Financial interviews are a critical component of a financial investigation. Properly conducted, they enable investigators to extract relevant financial information from informants, witnesses or suspects. This provides not only additional leads to further the investigation but also key evidence that could be used in a court of law.

To ensure positive outcomes for financial crimes and asset tracing investigations by law enforcement agencies, it is vital to help investigators gain the necessary interviewing skills.

A training workshop on Interviewing Skills for Financial Investigators was conducted in Dar es Salaam from 24–28 September 2018. The workshop was given by experts from the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR), part of the Basel Institute on Governance. It was part of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)-funded programme to strengthen the capacity of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) of Tanzania.

The workshop was attended by 12 investigators from the PCCB, the Tanzania Police Force and the Zanzibar Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Authority (ZAECA).

ICAR trainers exposed the participants to international best practices in financial interviewing. Faithful to ICAR’s unique practice-based training methodology, they also provided sets of facts related to a complex corruption and money laundering case. Participants conducted mock interviews to put into practice their new skills and learn from a practical exercise simulating a real investigation.

The participants were highly enthusiastic as this innovative training workshop addressed the needs of their everyday operations. One PCCB investigator mentioned: “This training will change the way I conduct my interviews as I will now be better prepared and know exactly what I need to ask a witness or a suspect.”