The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) today awarded certificates to 34 graduating officers from the law enforcement authorities and financial institutions for successfully completing specialized courses at the FIU’s National Anti-Money Laundering Learning (AML) Centre.
The National AML Learning Centre was established in November 2010 at the Reserve Bank of Fiji to provide computer based training courses targeting officials from commercial banks, finance companies, foreign exchange dealers, other financial institutions and various law enforcement agencies in Fiji. The Centre is based at the FIU Office, level 5, Reserve Bank of Fiji building and the courses are offered free-of-charge.
The Centre provides 12 courses with a total of 74 modules on understanding and investigating money laundering, the role of financial institutions in the fight against money laundering, investigating proceeds of crime, human trafficking, precursor chemicals and advanced search techniques, dealing with informants, undercover operations, financial interviewing, interdiction techniques, risk management and understanding intelligence.
Officers of the law enforcement agencies and financial institutions who are interested in undertaking this training should contact the FIU. Officers can choose one or more courses that best meet their training and capacity building needs to perform their roles as investigators, regulators and compliance and other staff of financial institutions.
To-date a total of 85 officers have completed the specialised courses at the Centre.
Director of the FIU, Mr Razim Buksh said that the AML Learning Centre and the computer based courses were of tremendous value to Fiji’s law enforcement agencies and financial institutions as it trained officials on the complex methods criminals use to launder money. The courses also train financial institutions on how they can detect and report suspicious transactions that maybe linked to money laundering and other criminal activities.
The National AML Learning Centre is a result of a partnership between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the British High Commission Suva, Reserve Bank of Fiji and the FIU.
Reserve Bank of Fiji