US Ambassador Earl R Miller reiterated the United States’ commitment to supporting Bangladesh in its efforts to tackle money laundering and terrorism financing, and to strengthening the rule of law here, said US Embassy handout on Saturday.
The US Ambassador reiterated the commitment while speaking at the opening ceremony of a financial crimes workshop jointly with the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) starting on Thursday. Ambassador Miller and Head of the BFIU, Bangladesh Bank, Abu Hena Mohammad Razee Hassan launched the workshop jointly.
Addressing on the occasion, Ambassador Miller noted, as terrorists and financial crimes become more sophisticated, it is important investigators and prosecutors receive training on new techniques, and combine their skills and trainings toward common goals of combating terrorism, terrorist financing, money laundering, and other crimes.
This workshop is expected to help provided law enforcement officers and prosecutors with fundamental information and techniques to investigate and prosecute financial crimes, and covered, among other things, internationally-established good practices.
The participants of the workshop also gain knowledge on the legal framework for investigating and prosecuting money laundering offenses, investigative techniques to be applied in financial crimes investigations, forensic financial analysis, recovering assets through international cooperation, and mutual legal assistance.
Representatives from across Bangladesh’s law enforcement and prosecutorial sectors attended the workshop, including from the BFIU, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Criminal Investigation Department, the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, the Department of Narcotics Control, the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, and the National Board of Revenue.
The United States has a long history of working with Bangladeshi partners to support the growth of the legal sector in Bangladesh, and since 2005 has sponsored numerous programs focusing on areas including countering terrorism financing and anti-money laundering.