STATE investigators and prosecutors are currently involved in a rigorous training programme designed to further equip them with the requisite skills and knowledge needed to have successful prosecution when dealing with anti-money laundering cases. The two-day lecture on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act (AML/CFT), organised by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) commenced on Tuesday at the Guyana Police Force Officer’s Training Centre.
Among officials present at the opening session of the workshop were Attorney-General and Legal Affairs Minister, Mr Basil Williams, and the DPP, Ms Shalimar Ali-Hack.
One of the objectives of the workshop, said Caribbean Criminal Assets Recovery Programme (CCARP) Legal Adviser, Mr Alex Ferguson, who is facilitating the training, is to dispel the myth that investigators and prosecutors must first determine the offence under which the money was acquired before prosecuting a money launderer.
“Hopefully, we can address that myth,” he said, adding that the training will address five key areas: The history of money laundering and the current money laundering techniques and trends; the offence of money laundering, in terms of how it is investigated and prosecuted; and the anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism act, in terms of how it criminalises money laundering and the elements of the offence.

A COMPLEX CRIME
Additionally, there will be a review of a case law and practical case scenarios.
Ferguson said there is need for much clarification, given the complexity of the crime. “If you were to speak with investigators and prosecutors and ask them what money laundering is, they would give you a legal definition, but they don’t understand the techniques that money launderers use,” Ferguson said, adding that during the workshop, common challenges such as understanding the complexity of the crime will be addressed.
Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Mr Sydney James said the Unit has long recognised the need for the crime to be addressed holistically, meaning that besides investigators and prosecutors, magistrates and judges should also be involved in the training process.
He noted that the training will provide a platform for more successful prosecution in the courts.
Currently, a number of money-laundering cases are engaging the attention of the court with the unit winning a case recently in a matter involving a Trinidad and Tobago national.
MUCH TO BE DESIRED
Minister Williams, in delivering brief remarks during the opening ceremony, said while SOCU had started at a very fast rate, there is much to be desired, as there have not been many successful cases hence the workshop is designed to address the deficiencies within the system.
However, he, too, bemoaned the need to have the crime tackled holistically, in that from the inception, investigators, prosecutors, magistrates and judges should have been trained.
This being the case, Minister Williams said the next batch of people to be trained will be the magistrates, so that they too may be conversant with the offense and how successful convictions can be had.
This training couldn’t come at a better time, Minister Williams said, in obvious reference to the upcoming Fourth Round of Mutual Evaluation which will determine whether Guyana would have shown sufficient progress in the areas of convictions for offences of money laundering, terrorist financing and the purloining of state assets. This is the second time the DDP has acquired the services of the CCARP Legal Adviser to offer assistance in this area. In 2013, he had focused on the confiscation of what is considered to be dirty money.