Confab Against Organised Crimes ends

STORY: WILLIAM BEEKO & EMELIA N. A. ARYEE

The Intergovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) has opened a three–day capacity building seminar on economic and financial crimes for judges from Anglophone West African countries.

Opened last Monday, 28th March, the workshop ended yesterday 30th March, 2011 in Accra, Ghana.

The seminar sensitised the judges on money laundering and terrorist financing trends and kept them abreast of international initiatives and best practices in adjudicating economic and financial crimes.

A total of 30 judges from Anglophone West African States participated in the seminar with a view to promote a better understanding of the problem of money laundering and terrorist financing and to share experiences with their counterparts from other parts of West Africa.

The seminar, which was held in Accra, Ghana, was the fourth in the series of seminars for judges from Anglophone ECOWAS countries aimed at enhancing their capacity to effectively adjudicate on economic and financial crimes in the region and to review legal frameworks and best practices.

It was facilitated by technical experts with extensive experience and background on anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-financing of terrorism (CFT) covering the following broad areas;

The role of GIABA in the fight against ML/TF in the region, Overview of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards on money laundering and financing of terrorism, Regional legal frameworks on AML/CFT regime in ECOWAS countries; Overview of international conventions on ML/TF, including implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1373 and Principles of restraint in confiscation proceedings among others.

In an address, the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, Her Ladyship Georgina Theodora Wood, lauded GIABA for organising such a groundbreaking ceremony for judges in Ghana and its neighbouring countries.

She emphasised that the judiciary is the lead governance institution responsible for the sustenance of the rule of law and therefore the workshop will equip the judges and keep them abreast of dealing with issues regarding crime.

Her Ladyship reiterated that organised crimes such as Anti-Money Laundering and drug peddling are real threat to democracy adding that West Africa has, for some time now, become a major market for drug trafficking from Latin America to Europe.

“Organised crime is a real threat to democracy; alarmingly, West Africa has in the past few years become a major transit for drug trafficking from Latin America to Europe,” she observed.

The chief Justice was therefore hopeful that the 3-day seminar will bring more benefits to the participants and increase their knowledge in the fight against anti-money laundering.

Taking her turn to speak, the President of Community Court of Justice of ECOWAS, Hon. Justice Awa Nana Daboya, recommended GIABA for their total commitment to the fight against money laundering and economic and financial crimes in West Africa.

She disclosed that her outfit has partnered GIABA in organising such events for superior court judges handling cases involving economic and financial crimes in Francophone, Luxophone and Anglophone countries in West Africa.

Hon. Awa Nana reiterated that transnational criminal activities are of grave concern to the transnational criminal activities in the Sub-region.

The Hon. Justice pledged the full support of her outfit to support GIABA in all of their worthy courses, stressing “we will continue to collaborate with GIABA and will stand shoulder with it, as it vigorously discharges it mandate.

Representatives of the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General both of Ghana, were there to announce their goodwill messages to GIABA