| Fadley Faisal |
The Criminal Justice Division of the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) conducted a three-day workshop on Criminal Asset Recovery at the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Headquarters in Jalan Tungku, Gadong.
Fifteen officers sat in on the workshop that discussed provisions of the Criminal Asset Recovery Order 2012 and the power of investigations that can be exercised under the law.
Conducted by Hajah Suriana binti Haji Radin and Christopher Ng Ming Yew, both Deputy Senior Counsels and Deputy Public Prosecutors, the workshop focused on how NCB officers should use the additional powers conferred on them under the Criminal Asset Recovery Order 2012 in conjunction with their powers under the Misuse of Drugs Act, Chapter 27 in order to better investigate narcotics cases with financial elements involved.
Topics such as international cooperation, securing and tracing assets, asset management and drafting affidavits for forfeiture applications were also covered. Participants also engaged in discussion on various case studies in order to apply what they had learnt over the duration of the workshop.
The workshop concluded with the presentation of certificates to the participants.
Workshop participants with coordinators from the Criminal Justice Division of the AGC.
DPP Hajah Suriana binti Haji Radin presenting on Criminal Asset Recovery. – PHOTOS: AGC
This was the third workshop conducted by the Criminal Justice Division of the AGC. Similar ones were held for the Commercial Crimes Investigation Division of the Royal Brunei Police Force and the Anti-Corruption Bureau in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
The holding of such workshops demonstrates the AGC’s initiative to further educate and raise awareness on the laws of Brunei Darussalam, among law enforcement agencies that bear the task of implementing them.
The workshop was also aimed at increasing cooperation between the AGC and NCB, and to encourage greater focus on financial investigations with the aim of depriving criminals of their profits and proceeds.
The workshop also built upon the NCB’s two successful criminal asset recovery applications which were granted by the High Court in 2016, as well as the establishment of the NCB Financial Investigation Unit aimed at investigating the financial dimension of cases involving drugs.
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