John Culatto
POLICE and financial crime experts from Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey took part in a three-day course to learn about how to spot terrorists’ bank accounts.
The course at the University of Gibraltar looked at ‘case studies, and the most recent typologies and trends employed by international and domestic terrorist organisations’, the government said.
UK experts imparted the course material, making sure it was up to date and covered every corner.
The Gibraltar Financial Intelligence Unit (GFIU) organised and hosted the Terrorist Financing Course through the Quad Island Forum.
The financial jurisdictions of Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey make up the Quad Island Forum.
It shares knowledge and experience, working together to achieve their aims and objectives.
The course is fruit of the forum’s contact with the National Terrorist Financing Investigation Unit (NTFIU).
This relationship yielded specialist training with the help of the UK Treasury, National Crime Agency and UK Charity Commission.
Minister for Justice Samantha Sacramento opened the course, highlighting the role we all play in flagging suspicious transactions.
She talked up international cooperation and how training can help authorities track down the individuals and groups that carry out violence.
Sacramento described the course as ‘an excellent opportunity’ to put it across through Project Nexus.
This project aims to bring together public and private professionals to fight money laundering and terrorist financing.
“Specialist training for our officers is part of a jurisdiction’s ability to identify and detect the exploitation of finance centres by terrorists or terrorist groups,” GFIU Director Edgar Lopez.
“This course strengthens our capabilities and forms an integral part of our continuous training and development program.
Lopez, who is currently chairing the Quad Forum, said he was ‘delighted’ to be hosting it on the Rock.
Gibraltar has been working hard to remove its grey listing by FATF last year.
READ MORE:
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- Gibraltar shares its money laundering and migrant smuggling experience in regional UN meetings
- Gibraltar’s financial crime unit attributes Project Nexus outreach for rise in money laundering reports
