By: Martina George, Communications Officer, ACC

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has concluded a two-day training session for its investigators and officers of other law enforcement agencies on assets tracing and digital forensic evidence gathering. The training started on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at the Commission's Conference Room, Integrity House, Tower Hill, Freetown.   

Making his remarks at the opening session of the training, Deputy Commissioner of the ACC, Augustine Foday Ngobie, welcomed Restitution, the international partners that facilitated the training, the ACC investigators, representatives from other law enforcement agencies, including the Sierra Leone Police, Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), Law Officers Department and the Office of National Security (ONS).

Mr Ngobie said that the Commission has a responsibility to protect the resources of the country, noting that when corrupt individuals steal, they use the proceeds to purchase assets. The Commission, he said, therefore needs training to enhance the capacity of staff to know the different types of assets that are usually acquired by criminals and corrupt individuals. 

He said the training was meant to capacitate the participants on how stolen assets are hidden, how to trace such assets and how to recover them and seek restitution. He emphasized the importance of the training and its benefits to the Commission and the other participating agencies. 

The training was led by Andrew Carey, Director of Restitution and senior counsel at the Hogan Lovells, London, whose career as a partner at the Hogan Lovells spans over 20 years.  The other facilitators were Tatiana Sainati, Co-chair Wiley Reins Global Disputes practice, and Diana Shaw, Partner in the white collar and Government Investigations practice at Wiley Rein LLP