Rose Defiantly in the Crowd”, published in 2021, and a contributor to the Danish Trades Union Congress’ 100th Anniversary Book with the piece titled “In Step with the Times”, published in 1998.

James KELLY III

Founder and President of Solidarity Center for Law and Justice, P.C., Substitute member of the Venice Commission

Jim Kelly is the Founder and President of Solidarity Center for Law and Justice, P.C., an Atlanta, Georgia-based public interest human rights law firm that promotes the right to education and freedom of religion and expression.
Since 2005, Kelly has served on an of counsel basis as the Director of International Affairs for the Washington D.C.-based Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies. He is responsible for European judicial and civil society outreach strategy and engagement and for monitoring developments in the areas of human rights, rule of law, democracy, anti-corruption, and national sovereignty.
From 2005-2008, Kelly served on the U.S. National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (“UNESCO”) and as Chairman of the National Commission’s Social and Human Sciences Committee.
In 2019, Kelly was appointed by the U.S. Department of State to serve as a Substitute Member of the European Commission on Democracy through Law (the “Venice Commission”). In addition to serving on the Venice Commission, Kelly is one of six U.S. experts to the OSCE Moscow Mechanism. In March 2022, he initiated Ukraine’s consideration and use of the Moscow Mechanism as the first official international investigation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which resulted in the Report on Violations of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity Committed in Ukraine (1 April – 25 June 2022)
Kelly is a lecturer at the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he developed and teaches a class titled Evolution of Business, Human Rights, & ESG.
In 2005, Kelly published Christianity, Democracy and the American Ideal, a compilation of the writings of the French-Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain.
He has served as a member of the Georgia Board of Juvenile Justice (2006-2012) and the Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission (2005-2010). He serves on the Georgia Commission for Civics Education (2023 to present)
Kelly has earned a Master of Arts degree in International Relations with a Concentration in Justice and Homeland Security from Salve Regina University (2008); a Master of Nonprofit Management degree from Regis University (2002); a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia School of Law (1985); a Master of Taxation degree from Georgia State University (1980); and a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree from the University of Georgia (1978).
Kelly resides in Alpharetta, Georgia, with his wife, Lisa. They have two married children.

Wojciech KONOŃCZUK

Director of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW)

Wojciech Konończuk is the director of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Warsaw. His expertise includes: situation in Eastern Europe, Russia, energy policy, oligarchs on the post-Soviet area, European integration and politics of memory. Previously, he was OSW deputy director and department head for Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova, and analyst for Russia’s energy and foreign policy. In the past, he was the coordinator of the Batory Foundation's international projects, a visiting scholar at the Wilson Centre's Kennan Institute in Washington, DC, and a participant in several international research projects (including the Centre for European Policy Studies, Think Visegrad, and the German Association for East European Studies). He lectures regularly at the Diplomatic Academy, and the Warsaw School of Economics. A regular commentator in Polish and international media. A graduate of the University of Warsaw in International Relations and the Centre for East European Studies of the University of Warsaw. He also studied at Saint Petersburg State University and the Warsaw School of Economics.

Norbert LAMMERT

President of Konrad-Adenauer Foundation, Former President of the Bundestag

Norbert Lammert has been Chairman of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) since 2018.
Dr Lammert was elected to the German Bundestag in 1980 and kept his mandate until his resignation in 2017.
He held the position of Vice-President of the German Bundestag from 2002 to 2005 and went on to serve as the President of the German Bundestag from 2005 to October 2017. Among his many functions and committees on which Dr. Lammert served, are: Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Electoral Examination, Immunity and Rules of Procedure (1983–1989) and Chairman of the German-Brazilian Parliamentary Group (1984-1991). From 1989 to 1998, Dr Lammert served as Parliamentary State Secretary in various Federal Ministries – the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Economics and the Ministry of Transport. From 1995 to 1998, he was Federal Government Coordinator for Aerospace policy. Dr Lammert also served as Chairman of the CDU State Group North Rhine-Westphalia, and Cultural and Media Policy Spokesman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.
Norbert Lammert was born in 1948 in Bochum, Germany. After completing his Abitur (higher education entrance qualification) and later his military service, he studied political science, modern history and social economics at Oxford and the University of Bochum where he received his Doctorate in Social Sciences in 1975. In 2008 he became an Honorary Professor at the Ruhr-University Bochum.
Dr Lammert has published numerous highly regarded works in the field of research into political parties and social, economic and cultural policy issues as well as having undertaken public speaking.

