Hertta-Maria Amutenja
The Inspector General of the Namibian Police, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, has urged the Financial Intelligence Centre and Anti-Corruption Commission to explore more areas of possible cooperation to combat crime
Shikongo said this yesterday at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between Nampol, FIC, and ACC where all three crime-fighting entities will combine forces to combat Transnational Organized Crime (TOC).
“The signing of the MoA today came at the right time. One of the Interpol Executive Delegates for Africa is from Namibia, and this agreement will cement the leading role Namibia has taken in the expansion of the I-24/7 System, beyond the NCBs in the SADC region and Africa as a whole. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) will serve as national centres for the receipt and analysis of suspicious transaction reports and other information relevant to money laundering, terrorism financing and associated predicate offences. Therefore, if these two entities are allowed to have access to INTERPOL databases, it will enhance the ability to focus their activities to target wanted persons and bank accounts linked to suspects,” Shikongo said.
He added that through the MoA, Namibia’s risk of being placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’s and the Eastern and Southern African Anti-Money Laundering Group’s (ESAMAWG) greylisting will be reduced.
“Namibia’s risk of grey-listing by Eastern and Southern African Anti Money Laundering Group, and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will reduce through this MoA which we are about to endorse today. Namibia’s membership with International Criminal Police Organization- ICPO- Interpol was endorsed during the 61st Interpol General Assembly session in Dakar, Senegal, in November 1992. In each country, an Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) is the exclusive point of contact between Interpol member countries, IPSG, local law enforcement and other stakeholders requiring assistance in cross-border investigations, operations and apprehension of fugitives,” he added.
Furthermore, Shikonge revealed that Nampol’s Interpol-National Central Bureau (NCB) division is linked to the I-24/7 system (Interpol Secured Global Communication Systems), a technological network that connects law enforcement in all 195 of its member nations and allows authorized users to exchange sensitive and urgent police information with their counterparts around the world.
“By using the I-24/7 system, stakeholders will be able to search and cross-check criminal data in a matter of seconds, with direct access to Interpol Databases, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Therefore, Interpol NC Windhoek is busy facilitating the expansion of the I-24/7 System to the relevant stakeholders, with the purpose of preventing crimes and improving security in the country,” stated Shikongo. He said that the ACC and FIC will serve as national centres for the receipt and analysis of suspicious transaction reports and other information relevant to money laundering, terrorism financing and associated predicate offences.
