UAE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE HOSTS SUCCESSFUL DOJ

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 000584 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP - HEFFERNAN, NEA/RA -SUTPHIN, EB/ESC/ESP, INL/C - CASSARA, INL/ENT - NOVIS, AND S/CT - REALUYO TREASURY FOR ENFORCEMENT DAS JUAN ZARATE AND IEA DIRECTOR BOYLAN, ALSO FOR LONERGAN TREASURY PASS OCC FOR BLACKER TREASURY PASS OFAC FOR NEWCOMB JUSTICE FOR ASSET FORFEITURE AND ML UNIT -- DEPUTY CHIEF DAVITT, ALSO TED GREENBERG JUSTICE PASS OPDAT FOR SILVERWOOD NSC FOR GARY PETERS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/09 TAGS: PTER EFIN ETTC PREL PGOV TC SUBJECT: UAE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE HOSTS SUCCESSFUL DOJ MONEY LAUNDERING PROSECUTORIAL TRAINING ¶1. (U) Classified by DCM Richard A. Albright for reasons 1.5 (B) and (C). ¶2. (U) Summary and comment. The UAE Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with the UAE Central Bank, welcomed the visit of a Department of Justice/Office of Prosecutorial Assistance and Training (OPDAT) team to conduct a seminar February 14-15 in Abu Dhabi and February 17-18 in Dubai on the investigation and prosecution of money laundering crimes. The Minister of Justice and Central Bank Governor rolled out the red carpet for the DOJ team, and seminar participants were engaged and eager for nuts-and-bolts training on the investigation of financial crimes. Despite the UAE's progress in recent years combating money laundering and terrorist financing, the Central Bank's Anti-Money Laundering Unit is not yet fully lashed up with UAE law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities. The DOJ training was the first USG-sponsored event to bring together these two groups in a classroom setting. End summary and comment. -------------- Abu Dhabi Feds Welcome DOJ Training -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The UAE Minister of Justice Al-Dhaheri, the Central Bank Governor and the Ambassador welcomed the team at the start of the Abu Dhabi program, and more than 50 students from the MoJ and the Central Bank's Anti-Money Laundering and Suspicious Cases Unit (AMLSCU) attended the two-day workshop. The Governor's warm reception (including a day-long outing to Al Ain) and the participation of a number of MoJ assistant under secretaries in the training demonstrated the federal authorities' commitment to augmenting UAE anti-money laundering capabilities. ¶4. (C) The Central Bank Governor conceded to Econoff that proper coordination across the various UAE governmental entities is crucial for the investigation and prosecution of financial crimes in the UAE. The Governor has attempted to use the UAE's National Anti-Money Laundering Committee, which he chairs, to ensure communication among all the relevant emirate-level departments and federal ministries, but admitted that interaction between working-level UAEG officials is lacking. Bringing the MOJ and Central Bank teams together may jump-start that interaction. -------------- Dubai Justice Department Hosts DOJ Training -------------- ¶5. (U) On February 17 and 18 the same DOJ team gave a similar seminar -- on the investigation and prosecution of financial crimes in Dubai -- this time hosted by the Dubai Justice Department (DJD). Consul General welcomed the group of over 100 legal and judicial participants from Dubai and the Northern Emirates to the session, which was kicked off by the DJD's Deputy Director, speaking on behalf of Dubai's Attorney General. The seminar highlighted teamwork and the importance of efficient procedures, both internal and international. ¶6. (U) The seminar received good coverage in the local papers; one Dubai official told the papers that the participants "gained insights on how to tackle money- laundering crimes," while another one was quoted as saying that "Seminars like these allow us to gain practical and theoretical experience from foreign judicial systems." A Sharjah police official told the Gulf News that participants had "learned how effective it is to combat such crimes in a joint effort with other countries." ¶7. (U) This cable was coordinated with Dubai. Wahba