The World's Financial Crime Forum Slated for Accra Next Year

The African IT Exhibitions and Conferences (AITEC) and Vortex Centrum Limited have announced that the first All Africa Financial Crime Forum is to be held at the Accra International Conference Centre on March 18-21, 2002.

This conference is expected to be opened by the President of Ghana His Excellency John Kuffour and will attract over 1000 delegates all over the World.

The All Africa Economic Crime Forum and the Financial Crime Forum are the culmination of several years' research and development in the search for the best way of addressing all the facets of two types of crime that are linked by the fact that the purpose of the offences is for the criminal to get as close as he can to the money, and yet disguise his connection with it.

And so, over a period of days, in a series of streams, academics, practitioners, legislators, politicians, regulators and enforcement agencies will be able to discuss, in open and closed sessions, the two types of crime that are connected by the fact that they are both, often, committed using techniques of or related to fraud and that the proceed of these crimes are then laundered. Laundering is, itself, a crime in many parts of the world.

The Fora are being run simultaneously, with complete freedom for delegates to move between them, to demonstrate the close relationship between these two important subjects.

The Forum will provide an unrivalled opportunity for delegates to meet and deliberate on all aspects of the fight against money laundering and financial crime by addressing relevant topics from the basic to complex, including issues of strategic importance to governments, enforcement agencies and financial services.

A spokesman for the organizers said, " We are happy to be able to put together this conference which could not have come at a better time. This is especially significant when all governments across Africa are seriously searching to find a lasting solution to the issue of corruption and financial crime in their various countries. Consequently, ministers, police chiefs, heads of customs, intelligence agencies, international banks, anti-corruption units, regulators, investment product companies, international organizations, NGO's have expressed their desire to attend."

The Fora will provide a unique venue for those involved in all aspects of the problems of corruption; fraud; commercial crime; trafficking in narcotics, contraband, people; slavery, child abuse and illegal pornography, electoral fraud, the prevention of funding of future crime, and the hiding moving and investing the money gained as a result of such illegal acts. And the fora will also examine the economic impact and social effects of both the crimes themselves and attempts to combat them.

The All Africa Financial Crime Forum will also provide a combination of conference and seminars to enable those delegates who may be entirely new to some or even all of the topics yet provide advanced level material for those already familiar with the basics.

Areas to be addressed at the Forum include Corruption Challenges and Objectives for Financial Business Services; Electronic Crime such as Fraud; Money Laundering; Electronic Crime and Internet Cyber Law and Bank Secrecy.

Other topics are Identifying the Party you are Dealing With; Risk Management in an Electronic Environment, International Initiatives, Cross Border Tax Evasion and Client Confidentiality.

Minister for Justice and Attorney Justice, Honorable Nana Akuffo Addo is also expected to present a paper "Zero-Tolerance for Corruption-Ghana's Contribution to Transparent Governance." Over 150 experts in Financial Crime from across the world are expected to deliver both academic and professional papers at the Forum.