By Olimatou Coker
The Financial Intelligence Unit, funded by African Development Bank, on Wednesday 13 January, started two days awareness training on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism for members of the Public Accounts and Public Enterprises committees of the National Assembly of The Gambia.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Alagie Darboe, the director of FIU, said the training is part of a series of awareness training programs being organized by the Financial Intelligence Unit as part of a project aimed at strengthening anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism regime in The Gambia.
He said the project is being managed by the project coordinating unit of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MoFEA).
Darboe commended the AfDB in combating money laundering and terrorist financing within the Sub-region, and for their continuous support to the FIU and other Gambian institutions and authorities.
Director Darboe said that the National Assembly is a key component as lawmakers enact the legislations that the FIU, law enforcement authorities and other stakeholders rely on in the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing as well as their predicate offenses.
He said their mandate is to assist in the identification of proceeds of criminal conduct and the combat of money laundering and terrorist financing activities, to make information available to investigating authorities, the intelligence, and the revenue agencies to facilitate the administration and enforcement of the law of this country.
Also speaking, the FIU Board Chairman, Dr Seeku AK Jaabi, who doubles as the first deputy Governor Central Bank of The Gambia, expressed hope that the two days training will build the required capacity and enhance the level of awareness of the NAMs to this very important global challenge.
He defined money laundering as the process of making the proceeds of criminal activity appear to have been legally obtained.
He thanked FIU and the African Development Bank for financial support to enable this important awareness training and challenged the participants to build the required capacity in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.
