Project Anton - FINTRAC Publishes Indicators Relating to Illegal Wildlife Trade
Had an amazing opportunity to attend a session from the Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS) about Project Anton, a public-private partnership to prevent illegal wildlife trade in Canada. Illegal wildlife trade is a major transnational organized crime, generating billions of criminal proceeds each year.
Project Anton is named after Anton Mzimba, a game ranger and head of ranger services at Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, who dedicated his life to protecting wildlife. Renowned for his unwavering integrity and commitment to conservation, he was awarded the Best Field Ranger accolade at the 2016 Rhino Conservation Awards. Tragically, Anton was shot and killed in front of his family on July 26, 2022. His untimely demise highlights the growing boldness and violence of criminal syndicates involved in illegal wildlife activities.
A comment from one of the attendees to the presenters was "The work you're doing is the reason why I decided to get into AML." I hope that the work we put in honours Anton's legacy by supporting wildlife preservation efforts.
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“Project Anton is an important next step in the fight against illegal wildlife trade and I am proud of the leadership role Scotiabank has taken on this initiative. Through international expansion and collaboration across borders and disciplines, we are helping to uncover these crimes and aiding law enforcement and regulatory agencies in the identification of perpetrators. The Project is a testament to the value that financial intelligence can bring to help identify the criminal networks seeking to profit from the exploitation of vulnerable and endangered species.”
Stuart Davis, Executive Vice President, Financial Crimes Risk Management & Group Chief Anti-Money Laundering Officer, Scotiabank
The FINTRAC report can be found at: https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-transactions-reports-analysis/news/2023/01/fintrac-publishes-money-laundering-indicators-related-to-illegal-wildlife-trade-in-support-of-project-anton.html