David LINGELBACH

Professor of entrepreneurship, the Merrick School of Business, the University of Baltimore, Co-author of “The Oligarchs’ Grip”

David Lingelbach (B.S., M.S., MIT; Ph.D., Exeter) is professor of entrepreneurship in the Merrick School of Business, the University of Baltimore. His research focuses on oligarch studies, entrepreneurship in emerging and developing economies, and entrepreneurial finance. David has been awarded Fulbrights to Myanmar/Burma and Colombia. He is a frequent contributor to the international media (The Hill and The Messenger) and has been interviewed by media outlets such as Bloomberg, Forbes, and the Financial Times. David’s latest book, The Oligarchs’ Grip: Fusing Wealth and Power, with Valentina Rodríguez Guerra from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, is published by De Gruyter.

John LLOYD

Contributing editor at the Financial Times and an Associate Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford

Educated
Waid Academy Comprehensive School,
East Fife;
Edinburgh University: MA

Journalism –

Time Out:
Features Editor;
Editor.

LBC Radio: reporter.

London Weekend TV: Reporter, London Programme and Weekend World.

Financial Times:
Industrial Reporter, Labour Correspondent, Labour Editor;
Labour and Industrial Editor;
East Europe Editor;
Moscow Bureau Chief;
Founding Editor, FT Weekend Magazine.

New Statesman: Editor.

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. Co-founder, Director of Journalism

Presently:
Contributing Editor, Financial Times;
Senior Research Fellow, Reuters Institute;
Chairman, School of Civic Education (Russia).

Books
• Loss Without Limit: the British Miners’ Strike; (with Martin Adeney) Routledge; 1986
• The Future of Work (with Charles Leadbeater); Penguin; 1987
• The Rebirth of a Nation: an Anatomy of Russia; Allen Lane; 1996
• What the Media are Doing to Our Politics; Constable; 2004
• Journalism in an Age of Terror: I B Tauris: 2016
• The Power and the Story: the global battle for journalism: Atlantic Books; August 2017.

Forthcoming: Should Auld Acquaintance be Forgot: the Great Mistake of Scottish Independence Polity Press. Spring 2020

Denys MALIUSKA

Minister of Justice

Denys Maliuska is a Ukrainian politician and the current Minister of Justice of Ukraine. He was born on November 19, 1981, in Dunaivtsi, Khmelnytskiy Region, Ukraine. Maliuska holds a Master of Laws degree from London University, which he received in 2016, and a degree in law from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, which he obtained in 2004. Maliuska has worked in various fields, including business law, dispute resolution, and bankruptcy.
He worked as a lawyer at the "Business Law" firm from 2000 to 2010 and as a Private Sector Development Consultant and Expert at the World Bank Group from 2010 to 2019. In 2019, Maliuska was elected to the Verkhovna Rada as a people's deputy, but he surrendered his deputy mandate upon his ministerial appointment. As the Minister of Justice of Ukraine, Maliuska is responsible for improving Ukraine's justice system and protecting human rights. He is committed to public service and has made significant contributions to the country's legal policies. He is married and has three daughters and a son. He is fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, and English.

