OECD Academy courses

The foundation programme on conducting financial crime investigations was the inaugural Academy course and is a key part of the curriculum in all four centres. The course is open to officials involved in the fight against all forms of financial crime and provides participants with the key skills required to conduct tax and other financial crime investigations, including the ability to trace money through complex financial arrangements and use sophisticated techniques to identify links between suspects and illicit financial activities.

This more advanced programme on managing financial crime investigations targets participants with managerial or supervisory responsibility in the investigation or prosecution of tax crimes and other financial crimes. The modules offered include leadership skills; effectively managing limited resources; international evidence; prosecutorial and investigative challenges; threats and risks assessments; illicit flows, including complex money laundering and the challenges of bribery and corruption cases; best practices and international initiatives.

This 8-day specialty course was added in 2018 and is targeted at investigators and/or managers with experience in the investigation, management of, and/or prosecution of money laundering cases. The course provides an overview of current trends in money laundering, the enablers who provide the means, the freezing and seizing of assets, and money laundering prosecutions. The course also explores the challenges posed by crypto assets and new and emerging money laundering/terrorist financing risks posed by crypto assets.

This 8-day specialty course is intended for investigators and/or managers with experience in freezing and seizing assets resulting from the investigation of tax crimes and other financial crimes. The course provides an overview of the legal measures associated with asset recovery, explores the use of restraining orders, considers both conviction based and non-conviction based confiscation of assets from the proceeds of crime, and provide a snapshot of international asset recovery initiatives, as well as the challenges and best practices in this field.

In October 2019, the Academy introduced this new 8-day specialty course for investigators and/or managers faced with the challenges of investigating the cash economy, sales suppression systems, illicit financial flows, and the cash proceeds from financial crimes. The course will explore the general investigative techniques, risk indicators, electronic sales suppression systems, electronic investigative techniques, methods of proof and indirect verification of income, and legislative and procedural approaches to the cash economy.

This 8-day specialty course is for investigators and/or managers with experience in the investigation and prosecution of VAT/GST frauds. The course explores the threat and risk assessment around various types of VAT/GST fraud, investigative techniques and their challenges and best practices, asset seizures and the money laundering issues associated with VAT/GST fraud, as well as prosecution challenges and best practices.

In October 2020, the Academy introduced this new 8-day specialty course for investigators and/or managers faced with the challenges of investigating the use of banking information. The course will explore a range of issues relating to the use of banking information from effective use of suspicious activity/transaction reports, turning intelligence into evidence, maximising the use of information available from financial institutions, anti-tipping off legislation, and issues related to correspondent banking.