Today marks the conclusion of a five day capacity-building workshop for prosecutors and law enforcement officers from Eastern African jurisdictions on virtual assets, particularly cryptocurrency, and their connection to money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, cybercrime, corruption and organised crime.
Participants presented the status of virtual assets in their respective countries, including existing legal frameworks, investigative experiences and emerging challenges. The presentations enabled a comparative and SWOT analysis, helping participants identify common gaps, national strengths and applicable regional best practices.
Days Three and Four focused on terrorist financing, fraud, bribery and corruption, including relevant typologies, investigative approaches, country case studies and the misuse of corporate structures and offshore financial centres.
The final day addressed organised crime involving virtual assets, prosecutorial decision-making, presentation of digital evidence in court, evidentiary challenges, engagement with regulators, mutual legal assistance and regional cooperation.
The training strengthened participants’ capacity to guide investigations, prosecute complex digital financial crimes and enhance cooperation among prosecutors, investigators and regulators across the region.