In October 2020, ABA ROLI initiated a cross-regional program between two of its regions, the Middle East and North Africa division and the Asia and Pacific division, to build the capacity of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), regulators, investigators, and law enforcement agents to apply analytical frameworks, strategies, and skills for the utilization of open-source intelligence (OSINT) in integrated anti-money laundering investigations. The Transnational Anti-Money Laundering Assistance—Training to Leverage Big Data Analytics to Identify Money Laundering and Sanctions Evasion program (TAMLA program) is funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
In the Middle East and North Africa division, the program is focused on Tunisia, where ABA ROLI has partnered with the Tunisian FIU and the Tunisian Financial Analysis Committee (CTAF), on a series of training sessions and the deployment of an e-learning module on OSINT, Big Data, and anti-money laundering (AML) investigation techniques. To date more than 80 participants have been trained on topics ranging from the collection and management of OSINT, utilizing OSINT in AML investigations, to the development of case files using OSINT.
Leading the training sessions for ABA ROLI is retired FBI special agent, Debra LaPrevotte. She has conducted several virtual training sessions on AML investigation techniques and discussed how she’s used OSINT throughout her career to capture kleptocrats. Debra also traveled to Tunisia to facilitate a multi-day in-person event for CTAF. In her training sessions, she recounts her work of over 20 years fighting kleptocrats with the FBI and beyond. During her illustrious career, Debra created the FBI’s kleptocracy department and went on to recover over $1 billion dollars of dirty money from corrupt leaders. Her quest has taken her across the globe to find and freeze assets, testify in domestic and international courts, and train law enforcement agencies. With her enthralling experiences and energetic personality, Debra has been at the forefront of these training sessions and developed a wonderful relationship with her CTAF counterparts.
Kleptocracy is defined as “a government of state in which those in power exploit national resources and steal; rule by a thief or thieves.”1 The impact of the rise of kleptocracies is not only felt by citizens under the thumbs of kleptocrats, but globally as well. In his working paper—produced by the National Endowment for Democracy’s International Forum for Democratic Studies—titled “An Offshore Cold War: Forging a Democratic Alliance to Combat Transnational Kleptocracy,” Oliver Bullough argues that kleptocracy “combines 19th-century autocracy with 21st-century finance” and through this, dictators can “hide the proceeds offshore and use that wealth to corrupt both foreign and domestic institutions.” In a recently released podcast “A Nation for Thieves,” LaPrevotte recounts her over 20 years of work fighting kleptocrats with the FBI and beyond.
The most important aspect of ABA ROLI’s work with the FIUs is how they are being provided additional tools with which to fight corruption, money laundering, and the illicit outflows of assets from their countries. The use of OSINT and Big Data is at the forefront of innovative investigation techniques being utilized by experienced practitioners such as Debra. As one training participant stated, “We'll focus more on the open-source information available, especially on social media and the different search engines.”
More information about the podcast, as well as links to listen to it, can be found on the shows’ website.
