JORDAN JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS RECEIVE TRAINING ON USE OF

UNCLAS AMMAN 002888 SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ELA, EEB, S/CT, AND INL AMEMBASSY CAIRO FOR TREASURY (ROWE, SEVERENS) AMCONSUL JERUSALEM FOR TREASURY (DAVIS) TREASURY FOR OIA, OTA AND TFFC JUSTICE FOR OPDAT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIN ECON KCRM SNAR JO SUBJECT: JORDAN JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS RECEIVE TRAINING ON USE OF TASK FORCES TO CONDUCT CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS ¶1. (U) Summary: The U.S. Treasury Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) delivered a Strategic (Task Force) Approach to the Investigation and Prosecution of Organized and Financial Crime Seminar October 5-9, 2008, in Amman, Jordan. The audience for this seminar was composed of forty-two (42) judges and prosecutors from the Ministry of Justice, State Security Court, Jordan Customs, Public Security Department, and General Intelligence Directorate. The Judicial Institute of Jordan sponsored the event in partnership with OTA and OPDAT. End Summary. Interest in U.S. investigative techniques -------------- ¶2. (U) For many years, the criminal justice system in the United States has had success in attacking criminal organizations by focusing on their leadership and financial activity via a multi-agency or task force approach. Following the implementation of an Anti-money Laundering Law in Jordan in July 2007, judges, prosecutors and investigators have expressed interest in U.S. practices in conducting complex criminal financial investigations. In previous USG-sponsored training on financial investigative techniques, participants identified the need for judges and prosecutors to be better informed on successful methodologies used in U.S. investigations if the methodologies are taught to Jordan's criminal investigators. In response, OTA and OPDAT coordinated with the Judicial Institute of Jordan to deliver a seminar on the Strategic (Task Force) Approach to the Investigation and Prosecution of Organized and Financial Crime on October 5-9, 2008, in Amman. ¶3. (U) U.S. Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft and GOJ Minister of Justice Ayman Odeh addressed the participants at the opening ceremony of the seminar which was attended by forty-two Jordanian judges and prosecutors. The participants were selected to attend by the Judicial Council of Jordan and represented the Ministry of Justice, State Security Court, Jordan Customs, Public Security Department, and General Intelligence Directorate. Three advisors from OTA and two DOJ attorneys delivered the training modules. The presenters were: Jerry Rowe, OTA Regional Enforcement Advisor - Cairo; Joe Parker, OTA Resident Enforcement Advisor - Amman; Carol Kelley, Financial Enforcement Advisor - Washington; Brian Frazier, OPDAT Regional Legal Advisor - Abu Dhabi; and, Joseph Wall, Assistant U.S. Attorney - Milwaukee. The OTA Resident Enforcement Advisor - Amman coordinated with the Judicial Institute of Jordan and the Ministry of Justice. Focus on the Task Force Approach for Investigations -------------- -------------- ¶4. (U) Instruction modules were presented on the following topics: - The U.S. Law Enforcement Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime; - Introduction to the Enterprise Theory, also known as the Task Force Approach, for investigating and prosecuting organized or serious financial crime; - Money laundering offences; - A comparative survey of U.S. investigative techniques vis-`-vis Jordan investigative authority; - Criminal intelligence and sources of information; - Specialized forensic financial investigation techniques; - Demonstrative evidence in financial crimes cases; - Securing international cooperation and gathering foreign evidence of financial crimes; - Creating an organized crime task force. ¶5. (SBU) Open discussion of the material took place throughout the seminar. Participants were open and candid in their comments. In general, the participants voiced approval of the task force approach and the value that it would add to the investigative capacity of major cases. Some expressed concern that legislation would be required to apply the task force approach, while others were adamant that adopting the approach would only require agreement between participating agencies. ¶6. (U) The Director of the Judicial Institute of Jordan spoke at the closing ceremony of the event and expressed a desire for further training of this type for Jordan's judges and prosecutors. Visit Amman's Classified Website at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman BEECROFT