“Countering Violent Extremism” workshop slated for May – to focus on effective prosecution and confiscation measures
DPI, GUYANA, Monday, April 23, 2018
The Commonwealth Secretariat, Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) workshop for Judges and Prosecutors is scheduled to be hosted on May 02- 05 at the Pegasus Hotel.
The proposed “Countering Violent Extremism” workshop is intended to coincide with ongoing global workshops that have been conducted jointly with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the FATF Style Regional bodies (FSRBs).
The main objective is to prepare a report that identifies experiences, challenges and good practices to deal with money laundering and terrorist financing extremist activities. The focus will be on factors that can result in an effective system for prosecution and confiscation, and less on technical legal requirements.
The final report on the outcome of the workshop will be shared with all CFATF members at the May 2018 Plenary and will be provided to the FATF for inclusion in their report, which will be presented at the FATF Plenary in June 2018.
Areas for discussion scheduled for the four-day workshop are evidence and case management for money laundering and confiscation including the challenges with regard to international cooperation and the roles of prosecutors and Judges in countering terrorism, terrorist financing, and violent extremism.
The workshop is critical since private sector supervisors, law enforcement agencies and FIUs are vital for the prevention of money laundering, it is also necessary that countries obtain convictions and pursue the seizure and confiscation of these proceeds for the benefit of states and victims.
Further, there is a need to have a renewed and enhanced engagement with the Regional Judicial and Prosecutorial Services since it plays a crucial role in the effective implementation of the FATF standards.
The sharing of experiences, good practices and identifying the challenges among participants will be critical for improving effectiveness in money laundering prosecutions.
Twelve Commonwealth countries, as well as members of other CFT countries, will be attending the conference, totalling 60 persons.
The four-day workshop is being funded by CFATF.
By: Ranetta La Fleur