VICTORIA, Seychelles — Seychelles’ Financial Crime Investigation Unit (FCIU) is taking part in a four-day training on financial crime investigation, aimed at increasing its officers’ capacity to better detect cases and ensure those brought to court are robust. The national training at the Reefs 7, Bois de Rose, is being organised jointly by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (Afripol).
Present at the opening ceremony were Adamu Kumo and Evans Kithua, representatives of Interpol and Afripol respectively, Judge Natasha Burian from the Seychelles Judiciary, chief executive of the Anti-Corruption Commission Seychelles May De Silva, Police Commissioner Ted Barbe, and Deputy Commissioner of Police Francis Songoire. In his remarks, Deputy Commissioner Songoire put a spotlight on the growing threat of increasingly sophisticated and transnational financial crimes, stating that strengthening investigative capacity is not just a priority but a necessity.
Over the four days, participants will follow mostly practical sessions coordinated by officials from the AG’s office, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Supreme Court and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Assistant Superintendent and Head of FCIU Marcus Jean said there has been an increase in financial crimes and Seychelles, with its virtual assets, needs to be extra vigilant. “True impact comes from transforming information to intelligence and into credible, prosecutable evidence,” he said.
