The Eastern Africa Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities and Asset Recovery Inter-Agency of Eastern Africa with support from Basel Institute on Governance based in Switzerland concluded an online training on Financial Investigations from 3rd-7th August 2020.

The objective of the training was to improve the skills and knowledge in investigating corruption, money laundering and related offences. The training  was designated for ARINEA Focal persons from ARIN-EA Member Institutions

Eighteen participants from anti-corruption authorities across East Africa took part in the first ever online delivery of  Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery training programme.

International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) training team conducted the five-day intensive training programme at the request of ARIN-EA, an East African network for informal information-sharing on asset recovery matters. ARIN-EA’s President, Ms Lillian William Kafiti from Tanzania’s Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau, is a former ICAR trainee and graduate of our successful train-the-trainer programme in 2017.

Fostering inter-agency and regional collaboration

Ms.Munira the Acting General Secretary for EAAACA/ARINEA thanked all the participants for taking the course and encouraged them to make greater efforts to “work as a region in collaboration to fight corruption”.

Ms Phyllis Attinkison the Head of ICAR training team and former prosecutor in South-Africa thanked the participants and looking forward to working with ARINEA and thanked the general secretary for bringing/mobilising the participants together.

The participants came from a wide variety of agencies and countries: the Financial Intelligence Unit (South Sudan), Criminal Investigation Division of the Police (Uganda and Kenya), Inspectorate of Government (Uganda), Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (Kenya), Special Brigade Anti-Corruption (Burundi), Anti-Corruption Court (Burundi), Ombudsman (Rwanda), Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (Tanzania), Inspector General (Djibouti), Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Kenya), Office of the Attorney General (Ethiopia) and South Sudan Anti-Corruption Commission.

Feedback from participants was encouragingly positive, with many commenting on the “superb” lessons and “able trainers” thanks to whom “I learnt a lot”