November 30, 2021: As part of the United States’ commitment to raise the standard of financial crimes investigation in Trinidad and Tobago, the United States Embassy in Port of Spain has just begun training 12 local law enforcement and legal officials on November 11 to become certified forensic accounting specialists and accountants. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement.
The Professional Graduate Diploma in Certified Forensic Accounting and Fraud Detection Program ends in July 2022. Participants come from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s (TTPS) Financial Investigations Branch, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau, the Fraud Squad, Professional Standards Bureau, the Tobago Special Investigations Unit, and also a representative from the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs.
The students will attend courses in Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination, Accounting Fundamentals and Auditing Fundamentals, Investigative Forensic Accounting and Forensic Auditing, Law, Evidence, Expert Testimony and Ethics, Applications to Forensic Accounting and Forensic Accounting Casework Analysis, and Report Writing and Case Management.
U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Shante Moore said, “The United States will continue to support Trinidad and Tobago’s law enforcement efforts to combat corruption, money laundering, and to disrupt and seize the illicit proceeds of transnational organized crime. I wish the participants every success in this comprehensive course.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) McDonald Jacob said the TTPS is grateful for the partnership and looks forward to the expected inroads against white collar crime.
DCP Jacob said, “The TTPS appreciates the partnership with the U.S. Embassy in facilitating such a program, which supports the development and professionalism of TTPS officers. Hiring forensic accounting and auditing consultants is costly; however, this partnership will support the TTPS’s investigations into white collar and enterprise crime and will also assist the organization with the management of its own finances.”