Ninety Turkish law enforcement and financial intelligence officials attended two trainings on ‘Financial Investigations related to Money Laundering and Terrorism Cases’ from 25 to 27 October 2022, in Ankara.

The representatives of the General Directorate of Security, Coast Guard Command, Gendarmerie General Command, Directorate General of Customs Enforcement and MASAK (Financial Intelligence Unit of Türkiye) discussed with the Council of Europe’s international experts the initiation of parallel financial investigations taking into account the risk-based approach and were presented with best practice and risks in adopting various approaches in collecting information, developing intelligence and presenting evidence suitable in money laundering prosecutions. Sessions on differences and similarities between the offences of money laundering and terrorist funding, and an overview of current and emerging terrorist financing threats and vulnerabilities reinforced the understanding of the practitioners around these topics.

Case studies on the use of financial investigation in reactive and proactive counter-terrorism investigations demonstrated to the participants the value that financial intelligence and financial investigations brought to the wider counter terrorism investigation, as well as how the proactive use of financial intelligence coupled with other investigative techniques enabled terrorism plots to be disrupted.

The regional Action against Economic Crime is a part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019 – 2022”.