Monrovia, Liberia– After the launch of a one-day High-level Hybrid of the Tax Inspectors Without Borders for Criminal Investigations (TIWB-CI) program by the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) last week at its headquarters in Paynesville, this week the LRA is holding a four-day training workshop in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, a UNDP press release said on Monday, April 8, 2024.
Starting on April 8 – 11, 2024, this workshop is the result of LRA’s expression of interest in self-assessment of needs to the TIWB and will focus on the Tax Crimes Investigation skills of selected participants from the Government.
Among other key objectives, this workshop will delve into evaluating the level of existing skills among national actors regarding tax crimes/criminal investigations; deliver a 5-days in-person self-assessment workshop; present the landscape available in fighting tax crimes and increase understanding of respective agency’s mandate in this area as well as present an overview of the maturity model’s self-assessment procedures.
Designed to support developing countries in their capacity-building efforts for augmenting domestic resources and implementing a fairer tax system, TIWB is a joint initiative of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This workshop is part of Liberia’s participation in the joint OECD-UNDP Tax Inspectors Without Border for Criminal Investigation Programme (TIWB-CI). The TIWB-CI is a bespoke technical assistance programme designed to strengthen jurisdictions’ tax crime frameworks and enhance the resolution of tax crime cases, including through real-time support on complex investigations.
TIWB-CI is centered on government approaches to combatting illicit financial flows and this self-assessment workshop is the first major step and relies on the participation of a broad cross-section of financial crime authorities.
The workshop is bringing together participants from each financial crime agency, including a senior representative with decision-making authority, a total of 30, excluding representatives from the UNDP and the OECD.
At the close of the workshop, with the input of the participants, the TIWB-CI-UNDP expert Ms. Olivia Okello will develop an action plan with priority recommendations aimed at developing the investigative capacity of LRA and involved law enforcement agencies in the government’s approach methodology.
On Friday 12 April, following the close of the workshop, there will be a debriefing meeting by LRA with other key stakeholders.