EUPOL COPPS adviser held a training session for the staff of legal and complaint unit and investigation unit of the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) , in addition to four security focal points at PACC, to raise awareness about  money laundering.

The trainings, held in Ramallah in cooperation with PACC, is part of EUPOL COPPS support for enhancing the capabilities of Palestinian officers in specialised topics in the field of criminal justice and investigation.

Mission adviser provided the 18 attendees, including six women, the legal and operational know-how for identifying and understanding the connection between corruption, organized crime and money laundering, and its severe impact on society and economy.

The training allocated a special focus on the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, Budapest and Warsaw Conventions and other bodies  as international legal instrument of cooperation.  

Dr. Michele Tarlao, from Italian State Police and EUPOL COPPS Anti-Narcotics and Organised Crime Advisor, shared his experience of investigating mafia-type related crimes and other organised criminal groups in Italy and abroad. He also addressed the issue of corruption as criminal phenomenon that affect the social, political, economic and cultural system, adapting quickly to the processes of change with the remarkable ability to create networks and links between criminal organizations, with common crime, with institutions and with professionals of the legal economy.

“The main sources of illegal wealth, as we know, are corruption and tax evasion. To these, frauds perpetrated via the Internet and counterfeiting and smuggling of drugs, health devices and other goods related to the pandemic have been added more recently. All, of course, on an international scale,” Tarlao said.