APEC anti-money laundering summit set for Pattaya Sept. 22-24

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About 150 government and law-enforcement officials from Asian-Pacific countries will meet Sept. 22-24 in Pattaya to continue work on a regional framework to weed out corruption and curb money laundering.

Chairath Kanitabooth, deputy secretary for the National Anti-Corruption Commission Office, and Amnat Donngam, deputy commander for the 14th Military Circle in Chonburi, joined provincial authorities and local police Sept. 4 to plan the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Multi-Year Project meeting to be held at the Dusit Thani Hotel.

Provincial authorities and local police meet to plan the APEC anti-money laundering summit to be held Sept. 22-24 at the Dusit Thani Hotel.Provincial authorities and local police meet to plan the APEC anti-money laundering summit to be held Sept. 22-24 at the Dusit Thani Hotel.

The APEC Multi-Year Project began last year with a meeting in Chile to draft a handbook that provides information on how to investigate and prosecute graft and money laundering. The manual will be a key document for countries that lack a systematic approach to investigating corruption and money laundering, especially when it comes to following the money trail.

The book will focus on effective techniques to backtrack money and intelligent investigation, which can be used as evidence to improve the system to prevent corruption through APEC’s Anti-Corruption-Focused Financial Intelligence Unit. A third meeting in the Philippines is planned for next year.

Talks began in Chile in April 2013, focused on investigation and prosecution. This month’s session in Thailand will review work done since April and add new measures on backtracking.

Attending the session will be government authorities and police from APEC nations and those outside the region, including U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and International Center for Asset Recovery of the Basel Institute on Governance in Switzerland.