The fight against corruption and financial crime provides career opportunities for people with different personal stories and backgrounds. In this blog, our colleague Tom Walugembe shares his journey from prosecutor in Uganda to asset recovery specialist in the training team of our International Centre for Asset Recovery. He reflects on the personal rewards of his work and the power of training to shape a meaningful path.

This article is part of a new series on careers in fighting financial crime and opportunities to learn and study with the Basel Institute.

Prosecuting financial crimes: challenging but enriching

A career in fighting corruption is professionally enriching. Based on my experience as a former prosecutor, prosecution generally provides an excellent training and mentoring environment for a young lawyer. You get to practise your litigation skills almost daily, which is something you can hardly experience in law firms at that stage.

I quickly realised that prosecuting financial crimes would be the pinnacle of my service as a prosecutor. After serving as a general crimes prosecutor for about four years, I was pleasantly surprised to be assigned to the Anti-Corruption department, which I had long dreamed of.

Becoming a financial crimes prosecutor further honed my skills. Financial crime cases invariably attract the most accomplished criminal defence lawyers in any country. Prosecuting such cases against experienced and polished lawyers simultaneously enhances one's advocacy skills.

Expanding skills, building networks, driving change

Financial crimes are diverse, and practice in this area, whether as a prosecutor, investigator, or analyst, exposes individuals to various emerging fields such as cybercrime, cryptocurrencies, international trade law, capital markets, stocks and public procurement. This broadens practitioners' understanding across a wide range of issues, thereby enhancing their professional capabilities.

Many financial crimes have a transnational dimension, and working in this field provides the opportunity to network with peers in the same field, whether at a national, regional or international level.

Contributing to a nation's anti-corruption and asset recovery efforts brings job satisfaction in the knowledge that one is ultimately enhancing the security and economic development of one's country. Reflecting on my experiences, winning a significant corruption case gave me more fulfilment than any success I had in prosecuting general crime.

How specialised training fuelled my career

As financial crime is ever-evolving, combating it requires regular specialised training. Serving as a financial crimes prosecutor provided me with access to placement and on-the-job training opportunities, the most significant of which was becoming a certified Trainer through ICAR’s Train-the-Trainer programme.

My service as a public prosecutor was a huge determinant in my award of a Chevening Scholarship to pursue my LLM at Queen Mary University of London. Attaining further education propelled me towards even better opportunities and eventually led to my joining the Basel Institute and ICAR team.

My current role involves developing and delivering training programmes on financial investigations, asset recovery and related topics, primarily across Africa and other regions of the world. Over the past five years, working in this position at an internationally diverse institution such as the Basel Institute has enabled me to collaborate closely with exceptionally talented and dedicated individuals from various parts of the globe.

Contributing to capacity building and transferring skills to practitioners from diverse countries brings immense satisfaction. The opportunity to network and forge friendships with professionals diligently working in their nations to combat financial crime is invaluable.

While nothing comes without hurdles, I would unreservedly encourage young professionals to enter the anti-corruption field without hesitation.

Inspired?

• Learn more about our Basel STUDY programmes on anti-corruption and asset recovery – a chance to boost your skills, knowledge and career.