4/7/2023 0 Comments Apg customs![]() ![]() “According to a 2017 UNODC/APG study across 45 jurisdictions, only 21% conduct financial investigations on wildlife crime, and only 1% of the wildlife crime cases involved money laundering investigations, charges or prosecutions”, commented UNODC Expert Timothy Bacwa. ![]() He added, “As ASB investigators continue to improve their skills to trace money, wildlife traffickers will be increasingly pushed out of business”. ![]() ![]() UNODC Regional Coordinator Giovanni Broussard remarked, “We are pleased ASB is treating wildlife crime as a priority in their fight against transnational organized crime and we are determined to support the approach”. Given the broad spectrum of topics covered during the course, UNODC provided expertise from its Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, from the Global Programme on Money Laundering and from the Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime. The collection of financial evidence is the biggest problem that we encounter”.Īn expert from the China Anti-Money Laundering Monitoring and Analysis Centre (CAMLMAC) provided the students with a description of the type of financial data that can be obtained to complement a criminal investigation at national or international level. Another participant to course highlighted a different concern: “In our anti-money laundering investigations, we can only guide the direction of the criminal investigation. One of the participants to the courses explained that: “Financial investigations are very important to combat smuggling crimes, but currently there are problems such as investigative time limit and difficult analysis. In a pre-course survey, approximately 80% of participants noted that had never conducted an investigation related to money laundering or had been trained to conduct financial investigations. The objective of the course was to provide an understanding of how financial investigations can be conducted alongside criminal investigations when cases of wildlife smuggling are detected. Beijing Wang, acting director of the international enforcement division of the anti-smuggling bureau, at the opening of the course. “COVID-19 has posed new challenges to our work, but we have not stopped our efforts to tackle wildlife trafficking” said Ms. Compared to other departments under China Customs, the ASB has been the only authority to conduct criminal investigations into cases of goods smuggling. Of the 284 cases identified across 10 participating countries and territories, the ASB was responsible for 35% of them. The course follows a coordinated effort among customs authorities in Asia – Operation Mekong Dragon II – to disrupt the trafficking of drugs and wildlife products. Beijing (China), 26 January 2021 - UNODC has held a 3-day online training course on financial investigations of wildlife and forest crimes with China Customs, training over 70 investigators from the anti-smuggling bureau (ASB). ![]()
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