GOTT HOSTS SUCCESSFUL FINANCIAL CRIMES BEST PRACTICES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT OF SPAIN 000232 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR WHA/CAR, INL-ED RINDLER, KEVIN BROWN DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE FOR OPDAT-ROBERT LIPMAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM EFIN PREL PGOV TD SUBJECT: GOTT HOSTS SUCCESSFUL FINANCIAL CRIMES BEST PRACTICES WORKSHOP SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. REF: PORT OF SPAIN 147 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Embassy Port of Spain hosted a successful financial crime workshop, led by the Department of Justice with support from Treasury and the UK Serious Organized Crime Office, to facilitate the drafting of a handbook of best practices by Government of Trinidad and Tobago (GOTT) officials and private sector representatives. The workshop, requested by the GOTT's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP),brought together both law enforcement officials and banking sector representatives. By the conclusion, the participants had developed concrete guidance on combating various crimes and gained experience in developing strategies to combat other crimes. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Post hosted an April 29 - May 2 workshop to facilitate the drafting by GOTT officials and private sector representatives of a best practices handbook for investigating and prosecuting financial crimes. GOTT prosecutors, police and customs officials participated in the workshop, along with representatives of RBTT, Scotia Bank, Citibank, Republic Bank, First Citizens Bank and First Caribbean. The results were a rough draft of a handbook and, in particular, protocols for addressing crimes such as drug trafficking and the use of counterfeit ATM cards. The workshop was designed and facilitated by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) with support from Treasury's Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) and the participation of an investigator from the UK's Serious Organized Crime Office (SOCA). The protocols created during the workshop were specific to Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) and reflected the broad experience and knowledge of the participants. Once finalized and published, this "best practices" handbook will be available as a resource to all T&T prosecutors and investigators handling financial crimes. ¶3. (SBU) Given the current level of crime and low detection rates in T&T, some participants conveyed the impression that the community is becoming disheartened due to a perceived lack of political will. With this in mind, the facilitators focused on developing protocols for specific crimes by utilizing existing resources more effectively and efficiently. Participants developed a counter-narcotics strategy to attack the "command and control" of the drug organizations b focusing on intelligence collection/analysis; ivestigative techniques; and prosecutions. By utilzing a template, the participants were able to present the GOTT with a handbook that utilized T&T' legal system and criminal justice practices. . (SBU) During the final day of the workshop, paricipants analyzed an actual case of ATM card frad presented by a representative of Rpublic Bank. The digital pictures taken at the ATMs, which are the primary evidence of these crimes, are not admissible in court under current T&T law. Thus, law enforcement seemed to lack enough evidence to take action. The group utilized a template provided by DOJ/OPDAT and, with guidance from the DPP, outlined an effective law enforcement strategy to prosecute this crime. ¶5. (SBU) The DPP gave the participants his commitment that his office will build on the progress made during the workshop and ensure that the best practices handbook will be completed. Post will encourage and monitor the continued development of the handbook, its distribution to prosecutors and investigators, and ongoing engagement with workshop participants to improve the protocols over time in order to ensure that it remains relevant. The workshop demonstrated the effectiveness of a multi-disciplinary approach in developing strategies to combat complex crimes in T&T. It also highlighted the benefits of a taskforce comprising law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to enhance communication and cooperation in addressing these complex crimes. ¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: Due to the flow of illegal drugs and weapons as well as the booming oil-driven economy, Trinidad and Tobago has experienced an increase in financial crimes. Although Post continues to promote wiretapping legislation and judicial reform, these changes are likely to be slow in coming. Therefore, it is essential that GOTT officials develop strategies to prosecute these complex crimes under the existing legal framework. Even if this handbook is not fully utilized, the workshop has already succeeded in enhancing communication that had previously been lacking among various agencies and the financial sector. The technical assistance methodology used in this program have already been applied to intellectual property violations in T&T (reftel) and can also be applied to a variety of other crimes, including corruption, narco-trafficking, and human trafficking. Posts interested in further details of this program may wish to contact EmbOff James Kuebler at (868) 822-5922, KueblerJM@state.gov or DOJ/OPDAT Robert Lipman at (202) 514-0950, Robert.Lipman@usdoj.gov. END COMMENT. PORT OF SP 00000232 002 OF 002 AUSTIN