A regional workshop on “Effective operation and strategic analysis and open-source intelligence in financial investigations” took place in Tunis, Tunisia, on 11-14 February.
This four-day workshop organised by the Council of Europe in cooperation with the “Commission Tunisienne des Analyses Financières”, brought together representatives of financial intelligence units (FIU) from Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia to explore the practical benefits of developing operational and strategic analysis.
Participants were welcomed by Neila Fathallah, General Secretary of the Tunisian Commission for Financial Analyses, and Massimiliano Messi, First Secretary of the Delegation of the European Union in Tunisia, as well as by the Council of Europe.
FIUs play a crucial role in initiating enquiries, supporting investigations and identifying patterns of economic crime to inform policies against money laundering and the financing of terrorism. This training aimed at strengthening FIUs employees’ understanding of the analytical process and their role in producing effective intelligence products. Through interactive and practical exercises, participants had the opportunity to exchange and discuss techniques and challenges related to operational and strategic analysis. Additionally, the workshop equipped participants with essential methodologies and tools to enhance financial crime investigations and emerging threats analyses. All of which against the backdrop of the Financial Action Task Force international standards, recommendation 29 in particular, and the role of FIUs as national centers for the analysis of information related to possible money laundering cases, and trends in money laundering, its predicate offences and terrorist financing.
Through this workshop, participants gained the knowledge and skills needed to produce high-quality intelligence products and strengthen investigations while reinforcing FIUs’ efforts in combating economic crime.
The regional workshop was organised in the framework of the joint EU/Council of Europe Programme “protecting human rights, rule of law and democracy through shared standards in the Southern Mediterranean” (South Programme V), under the component “Promotion of good governance: fight against corruption, money laundering and financing of terrorism in the Southern Mediterranean” (SNAC V).