Participants at the recently held workshop on the Role of Law Enforcement Agencies in Fighting Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, in Mutare, from 25 to 27 September 2019.
The effectiveness of a country’s AML framework is essentially determined by the number of money laundering (ML) convictions and forfeiture of proceeds of crime. As observed by ESAAMLG assessors during the 2015 mutual evaluation, Zimbabwe has low levels of money laundering convictions and related confiscation of proceeds of crime.
One of the recommendations to increase money laundering convictions and confiscations, was to capacitate law enforcement agencies (LEAs) with the requisite skills to investigate money laundering and follow proceeds of crime. In line with this recommendation, the Government of Zimbabwe allocated a budget for national AML/CFT capacity building of AML/CFT stakeholders. It is against this background that the Financial Intelligence Unit, in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, conducted the third (3rd) AML/CFT Capacity Building Workshop for Law Enforcement Agencies, under the theme “Ensuring Crime Does Not Pay”. The workshop was held at Golden Peacock Hotel in Mutare, from the 25th to the 27th of September 2019.
Seventy-eight (78) participants in attendance, were drawn from: CID Asset Forfeiture Unit, CID Drugs, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and National Prosecuting Authority. The participants came from Mashonaland East and Manicaland provinces. Presenters at the workshop were senior officials from the Financial Intelligence Unit, Police, National Prosecuting Authority, Judicial Service Commission, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.
Law enforcement agencies were taken through the process of conducting parallel financial investigations, which ensures that enough evidence is gathered, for the predicate offence and the money laundering offence. Provisions of the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act [09:24] relating to money laundering and terrorist financing being criminal offences were presented to the attendees, who after the workshop, committed to start implementing them.
Prosecutors who attended the workshop welcomed the move by the FIU to capacitate LEAs and requested for similar workshops to be extended to all prosecutors countrywide, so as to increase their levels of understanding and implementation of AML/CFT measures. A call was made for prosecutors to lead investigations. Under prosecutor-led investigations, the prosecutor will give guidance to the investigations, right from the onset. This will enable him/her (prosecutor) to have an in-depth understanding of the case and ensure that correct evidence is gathered for both the predicate offence and the ML offence.
Participants expressed appreciation of the workshop, which they said came as an eye opener. Going forward, the investigators committed to start conducting money laundering investigations, including non-conviction based money laundering investigations. Prosecutors gave credit to the workshop and stated that they were now equipped, and going forward, more money laundering cases will be prosecuted, and confiscation of proceeds of crime will gradually increase.