INTERPOL CONFERENCE: Lamorde Seeks International Collaboration Against Economic Crimes

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde has advocated for a synergy between the 190 member countries of the INTERPOL in the fight economic and financial crimes.

He was speaking in Abuja, Friday, October 11, 2013, during the closing ceremony of the 6th INTERPOL Global Programme on Anti-Corruption, Financial Crimes and Asset Recovery which held at the EFCC Academy, Abuja.

The EFCC chairman who commended the INTERPOL for the consideration of Nigeria’s EFCC as the host of the conference, said sharing of intelligence and information from other jurisdiction will go a long way in combating the menace of economic and financial crimes, especially in third world countries.

His words: “One thing I want you to take away from this conference is the sharing of intelligence. I am sure you now have your contacts, I want to urge you all to feel free to contact yourselves when you need any information that will help your assignment”.

He however urged the course participants to be Nigerian Ambassadors in their various countries, nothing that their one week stay in Nigeria has erased the erroneous perception about security in Nigeria. “You are free to always come back, you are also free to also seek for a permanent resident permit”, Lamorde told the 65 conference participants who came from Central, Southern and West Africa sub region.

Earlier, the Head of INTERPOL anti-Corruption department, Mr. Jaganathan Saravanasamy, commended the EFCC and its management for accepting to host such an international conference which he described as hitch- free.

Mr. Saravanasamy who is the Inspector General of the Indian Police Service, said he was impressed with the facilities and the quality of resource materials that participants were inundated with in the course of the five day conference.

He maintained that INTERPOL’s choice of EFCC in hosting the programme was not a mistake. “I have said it before and I still want to maintain, it is on record that the EFCC is one of the very few Anti-Corruption agencies that has successfully recovered and brought back proceeds of corruption held in other international jurisdictions. It is this professionalism and commitment of EFCC that prompted INTERPOL to host this important international workshop for African countries, in this excellent venue of EFCC Academy”, he explained.

A participant from South Africa, Mr. Magobosha Solly Paketsane of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Pretoria, while sharing the South Africa experience on Asset Forfeiture Procedure with participants during the conference said recovered assets are managed by a TRUST for the enhancement of all the law enforcement agencies in the country.

The National security Adviser, NSA, Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, had on Monday, October 7^th, 2013, declared the conference open with emphasis on the need for collaborative efforts in tackling corruption. “Corruption is one of such multifaceted crimes that affect all of our lives, and we should not only abhor it, but we must also take action aimed at curbing it”, he had said.