Second workshop on the role of judges and prosecutors in tackling money laundering and terrorist financing

President’s summary of outcomes from the FATF/APG/EAG workshop on anti-money laundering (AML)/ countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) for judges and prosecutors: experiences, challenges and best practices.

Shenzhen, 12 January 2018 - The FATF and FATF-Style Regional Bodies APG and EAG jointly organised a second workshop for judges and prosecutors that focused on their experiences, challenges and best practices in investigating and prosecuting money laundering and terrorist financing and confiscating criminal proceeds. The People´s Bank of China hosted the event in Shenzhen from 11 to 12 January 2018 with the support of Shenzhen Municipal Government.

Purpose

Approximately 90 delegates representing 32 delegations, including anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing expert prosecutors, investigative and trial judges participated in the workshop. These practitioners shared their experiences of the challenges they face during the investigation and prosecution of money laundering and terrorist financing offences and the confiscation of proceeds linked with crime or terror. They shared examples of how to overcome these challenges and discussed effective mechanisms and good practices.

FATF President Mr. Santiago Otamendi and the Head of the People´s Republic of China FATF delegation, Mr. Xiangmin Liu, chaired the event. The EAG Chair, Ms. Jinghau Hao, was also present during the event.

In their remarks, both Mr. Yin Yong, Deputy Governor of the People’s Bank of China and the Deputy Mayor of Shenzhen underscored the importance of hosting the event and welcoming the FATF President as well as participating countries to their country.

Future events

Outreach to the Prosecutorial Services and Criminal Justice System is an initiative by FATF President Santiago Otamendi of Argentina and one of the FATF Priorities for 2017-2018. The judiciary has an essential role in establishing stable institutions, accountability, integrity, transparency and the rule of law, which are all pillars of an effective AML/CFT system.

The workshop in Shenzhen, China was the second of a series of workshops that the FATF and FATF-Style Regional Bodies will jointly organize this year. The next workshop will take place in February 2018 for judges and prosecutors of the African and Middle-East region and will be organized jointly with MENAFATF, GIABA, GABAC and ESAAMLG This event will be followed by a workshop in Strasbourg in March 2018 and a final one in Busan, Korea in May 2018.

The outcomes of the discussions at these workshops will contribute to a President’s paper that will identify the challenges that prosecutors and the judiciary face, and suggest good practices to deal with them. This should improve the effectiveness of prosecutorial services and criminal justice systems to prosecute terrorist and criminals who abuse the financial system and confiscate assets related to crime.

FATF will continue its focus on enhancing engagement with national Prosecutorial Services and other experts within Criminal Justice Systems to build synergies, and ultimately improve the effectiveness of AML/CFT efforts.

FATF