Financial Crime World

Financial Fraud Investigation Techniques in Turkey Undergo International Training

In a bid to strengthen its financial investigation capabilities, ninety Turkish law enforcement and financial intelligence officials recently participated in a training program focused on “Financial Investigations related to Money Laundering and Terrorism Cases” in Ankara.

International Collaboration

The three-day training session, held from October 25-27, brought together representatives from the General Directorate of Security, Coast Guard Command, Gendarmerie General Command, Directorate General of Customs Enforcement, and MASAK (Financial Intelligence Unit of Türkiye) with international experts from the Council of Europe.

Training Objectives

The program aimed to equip participants with best practices in initiating parallel financial investigations, taking into account a risk-based approach. Experts presented sessions on:

  • Differences between Money Laundering and Terrorist Funding: Understanding the distinct characteristics of these two types of illegal activities.
  • Current and Emerging Threats and Vulnerabilities: Overview of current and emerging terrorist financing threats and vulnerabilities.

Case Studies

The training also covered case studies on the use of financial investigation in:

  • Reactive Counter-Terrorism Investigations: Examples of successful investigations conducted after a terrorist attack has occurred.
  • Proactive Counter-Terrorism Investigations: Demonstrations of how proactive use of financial intelligence can enable authorities to disrupt terrorist activities before they are carried out.

Regional Program

The regional Action against Economic Crime is part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe program “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”. This program aims to strengthen cooperation among countries in the region to combat economic crime and money laundering.

Key Takeaways

The training session highlighted the importance of financial intelligence and financial investigations in disrupting terrorism plots. It also demonstrated how the proactive use of financial intelligence, coupled with other investigative techniques, can enable authorities to disrupt terrorist activities before they are carried out.

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