Month: July 2024

WINDHOEK: A delegation from the Zambian Parliament is currently visiting Namibia to study and exchange information on the procedures for handling matters related to members’ privileges and discipline.

The delegation, composed of members from the Committee on Privileges and Absences, will be engaging with its Namibian counterparts during their seven-day visit.

Leader of the delegation, Malungo Chisangano, praised the cordial bilateral relations between the SADC neighbours, which he said translated into warm relations at the parliamentary level.

‘Our visit here is to learn and share notes on the processes followed in dealing with matters of members’ privileges and discipline,’ said Chisangano, who is also the First Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia.

Chisangano and his team paid a courtesy call on Lukas Sinimbo Muha, the Chairperson of the National Council, in Windhoek on Monday.

‘It is worth noting that the cordial bilateral relations between our two countries have translated into warm rela
tions at the parliamentary level as well. This has been demonstrated by several exchange and benchmarking visits that have been undertaken between our two Parliaments over the years. Our coming here is a testament to the good parliamentary relations,’ said the Zambian lawmaker.

On his part, Muha said the benchmark visit marks a significant milestone in the relationship between the legislative houses of Namibia and Zambia.

‘Your visit comes at a significant time as we continuously strive to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of our parliamentary processes. These exchanges are invaluable, providing an opportunity to learn from each other’s successes and challenges in parliamentary governance,’ he said.

Muha explained that the parliamentary committees on privileges are critical components of any functional legislature.

‘They ensure that Members of Parliament perform their duties effectively, free from undue interference, and with the necessary support to represent thei
r constituents. This visit provides a valuable opportunity for us to exchange ideas, experiences, and strategies to enhance the effectiveness of our respective parliamentary systems,’ he said.

Muha said Zambian lawmakers will have the chance to engage with Namibian lawmakers, take part in different discussions, and observe the parliamentary sessions during their visit.

Source: The Namibia News Agency

The International Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has unveiled a new module codenamed ‘Silver Notices’ to frontally tackle the scourge of money laundering and illicit financial flows across the world, especially Africa.

The Interpol Vice President for Africa, Garba Umar, said this at a four-day Training Workshop for Nigerian law enforcement agencies at the EFCC Academy, Abuja.

According to Umar, money laundering across Africa and the entire world has assumed a monstrous dimension and Interpol has designed Silver Notices to combat the menace.

‘Evidence has shown that every hour, hundreds of thousands of dollars are flowing out of Nigeria to the region and across the world, laundered before it reaches the pockets of criminals to enjoy the profits of their crimes, while the hardworking and honest Nigerians pay the price of crime.

‘With every successful laundering of criminal money, our country becomes more prone to crime.

‘More drugs, more fraud, more corruption and more violence. Every time criminal money i
s successfully laundered, our financial institutions take an additional blow,’ he said.

He stressed that hard times awaited money launderers as the Silver Notices would make illicit funds more difficult to launder in any part of the world.

Umar also spoke on the theme of the workshop, ‘Strengthening Capacity and Coordination against Financial Crimes’.

He pointed out that financial crimes have become transnational and law enforcement agencies needed regular training for their workforce to be ahead of fraudsters.

He stressed the need for collaboration among law enforcement agencies to advance their investigations to ensure that criminals did not get to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

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‘The only way we can move forward as a country is by working together and identifying common problems, jointly devising solutions, and taking coordinated and cohesive action.

‘And now is the time that we need to go far, by going together,’ he said.

The Chairman of the EFCC, M
r Ola Olukoyede, in his remarks also harped on the need for enhanced collaboration in tackling financial crimes.

Olukoyede stressed that the complex nature of corruption across the world could only be broken by the might of collaborative actions by every stakeholder.

‘The daunting nature of the fight against corruption in Nigeria and the world at large deserve serious collaboration among organisations saddled with the responsibility of fighting corruption,’ he said.

Olukoyede was represented by the Director, Fraud Risk Assessment and Control, FRAC, of the EFCC, Mr Francis Usani.

