To strengthen the capacity of East African anti-corruption agencies to investigate and prosecute international corruption and money laundering, and to enhance regional cooperation in this regard, ICAR led a regional training workshop on Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery.

The workshop, which took place in October in Kampala, was hosted by the East African Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (EAAACA) and funded by the African Development Bank (ADB). Amongst the attendees were representatives from the EAAACA and Southern African Forum Against Corruption (SAFAC) countries and the ADB, thus, including countries such as Botswana, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania, Swaziland and Uganda.

The training session focused on the importance for designated law enforcement agencies to bear responsibility for ensuring that money laundering and predicate offences are properly investigated through the conduct of a financial investigation. As is typical for ICAR’s training methodology, this training was built around a one-week practical exercise that led participants through each stage of a simulated case involving the laundering of proceeds of corruption. Participants work in groups to tackle the case. This interactive group work offered an excellent opportunity for participants to share and compare domestic laws and practices whilst developing important inter-agency relationships.