Permanent Secretary in the Attorney General’s Chambers and Chairperson of the National Anti-Money Laundering Oversight Committee, Juliana Alfred, says the training is designed to strengthen both the knowledge base and the practical application of the law.
“This two-day workshop has been carefully designed to strengthen both knowledge and practice in areas that are central to asset recovery, cash seizure, detention, forfeiture, account frozen orders. These are complex tools, but when applied with precision, we believe that they are powerful instruments in safeguarding our financial system and ensuring that crime truly does not pay.”
The two-day workshop brought together a wide range of critical stakeholders, including members of the Judiciary, Magistrates, Crown Counsel, Police Prosecutors, Financial Intelligence Authority Investigators, and officers from the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force.
Alfred noted that the programme goes beyond theoretical learning, incorporating practical exercises, scenario-based discussions, and mock hearings that reflect real-life challenges faced by investigators, prosecutors, and the courts.
“This hands-on approach ensures that we move beyond just theory and equip all participants to ably apply the law effectively in investigations, applications, and judicial determinations.”
The workshop also addressed emerging global concerns, including proliferation financing, an area that officials say will receive increased scrutiny during the 2028 assessment. Attorney General Leslie Mondesir said the training comes at a pivotal moment for Saint Lucia and the wider region, as international standards increasingly emphasize measurable results and effectiveness.
“The focus of this training, cash seizure, listed assets, and account-freeze orders goes directly to the core of that effectiveness. As we strengthen our national framework, it is also important to recognize that the work undertaken in this training directly supports several core FATF recommendations…Collectively, these efforts contribute to improved performance under Immediate Outcomes 6, 7, and 8, which assess the effective use of financial intelligence, the quality of money laundering investigations and prosecutions, and the extent to which countries are successfully depriving criminals of their illicit assets. By building capacity in these areas, we are directly enhancing our ability to demonstrate effectiveness in the upcoming mutual evaluation.”
He highlighted that one of the major challenges in financial crime cases is not always the absence of evidence, but weaknesses in how that evidence is assembled and presented before the court.
“Too often, asset recovery efforts falter not because evidence is lacking, but because of weaknesses in how that evidence is assembled, presented, and tested within the legal framework. This training, therefore, serves a dual purpose: one, strengthening our capacity to deprive criminals of the proceeds of crime; and two, reinforcing the integrity, transparency, and fairness of our legal system.”
Director of the Regional Security System Asset Recovery Unit, Kisha Sutherland underscored that the workshop aims to strengthen inter-agency coordination and ensure that Saint Lucia can demonstrate effective implementation of its legal framework. She says the shift in global standards means countries must now go beyond technical compliance to implementation.
“As a Regional Security System, we look forward to the fifth round, along with the Attorney General’s Office, to put things in place so that Saint Lucia, in its defense, will be able to say that we have successfully implemented these particular provisions. We have a judicial system that is quite capable of implementing this legislation, were there to be an opportunity.”
Officials say the knowledge and partnerships developed during the training are expected to strengthen Saint Lucia’s ability to deprive criminals of illicit assets, disrupt organized crime networks, and safeguard the integrity of the country’s financial system.