18 October 2019
Two senior lawyers from Jersey’s Law Officers’ Department (LOD) visited Nairobi last week to work alongside the Kenyan government to tackle financial crime.
The primary purpose of the visit was to gain a practical understanding of the prosecution process in Kenya and to establish working relationships. During their visit, the team worked closely with prosecutors, reviewing casefiles and identifying priority actions to enhance the capacity of Kenyan officials to tackle financial crime.
The visit follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Financial Cooperation between the governments of Jersey and Kenya, which was signed by Minister for External Relations, Senator Ian Gorst, in December 2018. The MOU aims to explore the possibility of establishing financial cooperation between Jersey and Kenya by identifying opportunities for collaboration and mutual benefit.
Jersey’s Attorney General, Robert MacRae QC, said: “This visit presents a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience of investigating and prosecuting financial crime cases, and to enhance Jersey’s already well-established partnership with Kenya in combatting money-laundering and tackling international corruption.
“At the same time, Jersey is working with the Government of Kenya to finalise the return to Kenya of £3 million in stolen assets that were seized following the successful prosecution of Windward Trading Ltd in 2016.”
This activity complements existing work currently being undertaken by the UK Crown Prosecution Service and National Crime Agency in Kenya.
It is hoped that the visit will mark the start of a longer-term relationship between Jersey’s LOD and Kenya’s anti-corruption agencies, as the Government of Jersey seeks to increase trade and investment with global markets by supporting the development of robust institutions that strengthen the business environment.
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