In the spirit of collaboration and partnership, Financial Intelligence Unit-Jersey and the Government of Jersey have hosted the Director and Deputy Director of the Sierra Leone Financial Intelligence Agency to Jersey on a study visit and mentoring programme.
The delegation will focus on engaging with public authorities involved in anti-money laundering (AML), countering the financing of Terrorism (CFT), and counter-proliferation financing (CPF).
Jersey is a member of the Egmont Group of FIUs and Sierra Leone a Candidate member of the Group. The Egmont Group is the global intelligence collective focused on financial crime. Sierra Leone and Jersey have organised the first ever Egmont Group sponsored study visit to share ideas, best practice and common challenges as Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) Jersey transforms and Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) Sierra Leone develops. The trip was generously funded by the Egmont Centre of Excellence and Leadership (ECOFEL).
The visit aims to align to Egmont strategic goals which includes:
- Enhance the framework for effective information exchange between FIUs and strengthen cooperation with international partner organisations.
- Develop and promote knowledge on new or emerging AML/CFT methods and trends, good practices, and Egmont Group requirements.
- Enhance support to Group members and candidate FIUs
During their visit, Sierra Leone FIA Director David Borbor and Deputy Director Kadijatu Juma-Sei will discuss best practices with Ian McDonald, Associate Director of GoJ Financial Crime Strategy team and Jonathan Groom, Director FIU Jersey. The focus is interconnections in our joint efforts to tackle the global fight against financial crime, both from an African and International Financial Centre (IFC) perspective and hear about the work undertaken on the recent FATF MONEYVAL assessment of the island. There will also be discussion on common financial crime risk areas, particularly the issue of high-level corruption and the removal of the proceeds of corruption from developing countries. They will also attend a special meeting of the Jersey Financial Intelligence Network (JFIN – Jersey’s Public Private Partnership (PPP)) to discuss best practices concerning risks related to emerging payment methods, seen across African countries to understand cultural differences and typologies in the region regarding financial crime.
During their visit, they will meet with other key figures from the island’s competent authorities, including the Government’s Financial Crime Strategy team, Attorney General, Chief of Police, Jersey Customs & Immigration Service and the Jersey Financial Services Commission.
Leadership Mentor for ECOFEL Mentorship programme Ian McDonald commented: “We are delighted to welcome David and Kadijatu to Jersey. This trip has been a long time in the planning with all the various parties. Still, we view such collaboration as essential to fostering the exchange of ideas and experiences and strengthening our global partnerships in the fight against financial crime.”
FIU Jersey Director Jonathan Groom commented: “In the ethos of collaboration and partnership, this type of Executive Mentorship Programme, as well as discussing threat focuses and wider information sharing, is crucial to combating financial crime, and helps build a future FIU that considers global threats and crossovers.”
David Bobor from Sierra Leone commented: “We thank ECOFEL, the Government of Jersey, and our partners FIU-Jersey for their support and for making this visit possible. While we have engaged virtually and met briefly at Egmont Group meetings over the last few years, it is invaluable to travel to Jersey to witness how a different jurisdiction tackles similar issues in the fight against financial crime. We welcome the opportunity to understand first-hand the transformation that FIU-Jersey is undergoing under Jonathan’s leadership.”
Pictured: Kadijatu Juma-Sei – Deputy Director Sierra Leone Financial Intelligence Agency, David Borbor – Director Sierra Leone Financial Intelligence Agency and Jonathan Groom – Director Financial Intelligence Unit Jersey
