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Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Training Programme in Israel, November 2011

Experts from the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) were invited by the Israel Ministry of Justice to conduct a five-day country specific training programme in respect of money laundering and asset recovery. This took place in Jerusalem during the period 6 – 10 November 2011 through the mutual co-operation of the ICAR and the Financial Enforcement Unit of the Israel Ministry of Justice.

The recovery of illicit assets and the proceeds of crime is a major element in a country’s struggle against money laundering and predicate offences such as corruption. Integrated financial investigation is an essential element of any strategy for targeting proceeds from crime. The investigative process is the core activity, forming the basis for any asset recovery effort which (particularly at an international level) involves an overlapping of anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and broader law enforcement agendas.

The purpose of the Israel training mission was to provide training to key law enforcement agencies in the tracing and recovery of stolen assets, more particularly in respect of cases involving money laundering and related predicate offences such as corruption. It also covered aspects relevant to co-operation with foreign jurisdictions in repatriating assets stashed abroad. The programme was attended by twenty six participants, included investigators (police, tax authority, securities authority), prosecutors from the State Attorney’s Office and representatives of the Israel Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority (IMPA).

The centrepiece of the programme was a 5 day “hands on” practical exercise in which the participants actually investigated a simulated case with 50-70 pieces of documentary evidence. The exercise was created for Israel incorporating its criminal statutes, commercial and banking records and enforcement procedures. It took the participants through numerous financial transactions specifically designed to conceal and disguise the source, location, and ownership of illegal proceeds.

Yossi Margalit, a senior strategic consultant from the IMPA, gave a presentation on the use of the Asset Recovery Intelligence System (ARIS), an IT tool which ICAR developed in partnership with the Egmont Group and the FIU of Liechtenstein and is currently is use at the IMPA. ARIS is a web-based tool to support analysts and investigators in FIUs and Anti-Corruption Bureaus, and provides on-demand profiles on persons and companies arising in suspicious activity reports and corruption cases.