A dedicated online platform to support East African prosecutors’ investigations, enforcement and cooperation to crack down on wildlife crime has been launched by the East Africa Association of Prosecutors (EAAP).
The launch comes amidst growing recognition that criminals frequently use trade-based fraud and shell and front companies to launder proceeds from wildlife and other environmental crimes, as highlighted in a landmark report by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) earlier this year (Trade-based Financial Crime, 28 July 2021, New FATF report underlines connections between trade-based fraud and environmental crimes).
Dynamic tools
The EAAP website and an accompanying online course are dynamic tools that aim to improve regional and bilateral collaboration on the enforcement and prosecution of wildlife crime.
The website now includes a platform dedicated to environmental and wildlife crime to help foster collaboration between prosecutors involved in international cases. The FATF report, Money Laundering from Environmental Crime, stresses the need for anti-money laundering authorities to collaborate with environmental crime investigators, environmental agencies and other non-traditional partners and foreign counterparts.
Training resources
In addition to member-only portals for sharing insights and case information, the EAAP website includes specialised training resources, such as a newly launched online course for prosecutors on combatting wildlife crime.
It is a restricted, self-paced resource to provide East African prosecutors with region-specific information on legislation, processes, and criminal modus operandi related to wildlife crime.
The FATF report on environmental crime, which generates around US$110-280 billion in criminal gains each year, looks into a wide range of unlawful activities such as illegal logging and waste trafficking as well as illegal wildlife trade.
The FATF report, Money Laundering from Environmental Crime, can be found here.
Categories: Trade Based Financial crimes News
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