2609
Strengthening the capacity of the investigating and prosecuting authorities in combatting Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism
The Demoratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is particularly exposed to illicit financial flows and related money laundering risks linked to embezzlement, illicit mineral trafficking, trafficking in minerals, customs and tax fraud and forgery of documents. The government estimates the losses to the country's state budget due to fraud and corruption alone at USD 9 billion per year.
As part of the GIZ programme "Combating Illicit Financial Flows in the Democratic Republic of Congo", which aims to strengthen the system for combating illicit financial flows at national and local level in the DRC, Projekt-Consult provides services to build the technical capacity of national authorities in the field of investigation and prosecution of ‘money laundering / terrorist financing’ (ML/FT). This includes the design and facilitation of training workshops, the development of investigative and prosecutorial tools, assistance to relevant authorities in conducting pilot investigations, and the design and organisation of study tours to other jurisdictions to facilitate the exchange of knowledge. Particular attention will be paid to the mining sector, which is considered a high-risk area for ML/FT. All deliverables and services are aimed at the sustainable enhancement of the capacity of national competent authorities and reporting entities. Training will include practical, case-based and interactive components, as well as concrete examples, and will be gender-sensitive.
Projekt-Consult is tasked with the design and delivery of training workshops for officials involved in the investigation and prosecution of money laundering and terrorist financing cases. Five central topics are particularly emphasised in this context:
i) understanding of ‘anti-money laundering / countering the financing of terrorism’ (AML/CFT) concepts and the national AML/CFT system;
ii) status report on the implementation of the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force, including the level of compliance and the results of the ‘mutual evaluation report’ in the DRC;
III) explanation of the ML/FT risk context in the DRC based on the 2023 national risk assessment;
iv) international standards, techniques and best practices for financial AML/CFT investigations and prosecutions;
v) detailed analysis of the threats, vulnerabilities and consequences of ML/FT in the mining sector; and
vi) conclusions and concrete recommendations to limit the risk of threats exploiting identified vulnerabilities or to mitigate the consequences of such an event.
In addition, we will develop investigation and prosecution tools. These tools will include an ML/FT risk map, a strategic plan (annual or multi-annual) for the investigation of ML/FT cases. In addition, a financial investigation manual for money laundering and a similar manual for terrorist financing will be developed. This will include the development of investigation checklists and an asset recovery guide. To gain hands-on experiences, trained officials will carry out pilot investigations of an experimental and professional nature with a particular focus on the mining sector. Finally, up to 15 officials will be given the opportunity to participate in study tours to exchange experiences and network with authorities responsible for the investigation and prosecution of ML/FT in neighbouring jurisdictions.
