Sri Lanka hosts conclave of International Counter-Terrorism and Money Laundering experts [April 5, 2006-11.00 GMT]

More than 40 South Asian regulators and lawmen from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka are to be trained, to counter money launderers, swindlers and terrorist financiers operating in South Asia, in a joint effort by the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Australia's Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering and the United Kingdom's Charities Commission.

The Department of Justice's Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) has organized the conference entitled, Preventing the Abuse of Charities for Terrorist Financing, Money Laundering and Other Serious Crimes. The three-day congress will provide a forum for South Asian law enforcement professionals and fiscal authorities to share experiences and tactics in combating the abuse of charitable organizations.

"The fight against terrorist financing demands an all encompassing approach, targeting not only terrorist groups, but also the individuals, businesses, banks, criminal enterprises, and charitable organizations that finance terrorism." said Ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead in his keynote address, "In the wake of a natural disaster such as the tsunami in Sri Lanka or the earthquake in Pakistan, honest contributors need to be sure their donations are not diverted for criminal purposes, but given to those in need."

Seminars will include case studies describing the ways terrorist financing can be conducted through the charitable and non-profit sectors. They will also address regional efforts to support effective implementation of international standards for charities and improved detection of charitable organizations being misused for terrorism or other unlawful purposes.

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Last Updated Date: April 05, 2006 -11.00 GMT