The Financial Intelligence Unit of Da Afghanistan bank (FinTRACA) signed Memorandum of Understanding with Attorney General’s Office (AGO), purposed to facilitate inter-agency cooperation and flow of information among the two entities to combat terrorist financing, money laundering and other predicate offences.
The MOU was signed by DAB First Deputy and Acting Governor H.E Mr. Wahidullah Nowsher and the deputy of Attorney General’s Office H.E Mr. Abdullah Ahmadi on the 31st of October 2019, in an official gathering held at DAB central office.
The MOU signing ceremony was attended by high ranking government officials from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Finance, Attorney General’s Office, Afghanistan Banking Association, delegates from the non-banking financial sector of the country, media personnel and other high ranking dignitaries.
Since its establishment, the Financial intelligence unit of the country has been exchanging information with a number of enforcement bodies within the Attorney General’s Office, however in order to expand the scope of inter-agency cooperation and coordination and to provide value-added analytic and strategic products, FinTRACA initiated signing of this MOU with AGO.
Welcoming the guests, H.E Mr. Wahidullah Nawsher in his opening remarks, reflected on the importance of the MOU.
He stated,
“This MOU is of immense importance, as it solidifies the country’s commitment to establish and enhance inter-agency cooperation and coordination, providing practical grounds for improving the capacity of the organizations in combatting terrorist financing, money laundering and other predicate offences.”
The Deputy of Attorney General’s Office H.E Mr. Abdullah Ahmadi also displayed contentment over signing the MOU and stressed upon its importance. He stated that the leadership of the Islamic republic of Afghanistan remains committed to combat financial crime as it is a priority area for the country.
He stated,
“Our combined objective is to combat financial crime which is of high priority for the government. This objective could only be achieved via a cooperation mechanism that enables both entities to work together in an effective manner, and I believe this MOU facilitates this process tremendously.”
Following the deputy of AGO, the director general of FinTRACA Mr. Nesar Ahmad Yosufzai welcomed the guests and thanked them for joining the MOU signing ceremony. Reflecting on the statistics of national cooperation of FinTRACA, Mr. Nesar Ahmad stated that FinTRACA has a history of cooperation with the AGO which has improved the overall outcomes of the country’s fight against financial crimes. However, since financial crimes have new and emerging trends, this MOU would help enhance FinTRACA’s technical cooperation with AGO.
He stated,
“FinTRACA and the AGO long for an environment of cooperation and mutual interest within the AML/CFT framework of the country to facilitate the exchange of information concerning financial crime investigation. To this end, both authorities have reached the understanding to foster the said information exchange to the fullest possible extent.”
This MOU enables both parties to exchange case-sensitive information which shall significantly impact the process of detection, investigation, as well as prosecution of financial crimes. As a part of its commitment, FinTRACA will continues to assist the relevant bodies within AGO by providing technical assistance and coaching support in order to achieve the desired outcomes in accordance with the provisions of AML/CFT laws of the country.