EU ambassador to Panama highlights the importance of PAcCTO in the fight against crime

The European Union EL PAcCTO programme is supporting the formation of two Specialist Multidisciplinary Teams in Panama. Their launch will be made official on 24 May at an official signing ceremony in Panama City. The event will be attended by the Panamanian ministers of public security, economy and finance, environment, the national attorney general and the director of the Financial Analysis Unit.

All of these are institutions that make up the Specialist Multidisciplinary Teams. The Specialist Multidisciplinary Team working on combating tax crime will work in a coordinated and integrated manner on sensitive and complex cases which are related to serious and organised crime, such as offences relating to tax fraud or associated crimes relating to money laundering. It will also seek synergies between the institutions involved such as the Panamanian National Attorney General’s Office, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Public Security and the Financial Analysis Unit. The Specialist Multidisciplinary Team working on combating environmental crime will strengthen the joint response from the security forces’ investigation units, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of the Environment to confront a growing criminal phenomenon in the region. A phenomenon that, in addition to causing tremendous damage to biodiversity, is today an immeasurable source of economic resources for organised criminal groups.

Inter-agency coordination is essential to fighting organised crime in Latin America. For this reason, the formation of these specialist operational groups will make it possible to tackle and respond to complex cases that an institution working alone cannot handle. These specialist teams enable the procedures for investigations and prosecutions to be harmonised, ensuring a high degree of specialisation for members coming from various institutions directly involved in combating these crimes.

Since its inception, EL PAcCTO has worked to encourage greater inter-agency coordination in the fight against organised crime by publicising European experiences through exchanges between peers on issues of priority interest to Latin American countries.
EL PAcCTO (Europe-Latin America Assistance Programme against Transnational Organised Crime) is an international cooperation programme financed by the European Union that seeks to contribute to security and justice in Latin America by supporting the struggle against transnational organised crime.