Training on Money Laundering For Investigators

The Inter- Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) organised four days training for Investigators on Detecting and Investigating Money Laundering and other Financial Crimes for English Speaking Countries from the 1st- 4th December 2009, at the Sheraton Hotel & Spa, in Banjul.
The ultimate objectives of the training is to equipt trainees with various investigation techniques and exposed them to evidentiary requirements necessary to prove common elements of money laundering offences. And to raised on how toidentfy money laundering targets, to create a networking forum and information sharing for aw enforcements and to to exposed traineers on how to use the computer to organise, analynise and present large volumes of financial evidence.
Welcming participants, GIABA National Correspondent of The Gambia and Executive Director of the National Drug Enforcement Agency, Mr. Ebrima Bun Sanneh said that the training workshop of such a nature is timely and important noting that it will equipt and broden tne knowledge of the participants.
According to him. The Gambia has become a household name in the sub- region for hosting GIABA meetings while calling on all to joined in the fight against money laundring and the financing of terrorism in the continent.
Director General of GIABA, Dr. Abdullahi Y. Shehu spoke at length about the importance of the training saying that it will gives participants the exprience and new skills in the conbating of money laundring and financing of terrorism in Africa.
He called on member states to implement recommendation 26 of the 40+9 recommendation on money laundering and terrorist financing that is countries to establish an Financial Intelligence Unit(FTU).
Dr. Shehu disclosed that the resource persons are all experts adding that 99 percent of the participants are either practitioners or retire practitioners.
Opening the training, Minister of Interior, Honorable Ousman Sonko said the The Gambia has been a keen partner of GIABA in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terriorism and has placed a high premium on capacity development for the law enforcement agencies and judicial apparutus of government.
'Therefore it is no suprise that The Gambia is hosting this important and timely investigation training in Banjul."
According to Sonko, the issue of monry laundering and financing of terrorism is a major concerns for many governments in many parts of the world, in which he labelled the West Africa region been vulnerable.
Minister Sonko stated that typologies have revealed that numerous money laundering cases in the region is becoming frequent whlie calling on governments to have an obligation to act together and work with other concerned nations and international bodies to combat money laundering and its crimes.
He positioned that the West Africa region is one of the least dveloped region of the continent but faces serious challenges due to its vulnerability to transnational arganised crimes, coupled with its limited resources and capacity to respond effectively to the challenges. Sonko stated.
Addressing the issue of money laundering, he suggested that the issue should be seen in the context of procecting domestic economies against criminals infiltration "but also to enhance the rule of law, intensify regional intergration alongside maintaining regional peace and stability."
He thanked GIABA not only for the continuous support that it provides to Gambian institutions but for choosing the Gambia to host the training.