Judges of the Supreme Court, Magistrates, and the Judiciary legal research team received an overview of the (inter) national fight against corruption, the laws on corruption, evidence, and procedure applicable to trials for corruption offences.
Honorable Sir Anthony Hooper, former Lord Justice of the High Court of England and Wales, and Jeanne Hauch, Technical Specialist, both consultants with the World Bank, led the workshop held from Monday 11 April to Thursday 14 April 2022.
Honorable Sir Anthony Hooper and Technical Assistant Jeanne Hauch led the four day training
The event was also organised in collaboration with the Central Bank of Seychelles.
At the opening in the Palais de Justice auditorium, Chief Justice Rony Govinden stressed on the importance of remaining up to date on current practices by those who evade the law, so judges may understand cases that come before them in court.
This was reflected in the presentations made by the World Bank, which highlighted that one of the main ways people launder money today is through cryptocurrency, although this is new to many in the regulatory bodies and that they should learn more about this. Other popular forms of money laundering continue to be purchasing of expensive jewellery and art – which can be undervalued by the unknowing and inexperienced eye. Money laundering through the casino business is also popular.
“Criminals move quickly, while bureaucracy moves very slowly,” said Mrs. Hauch when explaining the importance for institutions to remain up to date on current criminal practices.
Senior Market Conduct Analyst for the Central Bank, Beggita Vital, stated that this workshop is part of the Anti-Money Laundering and Financing Terrorism Technical Assistance Program.
One of the important components of the workshop focused on the unique role of the Judiciary in the process of criminal and civil asset recovery. The workshop examined national legislation and international conventions, along with tools that are available which can be used to prevent the dishonest from evading the obligation to disclose and surrender the proceeds of corrupt conduct.
This process also enables the participants of the workshop to consider amendments that could be made to their national laws, including regulations, laws of evidence, and rules of criminal procedure in order to improve asset recovery.
The four-day workshop was coordinated to coincide with the Supreme Court April vacation, which sees a reduction in the amount of cases taken by Supreme Court judges in order to cater for the Court of Appeal sittings.