He appraised the pivotal role of the EFCC in tackling corrupt practices, especially its impressive records of convictions and recoveries.

He expressed optimism that, with the new emphasis on preventive framework in tackling financial crimes by the commission, greater progress would be made.

‘Our records of convictions and recoveries stand us out, but we will not rest on our oars, we are committed to do more.

‘And in this commit
ment, the EFCC is re-strategising its operations with a focus on prevention knowing that it is easier and cheaper to prevent corruption from happening than investigating and prosecuting corruption,’ he said.

In his remark, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Nigeria, Mr Kazuyoshi Matsunaga, described the workshop as an important joint initiative between Japan and Nigeria to combat financial crimes.

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He explained that in the contemporary globalised world, financial crimes transcended borders and required international cooperation among law enforcement agencies to combat them.

‘I am delighted that INTERPOL and the Japanese National Police Agency are an integral part of this project, contributing their expertise.

‘A remarkable collaboration took place three years ago when Japanese and Nigerian law enforcement agencies successfully returned a fund to a Japanese fraud victim, earning immense gratitude.

‘Strengthening our
partnership through this project will benefit not only Nigerians, but people around the world, including the Japanese,’ he said.

Hafsat Bakare, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), spoke about the imperative of strengthening capacity and coordination against financial crimes.

She pointed out that, ‘financial intelligence and financial analysis techniques are key to tackling economic crimes’.

The NFIU, she said, was sensitive to the interconnected nature of the criminal justice system, the threat of organised crime and cybercrimes being fought by law enforcement agencies.

Isaac Oginni, Director, Interpol’s Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC), said the only way to disrupt organised crimes was denying fraudsters the financial profit behind their criminal enterprise.

‘Besides, financial intelligence can also be utilised well when investigators recognised its value and used it to build a financial profile around suspects.’

He challenged pa
rticipants and stakeholders at the workshop to collectively work together and fight money laundering.

The four-day workshop, first of its kind and hosted by the EFCC, was organised by INTERPOL and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

It drew participants from the Police, EFCC, NFIU, Nigeria immigration Service and the Nigeria Customs Service.

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The idea of a Silver Notice was first proposed at the 84th INTERPOL General Assembly in Kigali in 2015.

This notice was intended to allow INTERPOL to ‘track the offenders, terrorist financers and others who are using virtual currencies like bitcoin to move and store illicit funds, out of the reach of law enforcement and other authorities’.

The General Secretariat was asked to create a template of the new notice, to draft general specifications, and to produce by 2016 a precise cost estimate for the development and implementation of the new tool.

However, the idea was not implemented at the time and has remai
ned dormant until now.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The EFCC and International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) have expressed determination to collaborate towards tackling Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) fraud, drug and human trafficking in Nigeria and across the globe.

The Anti-fraud organisations, supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said this at the opening of the first INTERPOL/JICA workshop on financial crimes in Abuja on Monday.

Isaac Oginni, Director, INTERPOL Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC), said that effective collaboration among nations would disrupt financial profit of criminal enterprise and reduce crime rate.

‘Horrifying crimes such as drug trafficking, fraud and human trafficking can only be tackled effectively when we disrupt the financial profit behind the whole criminal enterprise.

‘The National Central Bureau can only fully close the loop on your investigations, when we collectively follow the money trails across countries, and engage other international partners for assistance to recover t
hem.

‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,’ he said.

Oginni said that INTERPOL, together with the Japan International Cooperation Agency, developed the project to strengthen collaboration in the fight against the menace.

The Chairman of EFCC, Mr Ola Olukoyede, said no particular organisation, agency or country could fight the scourge of corruption and financial crimes alone.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olukoyede was represented by Mr Francis Usani Director, Fraud Risk Assessment and Control Department of the EFCC.

Some participants at the opening of the first INTERPOL/JICA workshop on financial crimes in Abuja on Monday.

Some participants at the opening of the first INTERPOL/JICA workshop on financial crimes in Abuja on Monday.

