By Mohamed Foday Conteh
The German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) and Mano River Union (MRU) has completed a two-day in-person and virtual training of Criminal Investigations and Prosecution Authorities on money laundering and terrorism financing through the smuggling of precious stones and metals in the MRU.
The training held on Wednesday 30th July 2021 at the Family Kingdom targeted Sierra Leonean authorities and those from Guinea, Liberia, and Ivory Coast via zoom connected to combating the smuggling of precious metals for illegal financing.
The training according to officials is supported by the European Union
Project Manager for the GIZ, Marie-Josephine Nsengiyumva said such training was very relevant considering the high rate of smuggling of precious metals within the sub-region. She went on to state that the training was aimed at improving requisite skills needed to combat terrorist financing and money laundering.
She said the GIZ has been tirelessly working since 2009 to improve and assist artisanal mining among other things. She said the training will better equip participants with the required knowledge to combat and monitor illicit mining that will result in huge financial loss for the country.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, a representative of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Louis Marechal, said that exploration and trade of mineral resources are a source of growth, jobs, and revenues for governments. He added that minerals provide materials for global economies and technological revolution among others.
Marechal stressed the usability of gold as a currency in countries that lack confidence in paper currency. He said in some countries where banks are absent, other illicit financial institutions tend to provide credit for artisanal miners in exchange for gold. He also drew a nexus between narcotics traffickers in Latin America and the act of money laundering in West Africa. He said that these traffickers use gold as their currency of trade in some cases. He pointed out that the OECD has been in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), World Customs Organisation (WCO) and other partners to tackle this strategy since 2019.
Djaba Konan, representing the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said that since the formation of GIABA in 1999, member states of ECOWAS have been prodded to comply with the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) recommendations. He added that GIABA has been providing documents to authorities, established risk management systems (RMS) and filing suspicious transaction reports for cash amounts equal to or greater than $15,000.
A Representative for Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GIATOC), Marcena Hunter, from Australia gave a graphic detail of how gold and other precious metals are smuggled out of Sierra Leone.
She added that there are evolving supply chains that are precipitated by corrupt border officials. She said that some smugglers are now venturing to use airports to smuggle gold and diamonds out of Africa due to corrupt immigration officers at these airports. Most precious minerals smuggled, she said ended up in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Stefano Barone, manager of Project Tentacle of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), said his organisation has strategies to ameliorate the high spate of smuggling in the sub-region. He said that they have a presence in 70 countries and are planning to expand to other countries. While speaking on the methods developed by smugglers, he said their strategy of using gold paste because it cannot be identified by metal detectors can only be combated via prior intelligence or keen searching protocols at border crossings.
Participants from Sierra Leone included Sierra Leone Police’s Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU), Interpol, Border Patrol, National Revenue Authority and Immigration Department.
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