Asset Recovery Unit

The RSS Asset Recovery programme is an innovative approach to tackling serious organised crime in the Caribbean common law jurisdictions, through partnership and the robust application of proceeds of crime and money laundering legislation. It commenced in November 2015, taking over from the highly successful Eastern Caribbean Financial Investigations Advisory Team (ECFIAT) and Caribbean Criminal Assets Recovery Programme (CCARP). The RSS ARU provides wider regional support to include key transit countries and the overseas territories of the United Kingdom.

The unit seeks to enhance its efforts in countering serious organised crime, particularly drug trafficking, by utilising cash seizure, money laundering and confiscation legislation as key components in financial investigation and asset recovery. RSS ARU has completed the drafting of ‘model’ proceeds of crime legislation to remedy legislative deficiencies and encourage the introduction and use of civil forfeiture legislation.

For 2022, the RSS ARU conducted twenty-six (26) structured consultations with the Financial Intelligence Units and representatives of the Departments of Inland Revenue in various Member States providing mentorship on matters valuing over Ninety-five Million, Nine Hundred and Ninety-two Thousand and Two Hundred and Twenty-eight-Dollars XCD $95,992,228 (USD $ 35,519,130). To date, RSS ARU mentoring has assisted in the identification and restraint of US$26.8 million of criminal assets. In addition, US$7.5 million has been (civil) forfeited by the courts using cash seizure provisions, with a further US$4.5 million seized and in the court process. 92 money laundering investigations are being carried out, with 74 persons charged with money laundering offences.

In addition to expert mentorship in the application of Proceeds Of Crime (POC) legislative provisions and financial investigations and prosecution practice, the RSS ARU serves as the permanent Secretariat for ARIN-CARIB (the Asset Recovery Information Network for the Caribbean). In 2021, the RSS ARU processed Forty-five (45) requests for information and approximately forty percent of these requests were sent by partner ARINs and originated from the Czech Republic, Belgium, Scotland, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, Argentina and Brazil. Of note was collaboration between the USA and the Cayman Islands resulting in an asset seizure in excess of USD $500 million.

In its continued effort to strengthen asset recovery frameworks in RSS jurisdictions, RSS ARU provides training and sensitisation to stakeholders within the RSS MS. These included police recruits, Financial Investigators, officers of the Customs and Excise departments and Inland Revenue departments, Prosecutors, Crown Counsels, magistrates and other representatives from the Offices of Attorneys-General and the Department of Public Prosecutions.

The Unit continues to be a principle collaborator with the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) in devising and implementing a Training and Accreditation Programme for all financial investigators and analysts in the Caribbean. This will seek to standardise training and procedures regionally and result in internationally recognised accreditation. The team also works closely to ensure FATF recommendations are implemented and followed in conjunction with their national security requirements.

RSS ARU collaborates closely with all Regional and International partners including US and UK authorities, UNODC, OAS, OECS, CARICOM agencies and CFATF. The Caribbean is used as a transhipment point for the trafficking of cocaine from South America to the major consumer markets of North America, UK and Europe. The profits generated regionally is a factor in the gang and gun culture across the region. Crime, violence and corruption, deters inward investment and hinders regional development. The RSS ARU is committed to taking the profit out of crime and supporting the Caribbean region in the fight against organised crime and corruption.