Grainne McMORROW

Senior Counsel, Adjunct Professor of Law, National University of Ireland

• Expert, Venice Commission
• Human Rights and Constitutional Law Expert, International Jurist
• Venice Commission Rapporteur for Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova on Oligarch Laws.
• Professor of Law, National University of Ireland, Galway, School of Law (Adjunct)
• Senior Counsel, Member of Irish, United Kingdom and New South Wales Australia Bars
• Legal Expert and International Consultant in Human Rights, Law of War, Protection of Democracy, Rule of Law, Protection of Minorities, Gender Equality, Deprivation of Liberty, Prison law, Mental Health and Disability Law, Biomedical Law, Constitutional Law. Founding Chair Climate Change Climate Justice Committee, IWLA 2019
• Substitute Member for Ireland, Venice Commission (2014-2022)
• Legal Lead Study on Familicide and Domestic Homicide Ireland (2019-2020)
• Visiting Fellow in Comparative Human Rights La Trobe University Melbourne (1992)
• Chair of the International Association of Irish Lawyers, London (1996)
• Mental Health Act Commissioner at Broadmoor Special Hospital, UK (1994-1998)
• Chair of the National Practitioners Group for Mentally Disordered Offenders, UK, (1994-95)
• Sole Member of the McMorrow Statutory Commission of Investigation into the killing of a young prisoner (Gary Douch) by a mentally ill cellmate (Ireland)
• Member of the National Crime Council Ireland (2007-2009); co-authored “Problem Solving Justice”
• Member of the Prof. Genevra Richardson Expert Scoping Group UK review of the 1983 UK Mental Health Acts (1994-98)
• Chair, Mental Health Commission Review Tribunal (Ireland) (2006-2010)
• Shortlisted for the Sunday Times, Justice Human Rights Award, UK (1994)
• Founding Member of the Irish Women Lawyers Association.

Angelika NUSSBERGER

Director of the Academy for European Human Rights Protection, Vice-President of the Venice Commission, Former Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights

Professor Nussberger is one of international judges at the Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina, professor at Cologne University / Chair of Constitutional Law, Public International Law and Comparative Law and Director of the Institute for Eastern European Law and Comparative Law. She is the founding Director of the Academy of European Human Rights Protection at the University of Cologne. Ms Nussberger is currently one of the Vice-Presidents of the Venice Commission and was a Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights (2017-2019). She acted as Chairwoman of a fact-finding Commission on extremism in the Police of Hessen and member of an Expert Commission on the reform of the French Court of Cassation (2020-2021). She participated the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia (IIFFMCG) led by Heidi Tagliavini in 2009. In 2003-2010 Ms Nussberger was a member of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations of the International Labour Organisation.
She studied Slavic Languages and Literature and Law (University of Munich), comparative law (Universities of Strasbourg and Coimbra) and was a visiting researcher at Harvard University.

George PAPANDREOU

Chairperson of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ad hoc committee, SOC

George A. Papandreou is former Prime Minister of Greece (2009-2011) and currently Member of Parliament with the Panhellenic Socialist Movement/Movement of Change. He is Honorary President of the Socialist International.
As an MP, he represents Hellenic Parliament in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and has lead over the years the work of several Committees in producing recommendations for the deepening of democracy, human rights and the rule of law across its 46 member-states.
First elected as MP in 1981, he served in many governmental posts. As Minister of Education (1988-1989 & 1994-1996), he founded the Greek Open University and promoted multicultural programs. As Minister of Foreign Affairs (1999-2004), he promoted peace building and European integration in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans and managed a breakthrough in Greek-Turkish relations. In 2004, Papandreou was elected leader of PASOK in the party and country’s first open primary – a move highly symbolic of his commitment to participatory governance. Throughout his political career, he has actively sought to maximize citizen participation in governance through information technologies.
From 2006 to 2022, he was the President of the Socialist International, the largest global political family.
During his premiership, he applied a series of structural reforms in his attempt to modernize his country whilst avoiding bankruptcy during Greece’s 2010 debt crisis. For his achievements related to government Transparency, he received the Quadriga Award in the category “Power of Veracity”. In 2010, he was named one of the Foreign Policy magazine’s TOP 100 Global Thinkers. In 2017, he was honoured with the International Leadership Association (ILA) Distinguished Leadership Award.