According to him, the daunting nature of the fight against corruption in Nigeria and the world at large, deserves serious collaboration among organisations saddled with the responsibility of fighting corruption

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‘I have leant over the years that no particular organisation, agency or country can fight the scourge of corruption and financial crimes all alone, in view of the dynamic nature of corruption and other financial crimes.

‘The reason I strongly believe that this programme is apt and timely.

‘I am therefore delighted that this project is targeted at enhancing the capabilities and sharpening of the skills of Nigerian law enforcement agencies in combating corruption and financial crimes.

‘The project is designed to also foster a culture of cooperation through the establishment of a robust multi-agency network of investigators to strengthen collaboration among them,’ he said.

President, Africa INTERPOL Executive Committee, retired AIG Garba Umar, said the objective of Nigeria and other nations was to enhance inter-agency cooperation towards combating transnational crimes.

Umar disclosed that INTERPOL was introducing ‘Silver Notice’ to help financial agencie
s across the globe to trace and repatriate stolen funds stashed anywhere in the world.

Japan’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Matsunaga Kazuyoshi described the workshop as an opportunity for new alliances and collaboration to tackle international financial crimes.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

In a significant development in foreign relations, French President Emmanuel Macron has recognised Western Sahara within the framework of Morocco ‘s sovereignty.

The Moroccan news agency, MAP, reports that Macron gave this indication in a message to King Mohammed VI on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Throne Day.

Macron, according to the message ‘considers that the present and future of Western Sahara lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.’

Details of the message, MAP said , was made available by the Royal Office in a statement on Tuesday.

A dispute, dating back to 1975, pits Morocco, which considers Western Sahara its own territory, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks an independent state there.

France, as the former colonial power in the region, has walked a diplomatic tightrope between Rabat and Algiers on the issue.

Most of France’s Western allies already back Morocco’s plan.

The French president reaffirmed ‘the unwavering position of France on this issue o
f national security for the Kingdom.’

He declared that his country ‘intends to act in alignment with this position both nationally and internationally.

‘ For France, autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue shall be resolved.

‘ Our support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco in 2007 is clear and unwavering.’

Macron added that the plan ‘constitutes now the only basis to achieve a just, lasting, and negotiated political solution, in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.’

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‘ Today, an increasingly broad international consensus is emerging,’ the French president also said.

‘ France fully plays its part in all relevant fora.

‘It is time to move forward. I therefore encourage all parties to come together for a political settlement, which is within reach,’ Macron said.

Commending Morocco’s efforts to promote the economic and social development of the Moroccan Sahara, the French president co
mmitted to ensuring that ‘France will support Morocco in this endeavor for the benefit of the local populations.’

This announcement from France, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, marks an important and significant step in supporting Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Government has declared all its 256 custodial centres across the country as ‘red zones’ ahead of the Aug. 1 planned nationwide protests.

Red zones are areas designated in terms of their security and safety status, which strict guidelines and permission are given before accessing them.

Haliru Nababa, Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) said this in a statement issued by the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO) Abubakar Umar on Tuesday in Abuja.

Nababa said that any person or group of persons who have no business whatsoever, should steer clear the custodial centres.

‘In view of the purported national protest scheduled to hold on Aug 1, the service wishes to inform the public that the Custodial Centres have been designated as red zones.

‘Furthermore, the service wishes to enjoin the public that Custodial and Non-custodial Centres are critical national assets which are germane to public safety as well as national security.

‘Tampering with or attacking them will lead
to breakdown of law and order, and further exacerbate the security of the society in general,’ he said.

Nababa said that adequate security arrangements have been put in place to ensure that no correctional facility was ‘defiled’.

He added that the Ministry of Interior Joint Taskforce (MOIJTF) had been activated to provide extra security in and around custodial facilities nationwide.

The NCoS boss appreciated the continuous cooperation of members of the public in ensuring peace and tranquility in and around correctional centres nationwide.

‘The public is also advised to report any suspicious plan or movement to our email: [email protected] or to our official website: www.corrections.gov.ng or call 09060004598 or 08075050006 directly.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria