SERNIC Wants Speedy Clarification Of Financial Crimes
Maputo, 15 Dec (AIM) – The Director General of Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), Nelson Revo, has called for speedy clarification of economic and financial crimes, in order to stop the financing of terrorism that has been plaguing some parts of the northern province of Cabo Delgado since 2017.
Revo was speaking at the Closing Ceremony of a training course for 50 SERNIC Agents on Economic and Financial Crimes, on Thursday in Maputo.
“In a challenging context, specialized training in criminal investigation is crucial for us to face organized crime, namely: kidnapping, drug trafficking, money laundering, terrorism and its financing”, director said.
According to Revo, it is crucial to improve police intervention in the fight against financial crimes, so that Mozambique can be removed from the grey list, established by the Financial Action Task Force, for presenting weaknesses in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.
“At this moment, it means enhancing our intervention in the fight against these crimes and contributing to removing the country from the gray list”, the director said.
Society in general, according to Revo, must collaborate in clarifying criminal cases, especially kidnappings “because we know they happen among family members, friends and businessmen.”
“It means that we are collaborating in the opposite direction. We need to collaborate with the investigation to put an end to organized crime”, he stated.
The graduates, according to the director, have been trained to deal with organized and transnational crime.
“They are prepared to assist the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the courts in uncovering the truth”, he said, adding that agents’ professional skills must be continually developed. “Agents must be equipped with technical and scientific knowledge and material equipment to minimize the occurrence of crime in its various forms”, he stressed.
For his part, Jean Bloch, representing the Swiss Cooperation Agency, the body that funded the three-month training course, said he believes that the agents “will be able to investigate at the highest level, to stop crimes of an economic and financial nature”.
Representing the graduates, Énia Jovo said the training served as a mechanism to strengthen the intervention capabilities of SERNIC in preventing and investigating financial crimes and recovering assets.
“This training is an effort to achieve quality investigative objectives”, she said, adding that for the fight against money laundering, it is essential to train police officers.
(AIM)
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