ODPP Calls for Regional Collaboration to Combat Crypto Financial Crimes
NAIROBI, Kenya, July 1 – In a major regional push to combat technology-driven illicit wealth, East African prosecution and police agencies have converged in Nairobi for a five-day intensive workshop on cryptocurrency in International Financial Investigations.
Representing Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecutions and EAAP Secretary General Renson Ingonga, Senior Deputy DPP Vincent Monda officially joined forces with regional police chiefs and European counter-terrorism experts.
The collaborative initiative, backed by East Africa Association of Prosecutors (EAAP), the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO), and the EU Action Against Organized Crime and Terrorism (EU-ACT highlights a growing continental urgency to equip law enforcement with the tools needed to track and prosecute complex virtual asset offenses across national borders.
Delivering his opening remarks on behalf of the DPP, Mr. Monda warmly welcomed participants drawn from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Ethiopia, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Mozambique and Seychelles for their commitment to regional cooperation and the collective fight against transnational organized crime.
Mr. Monda noted that the rapid growth of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets has transformed the global financial landscape, creating new opportunities for innovation while also presenting sophisticated avenues for money laundering, terrorism financing, drug trafficking, cyber-enabled crime, fraud and other forms of transnational organized crime.
He observed that the borderless and anonymous nature of virtual assets has made investigations increasingly complex, underscoring the need for prosecutors and investigators to continuously strengthen their technical knowledge and operational capabilities.
Additionally, He emphasized that no single institution or country can effectively combat these emerging threats in isolation, calling for enhanced regional and international cooperation, information sharing and coordinated investigations.
“This workshop demonstrates the shared commitment of partner institutions to build stronger legal and investigative frameworks capable of addressing the evolving challenges posed by financial crimes involving cryptocurrencies”.
Mr. Monda encouraged participants to actively engage in the discussions, share experiences and best practices, and build lasting professional networks that will facilitate effective cross-border collaboration in future investigations.
He reaffirmed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions’ commitment to working closely with regional and international partners in strengthening the rule of law and protecting the integrity of financial systems.
The Representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Kenya, Mr. Louis Dey, underscored the importance of bringing prosecutors and investigators together, noting that the successful handling of complex cross-border financial crimes requires close collaboration between the two.
He emphasized that tracing illicit financial flows, securing admissible evidence and dismantling criminal networks can only be achieved through coordinated efforts.
Mr. Dey observed that cryptocurrencies and digital assets have become key enablers of serious organized crime, including online fraud, drug trafficking, and money laundering, with global estimates indicating that tens of billions of euros in illicit proceeds are laundered through these channels each year.
The HR Interpol Bureau East Africa and Chief Executive Officer of EAPCCO, Mr. Apollo S. Africa, described the workshop as a significant milestone in strengthening regional security and enhancing the capacity of law enforcement and prosecution agencies to tackle emerging forms of organized crime.
Subsequently, He noted that while identifying criminal activity is a critical first step, effective investigations must also produce credible and admissible evidence capable of supporting successful prosecutions, securing convictions and facilitating the recovery of criminal assets.
He reaffirmed EAPCCO’s commitment to strengthening partnerships that enhance coordinated investigations and criminal justice outcomes across the region.
The five-day programme will equip prosecutors and investigators with practical knowledge on blockchain technology, cryptocurrency investigations, cybercrime, electronic evidence, judicial cooperation, open-source intelligence, dark web investigations and cross-border access to electronic evidence.
Participants will also analyze real-life case studies on complex transnational financial investigations and Joint Investigation Teams (JITs), with the aim of enhancing regional capacity to investigate and prosecute financial crimes in the digital era.
