Fijian police get anti-money laundering training

Specialised training on investigating complex fraud cases will be provided to 25 Fijian police officers, the Reserve Bank of Fiji said today (October 19). The training will be aimed at combating money laundering and teach participants how to identify "tainted criminal proceeds" that could be linked to illegal activities.

The training will take place during a two-day workshop on October 23 and 24, and will be attended by crime officers, sergeants and fraud investigators from police stations around the country.

It will be run by the Fiji Police Force and the financial intelligence unit (FIU). It is the first workshop organised jointly between the two, and a statement released by both groups said it will strengthen their working relationship: "Tracing proceeds of crime and ultimately depriving the criminals from enjoying the criminal wealth is one of the key objectives of Fiji's anti-money laundering framework."

The training will be run by a range of senior police officers, and a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of Fiji, Nazhat Shameem. Razim Buksh, a Reserve Bank of Fiji director and head of the FIU, said the workshop will enhance the "skill set, knowledge and calibre" of law enforcement officers.

The FIU was established in 2006 to investigate money laundering and terrorist financing. It is funded by the central bank, and responsible to the country's minister for justice. In 2011, the total value of the 728 transactions reported as suspicious to the organisation was 59.5 million Fijian dollars ($33.4 million) – the highest ever total, and an increase of 27.4 million Fijian dollars from 2010 – with 73% of these transactions conducted in cash.

In its 2011 annual report, the FIU branded cybercrime and smuggling syndicates as emerging threats in money laundering. Specifically, the report noted the use of internet banking facilities in commercial bank branches for cybercrime-related activities such as phishing, hacking, identity theft and advance fee fraud.