Montserrat joined the region in strengthening its judicial capacity in the fight against financial crime.
High Court Judge Birnie Stephenson represented the island at a high-level regional training on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing.
The five-day session, which began in St. Kitts on Monday July 28th, was organized by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) in collaboration with the Regional Security System (RSS).
It brought together judges, magistrates, and financial crime experts from across the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), including participants from the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union and Tortola.
The training focused on anti-money laundering (AML), countering the financing of terrorism (CFT), and countering proliferation financing (CPF), equipping judicial officers with the knowledge to address the region’s evolving financial crime risks.
Key topics included international AML/CFT/CPF obligations, asset recovery and confiscation, financial investigations, and the growing impact of virtual assets on criminal activity.
The initiative reflected a strategic effort by the ECCB and RSS to fortify the OECS’s judicial framework, ensuring member states remain resilient against threats to their financial integrity and sustainable economic development.
The workshop ended on August 1, with participants expected to return to their jurisdictions better equipped to handle complex financial crime cases.