Financial Crime World

São Tomé and Príncipe: Organized Crime Threats and Resilience

Crime Threats

São Tomé and Príncipe faces several crime threats, including:

  • Terrorism: Maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea poses a significant threat to the country’s security.
  • Foreign criminal actors: Possible presence of foreign criminal actors involved in drug trafficking is a concern.
  • Local gangs: Local gangs primarily engaged in petty crime are a persistent problem.

Resilience

Despite these challenges, São Tomé and Príncipe has demonstrated some resilience:

  • Democracy: The country has a relatively positive track record for upholding civil liberties and democratic norms.
  • Government efforts: The government has exhibited some political will to combat organized crime, but corruption is still a significant problem.
  • Judicial reform: Efforts have been made to modernize the judiciary and prevent corruption.

Criminal Justice and Security

However, there are concerns about the country’s criminal justice and security systems:

  • Political influence: The judicial system appears subject to political influence or manipulation in some cases.
  • Lack of specialized personnel: Law enforcement lacks specialized personnel and infrastructure.
  • Prison conditions: Prison conditions are difficult due to overcrowding, infrastructure, and service failures.
  • Prolonged pre-trial detention: Prolonged pre-trial detention is a problem for some criminal cases.

Economic and Financial Environment

There are also concerns about the country’s economic and financial environment:

  • Little evidence of large-scale illicit financial activity: There is little evidence of large-scale illicit financial activity such as money laundering.
  • Anti-Money Laundering protocol: The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism protocol does not currently meet global standards.
  • Regulatory capacity: Regulatory and supervisory processes lack capacity to respond to money laundering and terrorist financing risks.

Civil Society and Social Protection

There are also concerns about civil society and social protection:

  • No established assistance programs: There is no established assistance program for victims of organized crime.
  • Limited support: Limited support for victims of organized crime exists, but there is no explicit organized crime prevention policy.
  • NGO restrictions: NGOs are not restricted from operating, but a lack of funding hampers their ability to operate independently and effectively.

Overall, São Tomé and Príncipe faces several challenges in terms of organized crime, including corruption, terrorism, and limited capacity for law enforcement and judicial reform. The country’s economic fragility and vulnerability to external shocks also increase the risk of organized criminal activity.