The Anti-Money Laundering Permanent Committee (AMLPC) organized a workshop titled "Financial Investigations related to Trade-Based Money Laundering Crimes" during the period from 12-16/12/2021 at the headquarters of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA).

The workshop was attended by (50) participants representing a number of concerned authorities, including the Ministry of Interior (the General Directorate of Public Security and the General Directorate for Narcotics Control), the Presidency of State Security (the General Department of Financial Intelligence "SAFIU"), the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (NAZAHA), the Public Prosecution, the Ministry of Commerce, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, the Saudi Central Bank, the Permanent Committee for Legal Assistance Requests, the Capital Market Authority, and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.

The workshop is part of the second phase of the technical assistance program and aims to assist specialists from the concerned authorities in enhancing and developing their capabilities, and providing them with the necessary skills in conducting financial investigations, prosecutions and asset recovery in money laundering crimes. In addition, the workshop focuses on enhancing the capabilities to increase international cooperation through formal legal assistance requests.

It is worth noting that the second phase of the technical assistance program consists of (12) training workshops, divided into (3) groups, each group holds (4) financial investigation training workshops. Whereas this is the first workshop of the training program designated for the third group. This training program comes within the framework of implementing the National Strategic Objectives and the National Action Plan to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, which included in one of its objectives "Strengthening the training programs held for the concerned authorities through holding workshops in the field of developing methods of investigation and prosecutions in money laundering cases".