RE-PROGRAMMING FY2007 AML RESOURCES FOR PUBLIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000909 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG, S/CT, EB AND INL E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/22/2017 TAGS: KTFN EFIN PTER PGOV MA SUBJECT: RE-PROGRAMMING FY2007 AML RESOURCES FOR PUBLIC CORRUPTION COURSE REF: RABAT 889 Classified By: Economic Counselor Stuart Smith, Reasons 1.4 (b and d). ¶1. (SBU) With confirmation from Moroccan Finance Ministry officials that planned USG assistance to help establish Morocco's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and train its personnel would be most effective if provided in 2008, after the unit is up and running, post recommends that a portion of the funding available for AML/CTF issues in FY2007 be reprogrammed to provide Moroccan authorities with a public corruption course. ¶2. (C) Moroccan authorities have recently displayed a new determination to address such corruption issues, and indeed were able to secure passage of the country's new anti-money laundering law in part by portraying it as part of a new anti-corruption campaign. Other recent measures include adoption of a new law aimed at making public tenders more transparent, and a number of significant arrests in the last six months in public corruption cases linked to terrorism investigations and narcotics investigations, among other issues. All these cases had potential money laundering implications, had the new money laundering law been in place at the time. To cite one example, a terrorism cell was dismantled which had recruited police and military officials to facilitate its activities. This group had raised funds through solicitations and criminal action. While the extent of involvement by public officials in the group's money laundering and terrorist financing activities is not yet clear, the case does establish that inducement of some renegade public officials to use their position to support criminal and terrorist objectives is a real possibility in the present environment in Morocco. ¶3. (SBU) To address this possibility, we request an FBI Public Corruption course for Moroccan authorities during the target month of July 2007. Ideally, the course would be a standard public corruption course wherein the instructors would be prepared to emphasize how to address public corruption matters in general, as well as specific potential links to money laundering and terrorist finance. The Embassy's Counter-terrorism working group has discussed the proposal and strongly endorses it. Post understands that if Department concurs with this program, FBI will be able to provide the course within the desired time frame. Points of contact in FBI's International Training Unit are Keith Kaid and Penny Hoback. ****************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ****************************************** RILEY