Cesare PINELLI

Full Professor of Constitutional Law, Sapienza University of Rome Legal Science Department, Substitute Member of the Venice Commission, Italy

Cesare Pinelli is the Director of the Doctorate in Public Law at Sapienza University of Rome. Since 2014, he is the Director of the review “Diritto pubblico”. He served as a member of the national “Commission for institutional reforms” in 2013, as well as various governmental commissions. He is a former member of the International Association of Constitutional Law's Executive Committee (2004-2010), and served as a clerk at the Italian Constitutional Court with Justice Antonio Baldassarre from 1986-1990. He published several books in Italian and numerous essays in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and German on a wide range of legal topics. He is a substitute member of the Venice Commission.

Valentina RODRÍGUEZ GUERRA

Co-author of « The Oligarchs' Grip »

Valentina Rodríguez Guerra is an autrice, oligarch researcher, and investigator at Colombia’s Contraloría General de la Nación (Office of Comptroller General of the Nation). She is the co-author, with David Lingelbach, of The Oligarchs’ Grip: Fusing Wealth and Power, published by De Gruyter. This book is the first global and historical study of oligarchs.
She has delivered papers on this topic at international academic conferences and is preparing a manuscript entitled “How Oligarchs Are Defeated” for the Harvard Business Review. She and David will be the co-editors of the forthcoming series on oligarchs to be published by De Gruyter, and they are in the process of establishing a new Center for the Study of Oligarchs as the world’s first initiative focusing on this grand challenge.
Valentina is a frequent contributor to the international media (The Hill and The Messenger) and has been interviewed by media outlets such as the Financial Times and Talk TV. Her work has received awards from NASA and Colombia’s Ministry of Education. Valentina is completing an MBA programme at Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Daniel STAICU

Director the Office for the Prevention and Fight against Money Laundering

Daniel Marius Staicu is a seasoned professional in law enforcement, compliance, and anti-money laundering with over two decades of experience. His journey traverses various critical roles across Romania's law enforcement and international cooperation spectrum, marked by a commitment to combat economic crimes, money laundering, and financial fraud.
Now, as the Head of the FIU in Republic of Moldova, Daniel continues his legacy of fortifying financial systems against illicit activities, and with his prior experience as the former Head of the FIU in Romania, Daniel brings a wealth of expertise to his current role.
A multifaceted professional, Daniel's commitment to fostering international collaboration, driving compliance excellence, and combating financial crimes marks his unwavering dedication to ensuring integrity and ethical standards within the financial landscape.
Daniel's work as a Moneyval and ICRG evaluator underscores his commitment to enhancing global efforts in countering financial crimes. His ability to assess, recommend improvements, and provide guidance demonstrates a deep understanding of AML/CFT standards and their practical implementation at an international level.

Ledi BIANKU

Professor at the University of Strasbourg and International Judge at the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ledi Bianku is an associate Professor at the University of Strasbourg and an International Judge at the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is also Associate Attorney with Doughty Street Chambers in London and Member of the Ethics Commission of the Prince Albert II Foundation. From 2008-2019 he was Judge at the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Albania. He served previously as Member of the Venice Commission from 2006-2008. He also chaired the National Audio-visual Authority from 2006-2007. He taught Public International Law, EU law and Human Rights law at the Tirana Law Faculty and the Albanian School of Magistrates from 1993-2007. He also served as legal advisor for various national and international bodies. Mr Bianku is a graduate from Tirana University and College of Europe in Bruges.

Iain CAMERON

Professor of International Law at the University of Uppsala, Member of the Venice Commission, Sweden

Iain Cameron is a professor of international law at Uppsala University. He received his doctorate in law from Uppsala University in 1991. From 1982 to 1989, he was a lecturer in law at the University of Hull in England. He has served as an assistant to Judge Palm at the Arbitration Commission of the EC Conference on Yugoslavia and has been appointed as an expert investigator by the Swedish Foreign Ministry, the Council of Europe, and the European Parliament to report on various issues related to sanctions and human rights. He has also served as a member of the Advisory Board to the Swedish Prosecutor General and the Ethics Advisory Board to the Swedish Police. He was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 2014. He has authored numerous articles and books on constitutional law and international law, including National Security and the European Convention on Human Rights (2000), International Criminal Law from Swedish Perspective (2011) and EU Sanctions: Law and Policy Issues Concerning Restrictive Measures (2013). His research interests include national security, human rights, and sanctions. He is a member of the Venice Commission for Sweden.

