Panama was the setting for the third edition of the annual forum “Illicit Trade and Transnational Crime” organized by Crime Stoppers on Wednesday (09.10.2019), with the aim of addressing cases related to these crimes at a regional level and making recommendations to the participating countries.
The opening ceremony was attended by speakers such as the Director General of Customs, Tayra Barsallo; the Manager of the Colon Free Zone, Giovanni Ferrari; the Regional Director of Crime Stoppers, Alejo Campos; and, as a special guest, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Panama, Ilse Smits. They all agreed on the need to work in coordination to fight organized crime.
During the session, several debates were held on topics related to illicit trade. The Customs Department was represented by Lcda. Betzy Morán, head of the Commercial Transparency Unit, who explained to those present the role that the entity plays in the fight against fraud and smuggling, elements that are also considered a crime due to the losses they cause to the treasury and that do not allow investment in social programs aimed at the general population.
Customs Director General Morán called for inter-institutional work, planning and constant training Among all the entities involved in security, which will strengthen those agents who provide service in the field, he also pointed out the need to have a better budget that allows the use of the latest cutting-edge technologies.
As part of the commitment of the Republic of Panama and the important role of the National Customs Authority in the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing, the head of Commercial Transparency reported that work is being done on the creation of a specialized unit that will execute the legal and regulatory provisions contained in the current regulations, in the prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing, which will allow us to strengthen the national risk assessment of international organizations.
With the aim of addressing issues related to illicit trade, transnational crime and making recommendations to the participating countries, Customs was at the forum organized by @tupistapty
More details: https://t.co/3pHoa26Twd#TogetherWeDoIt #NoIllegalTrade pic.twitter.com/xdZPCH0Wyc
— customspanama (@aduanaspanama) October 9, 2019
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
