FIU lacks outcomes for cases

Fiji's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) is facing scrutiny over its inability to track the outcomes of cases it refers to law enforcement agencies. FIU Director Caroline Pickering informed the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs that the unit does not receive comprehensive and systematic feedback from its partners.

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Those are one-off reports to the council. It’s not systematic reporting to the FIU on what has happened to all the cases you’ve disseminated in a year.

Pickering explained that the feedback received is often in the form of one-off reports, rather than a consistent, systematic process that details what has happened to all disseminated cases. This lack of follow-up information prevents the FIU from providing Parliament with a definitive number of cases that have led to prosecution.

Committee Chair Sakiusa Tunabuna identified this as a significant weakness in the system, emphasizing the need for a clear process to track investigations and court proceedings after intelligence is shared. He noted that the absence of this feedback loop is a critical gap that requires urgent attention.

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When intelligence is provided, there should be a clear process showing whether it was investigated and whether it eventually reached court.

Committee member Premilla Kumar further questioned the value of the FIU's extensive data collection if the system cannot demonstrate the results of shared intelligence. She stated that the committee cannot properly scrutinize the FIU's effectiveness without knowing the outcomes of cases referred to other agencies.

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She questioned the value of collecting millions of pieces of information if the system cannot show what happened after the intelligence was shared.

While police have provided some statistics at Anti-Money Laundering Council meetings, Pickering stressed the need for case-by-case feedback upon case closure. The FIU is seeking to improve its system, including seeking assistance from international counterparts and implementing surveys to gauge the usefulness of intelligence. However, the core issue remains the need for law enforcement agencies to provide specific feedback when cases conclude, detailing whether the intelligence was incomplete, incorrect, or insufficient. Pickering acknowledged the need for better feedback and committed to working with partner agencies to establish a more systematic process.

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The FIU needs case-by-case feedback showing what happened after intelligence was disseminated.