Antigua and Barbuda is gearing up to host the Caribbean and Americas Advanced Financial Crime Prevention Symposium and Training Course from 9 to 13 Feb, 2009.

The event is set to be held at the Sandals Grande Resort and is the result of the collaborative efforts of Attorney-General Justin Simon, the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Ministry of Finance.

The course in Antigua will be presented by International Financial Crime Prevention and Compliance Training (IFCCT) and is expected to draw participation from local and regional financial crime units and financial services institutions.

The IFCCT programme was developed to aid law enforcement and the financial services sector in addressing and countering the unprecedented challenges they face in light of the evolution of various forms of financial crime.

With crimes of this nature becoming increasingly sophisticated and technologically savvy, law enforcement agencies and other units concerned with combating money laundering and terrorist financing, must now adapt to techniques used by criminal, who use legitimate financial systems for their own criminal purposes.

The course will address a number of issues and inform institutions of problem solving mechanisms to combat this growing problem in the financial world.

Topics will include risk governance, regulation and legislation in the Caribbean region, prosecution of money laundering and transnational organised crime.

Training will be provided by IFCCT’s renowned faculty and course attendants can look forward to keynote addresses from high profile representatives of leading international and regional institutions.

The latest policies and frameworks designed to combat economically motivated serious crime, with particular focus on money laundering and terrorist financing, will be spotlighted during the course.

This is the IFCCT’s first symposium to be hosted in the OECS. They have held similar events in the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.

To access the registration form or get more information, individuals can visit the website, www.faircount.com/IFCCTAntigua2009/file/1036/homepage.html or contact Desiree Burton at the Finance Ministry at 462-4860/1 to confirm registration.

by Aarati Jagdeo