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Training Programme in Vietnam

During the period 2 to 6 November 2009, representatives of the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) conducted a five-day training programme in respect of asset tracing and asset recovery which was specific to Vietnam. This project took place through the mutual co-operation of ICAR, the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR initiative) and the Vietnam Anti-Money Laundering Department (AMLD).

The programme was held at the training facility of the State Bank of Vietnam in Hanoi, Vietnam, and attended by twenty five participants. They included investigators from various departments within the Ministry of Public Security, experts from the Ministry of Justice, Government Inspectorate and Customs Department, prosecutors from the Supreme People’s Procuracy and Supreme People’s Court and representatives of the AMLD.

The purpose of the Vietnamese training mission was to provide capacity building training to key law enforcement agencies in analysing, investigating and prosecuting international corruption and related money laundering cases in Vietnam.  It was also to assist the authorities of Vietnam in enhancing their staff’s ability to handle international requests and to succeed in co-operation with foreign jurisdictions to repatriate stolen assets.

The centrepiece of the program was an extensive interactive practical exercise that simulated an actual corruption investigation in Vietnam with an emphasis on the collection and presentation of evidence for prosecution.  The programme provided the participants with excellent overview of money laundering (ML) concepts, the proper application of Vietnamese ML and corruption statutes based on the elements of the crime and the circumstances under which these statutes could be applied.  The participants obtained a better understanding of the way in which criminals move their money, the tools available to detect and follow this flow, and the importance of linking the criminal to the asset acquired as a result of unlawful activity such as corruption.

In addition to ICAR trainers, the program utilised three outside speakers to provide background information on the work of StAR and asset recovery initiatives in accordance with the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), financial investigations, mutual legal assistance procedures and overseas enquiries, and an overview of money laundering investigations.

Baizura Kamal, Head of the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Unit, International Affairs Division of the Attorney General’s Chambers in Malaysia, gave a presentation on MLA, focusing on the basic requirements which encourage and facilitate co-operation in criminal matters between countries.