‘Establish mechanisms to fight illicit finances’
What you need to know:
- Illegal logging and illegal fishing generate illicit income estimated at $69 billion to $199 billion.
Dar es Salaam. Tanzania and other southern and east African countries have been urged to implement stringent measures for identifying and effectively combating money laundering linked to the illegal wildlife trade.
These regions are documented as key sources of illegal trade in ivory and pangolin scales, with a substantial portion of trafficking transporting in Asia, where demand for such items remains notably high.
Eastern and Southern Africa Ant-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) law enforcement expert Chris Likomwa said recently that the countries should understand their money laundering risks.
Mr Likomwa made the remarks during a media roundtable meeting organised by Internews Earth Journalism Network (IEJN), which was themed ‘How to Follow Illicit Money Trails While Investigating Wildlife and Environmental Crimes in East Africa.’
“Countries must collaborate both domestically and internationally to combat money laundering and transnational crimes effectively,” he noted. He added that without coordinated efforts among law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders, it is difficult to fight these crimes.
“Hence, it is imperative for countries to demonstrate tangible and transparent cooperation mechanisms to combat these threats,” he said. According to him, countries should designate an authority or mechanism to coordinate actions to assess risks and provide information on the results of the risk assessment to all relevant competent authorities and self-regulatory bodies.
The Centre for Global Advancement forensic auditor and director, Amanda Gore, said wildlife crime is the 4th most profitable crime globally, with profits estimate at between $7 billion and $23 billion. Illegal logging and illegal fishing generate illicit income estimated at $69 billion to $199 billion.
Illegal logging and illegal fishing generate illicit income estimated at $69 billion to $199 billion.
Director-Fraud, Money Laundering and Corruption Division National Prosecutions Service Oswald Tibabyekomya, said that they have realised that illegal wildlife trade offences in Tanzania are facilitated by criminal networks, both local and transnational criminal networks.
In August 2022, authorities in Tanzania impounded 27 containers of logs from illegally harvested timber from the rosewood species Pterocarpus tinctorius (mkurungu) at Dar es Salaam Port, which were destined for China.
An investigation in respect of the impounded 27 containers has shown that the shipping documents, which appeared in the system to have crossed the border, are all forged documents.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who is working with authorities in Zambia to obtain evidence in relation to criminal investigations and the ultimate prosecution of the culprits.
As efforts intensify to combat illicit wildlife trade and associated money laundering, collaborative action at both national and international levels becomes increasingly vital in safeguarding endangered species and combating transnational crime networks.