Marius DRAGOMIR

Professor at Central European University (CEU), Director of the Media and Journalism Research Center

Marius Dragomir is the director of the Media and Journalism Research Center, an international think tank focused on the study of media, journalism, politics, and technology. He is also a professor at Central European University (CEU) in Vienna where he teaches journalism and research design courses as well as practical classes on advocacy and policy engagement. Dragomir is also a researcher with the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
Dragomir worked before as the director of the Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS), a research institution in Budapest. Prior to that, he managed the global research and policy portfolio of the Program on Independent Journalism (PIJ) of the Open Society Foundations (OSF) in London. He was a lead editor for Mapping Digital Media, a research and advocacy project that covered 56 countries worldwide, and the main writer and editor of OSF’s Television Across Europe.
He is now running a dozen of research projects, the most relevant being Media Influence Matrix, a global research project looking into power relations and undue influence in news media that now covers almost 60 countries, Media and Journalism Funding Project, a database of all prominent media companies in the world with a focus on their ownership and sources of funding, and State Media Monitor, a project monitoring the key developments in state media in over 155 countries.
He also had a journalism career, going back to 1991. By the year 2000, he worked for several news media, including newspapers, radio channels and television stations.

Simona GRANATA-MENGHINI

Director, Secretary of the Venice Commission

Simona Granata-Menghini is the Director/Secretary of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) since 1 February 2021. She had been Deputy Secretary of the Commission between 2010 and 2021.
Simona started her career at the Council of Europe in 1994 as a legal officer at the European Commission of Human Rights of the Council of Europe. From 1997 to 1999, she was Senior Deputy Ombudsperson for Human Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Sarajevo and Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 1999 to 2000, she was a legal officer at the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights. She joined the Venice Commission in 2001 as Head of the Constitutional Cooperation Division.
Countries she has worked on include Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Georgia, Egypt, Hungary, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Russian Federation, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela. Topics covered include constitutional and legislative reforms relating to the separation of powers, the rule of law, independence of the judiciary, codes of judicial ethics, protection of minorities, freedom of expression, assembly, association, non-discrimination, regulation of political parties, ombudsman institutions, ratification of international treaties, enforcement of international court judgments, electoral law, state of emergency, oversight of security services, ratification of the powers of national delegations to the Parliamentary Assembly, parliamentary immunity. She is the author of numerous articles on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and on the work and role of the Venice Commission.
Simona holds a Master's degree in law from the University of Milan, Italy, and other diplomas in comparative law (1992, 1993, 1994) from the Faculty of Comparative Law in Strasbourg. She was admitted to the bar in 1995.

Gertrude LUEBBE-WOLFF

Professor (em.) of Public Law at the University of Bielefeld, Former judge of the Federal Constitutional Court

Gertrude Lübbe -Wolff, Professor (em.) of Public Law at the University of Bielefeld, studied Law at the Universities of Bielefeld and Freiburg and at Harvard Law School (LL.M.). From 1988-1992 she was Director of the Environment Department of the municipal administration of Bielefeld. Since 1992 she has been Professor of Public Law at the University of Bielefeld.
She was Chairperson of the German Council of Environmental Advisors from 2000-2002, Executive Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Bielefeld, from 1996 to 2002, member of the board of various national academic and professional societies in the years 1994-2002, and Chairperson of the Advisory Board of Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin from 2003 to 2009. From 2002 to 2014, she served as a Judge of the German Federal Constitutional Court (Second Senate).
Lübbe-Wolff is a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Science, Honorary Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, and Honorary Member of the Asociación Argentina de Justicia Constitucional. She received the Leibniz Award (German Research Foundation) in 2000, the Hegel Prize (City of Stuttgart) in 2012 and the Kant Prize (Kant Foundation) in 2021. Her current research interests include issues of democracy and corruption.