28 Oct 2015

Botswana stands to benefit from a two-day international symposium on links between core international crimes and transnational organised crime which started on Tuesday (October 27) in Gaborone.

The symposium, which is organised by the Attorney General’s Chambers in collaboration with the WAYAMO Foundation, will establish linkages between organised crime and international crime, identify and analyse points of convergence and to find ways for a coordinated investigation and prosecution of such crimes.     

Attorney General, Dr Athaliah Molokomme said special attention would be paid to wildlife crime.

Giving the opening remarks, Dr Molokomme said Botswana was keen to utilise the opportunity to learn from practitioners who were engaged in investigations and prosecutions of international and transnational organised crimes.

She said the transnational impact of the crimes complicates efforts to counter them nationally, adding that Botswana expects specialists to assist the country to combat them, and how to link its interventions with other countries for better results.  

She said it was essential for national legal enforcement agencies to cooperate in order  to curb the spread of crimes. 

This, she said, would involve processes of continuous cooperation to ensure that affected states have a coordinated response.

Dr Molokomme also said countries need to mobilise resources at national, regional and international level to ensure an effective response to international crime.

“We need legislation, robust institutions which adhere to the rule of law and well trained experts within our respective jurisdictions to combat these crimes and foster regional and international cooperation,” she said.

Transnational organised crime is one of the 10 threats and challenges to international peace and security identified by the United Nations’ high-level panel on threats, challenges and change. 

The United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime (Palermo Convention), has adopted to fight against transnational organised crime.

Dr Molokomme also noted wildlife crimes were becoming more complex and were intersecting with crimes of interest to international criminal syndicates due to smuggling networks and funding for armed groups. 

She noted that ivory trade and poaching has helped to fund armed groups in the Congo as well as Joseph Kony’s Lord Resistance Army.

The Attorney General said the situation was aggravated by the demand for trophies internationally. 

She said Botswana has taken stringent measures to deal with the scourge by certifying surveillance and increasing penalties for wildlife crimes.

A number of high profile participants are attending the symposium from countries such as Sierra Leone, the United States of America and Belgium.  Ends