On Monday, May 20, the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) met with several judicial institutions in Brazil—the Supreme Federal Court (the Constitutional Court), the Federal Public Ministry, and the National Bar Association—to discuss ABA ROLI's work in Brazil, including our programs on combating corruption and terrorist financing in South America [specifically the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay]. The TBA is considered a hub for criminal activities for terrorist financing networks. Through these programs—funded by the US Department of State Bureau of Counterterrorism—ABA ROLI provides technical support to governments, the financial sector, and civil society to combat money laundering, organized transnational crime, and terrorist financing.
In 2022, ABA ROLI launched the Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) in South America program which strives to improve the capacity of the governments and obligated entities in the TBA to effectively counter the financing of terrorism in the region. The program works closely with central and local government agencies, such as Paraguay’s National Secretariat for the Prevention of Money or Asset Laundering or Asset Forfeiture (Spanish, La Secretaría de Prevención de Lavado de Dinero o Bienes – SEPRELAD), and financial and non-financial entities, such as the Association of Banks (ASOBAN) on anti-money laundering (AML) and CFT obligations.
In addition to the CFT program, ABA ROLI’s Raising Public Awareness on Anti-Money Laundering, Countering the Financing of Terrorism, and Transnational Organized Crime program aims to promote public awareness regarding the risks and realities of terrorism financing in the TBA, as well as enhance the capacity of criminal justice sectors and financial institutions to engage with the public on these matters. ABA ROLI collaborates closely with the Financial Intelligence Units of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay—in addition to the communication departments of the criminal justice sector and financial institutions—to develop the technical aspects of communication campaigns and strategies. Overall, the program seeks to mitigate citizens’ unwitting involvement in these criminal activities.
The ABA delegation included Scott Carlson, ABA Associate Executive Director of the Center for Global Programs; Francisco Ciampolini, Director of ABA ROLI's Latin America and Caribbean Division; Fernanda Brandão Cançado, Program Manager for ABA ROLI Brazil; and Fernanda de Mendonça Melo, Program Officer for ABA ROLI Brazil.
