25 October 2023, Karachi - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), supported by the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund, joined forces with the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU), Ministry of Interior, and Counter Terrorism Department Balochistan to conduct an extensive two-day workshop on mutual legal assistance, financial intelligence, and international cooperation for criminal justice officials.
The primary focus behind this workshop was to equip law enforcement officials on essential tools and knowledge to seek evidence for Terrorism Financing (TF) cases from foreign Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs).
Key Highlights:
The topics of discussion were from Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CFT) to comply with the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and AML Act. The dialogue also touched on various reporting mechanisms. This included Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) and Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs). Participants learned about the proactive and reactive ways of using Financial Intelligence. They also delved into the implementation of the goAML software and Issues surrounding confidentiality of shared information. Moreover, they discussed the pivotal role the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) in circulating financial intelligence.
The attendees also gained a wealth of knowledge on Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA). This session covered both formal and informal methods related to MLA. They understood the domestic legal framework for MLA. They were also shown the right procedures to draft MLA requests. Later, the workshop touched upon the significant role played by the Ministry of Interior as Central Authority (CA).
A segment was dedicated to discussing informal information exchange between foreign FIUs.They discussed the nuances of drafting cooperative requests between FIUs and explored the importance of feedback mechanisms for sharing data. A hands-on session for participants on the goAML system ensured a better grasp of its functionalities.
The workshop made possible by the financial support of UN Peace and Development Trust Fund.
