Joint Press Release – Belize City, Belize – April 15, 2024 – The U.S. Embassy’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau and U.S. Internal Revenue Service partnered with Belize’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to host a weeklong training on Financial Investigative Techniques at the Princess Ramada Hotel. The training was attended by members of the FIU, Office of the DPP, Belize Judiciary, Belize Customs Department, Immigration Department, Belize Tax Service Department, and the Belize Police Department’s Mobile Interdiction Team, Anti-Narcotics Unit and Criminal Investigation Branch.
The Financial Investigative Technique course offered the participants lectures, discussions and practical exercises drawn from real-life examples designed to sharpen participants’ investigative analysis, as well as investigative techniques. The training covered topics such as search warrants, sources of information, asset forfeiture, suspicious transaction reports, mutual legal assistance requests, elements of a crime, collecting and analyzing financial records, proving and tracking illegal means, cryptocurrency, interviewing techniques and illegal income.
The training is part of U.S. Government assistance to strengthen Belize’s Financial Investigative Program aimed at identifying, investigating, and disrupting Transnational Criminal Organizations by targeting illicit financing activities. The training is the first of four courses in Financial Investigations and will culminate with a train-the-trainer component where 12 individuals from various units will be trained to be Financial Investigative Trainers.
For more information, please visit fiubelize.org
