The Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) has concluded a two-day stakeholders’ workshop on the development of a National Strategy and Action Plan for Anti-Money Laundering, Counter Terrorist Financing, and Counter-Proliferation Financing at the Galliness Hotel conference room in Bo City.

The workshop aims at a strong commitment to combating financial crimes that threaten economic prosperity and national security.

Deputy National Security Coordinator, Dr. Ahmed Sannoh, said the meeting aimed to draft Sierra Leone’s first National Strategy and Action Plan for Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorist Financing, and Counter-Proliferation Financing.

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Dr. Sannoh warned that financial crimes, such as money laundering and terrorist financing, undermine financial stability and public trust while providing resources for organized crime and terrorism.

He highlighted the link between financial crimes and national security threats, citing studies by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that show how terrorist groups exploit weak financial systems.

He noted that Sierra Leone’s vulnerabilities, including porous borders and a cash-dominated economy, necessitate a strategic response. He said the security sector should lead efforts against these threats, leveraging its intelligence, investigative skills, and enforcement capabilities for a comprehensive approach that ensures cooperation among agencies.

The Overseas Criminal Investigator, United States Embassy Sierra Leone, Christin Hale, said that coming from the security and law enforcement side, they support countries with capacity building in their financial investigative systems.

She said they do that mostly through law enforcement agencies on specialities such as passport, visa fraud, fraudulent documents detection, and human trafficking, which all play a role in the money laundering space.

She said the workshop will allow them to learn and ensure they provide the necessary training fit for purpose in Sierra Leone.

In his keynote address, Attorney General and Minister of Justice Alpha Sesay referenced the new Anti-Money Laundering, Combating the Financing of Terrorism, and Financing the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 2024. He underlined the efforts of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) in ensuring safety in Sierra Leone and providing regional leadership against transnational crime.

“We are only safe when others around us are safe,” the Attorney General noted, describing money laundering and terrorist financing as tangible threats that undermine trust and national development. Mr Sesay affirmed his office’s dedication to creating a supportive regulatory environment and pursuing the prosecution of related crimes while ensuring transparency and accountability.

He said money laundering and terrorist financing are not abstract threats, but real and existing national and transnational crimes that not only erode trust in our financial and other institutions but also form organised crimes, perpetrate corruption, and undermine national development.

The Attorney General said his office plays a pivotal role in putting in place the regulatory and legislative framework to ensure that financial crimes are effectively handled in the country.

He pledged their preparedness to continue with the prosecution of the AML CFTPF regime, saying they will be developing a data and strategic regime to evidence the facts, create ease for coordination with other actors in and out of Sierra Leone, and ensure transparency in what they do, thereby holding themselves accountable to the public.

The two-day intensive interactive event brought together specialists from various institutions working with the FIA to discuss and map an effective framework to combat money laundering and other financial crimes.