FIU identified suspicious wire transfers, shell companies, unusual account activities and provided asset tracing in the Joshua Rahman case

The Director of the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit Razim Buksh says drug trafficking, cultivation and related offences continue to be the biggest contributor to money laundering risk in Fiji and this is based on an assessment of the money laundering risk in Fiji in 2015 and a recent review in 2020.

Buksh says they provided targeted financial intelligence and assistance to law enforcement agencies during the investigation of a major international drug trafficking case that resulted in the successful conviction and sentencing of Canadian national Joshua Aziz Rahman.

He adds the Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit identified suspicious wire transfers, shell companies, unusual account activities and provided asset tracing in this case.

Buksh says this is an excellent outcome of law enforcement cooperation and networking.

He says the profiling and targeting of key individuals in complex criminal activities through the collaboration and partnership of law enforcement agencies shows how Fiji can disrupt international criminal networks in Fiji.

The Suva High Court today sentenced Joshua Aziz Rahman to 20 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of 14 years.

Rahman was found in possession of 39.5kg of cocaine worth $31 million in Caubati in February 2019.

The Fiji Financial Intelligence Unit is one of the leading agencies in Fiji that is responsible for preventing and detecting money laundering, terrorist financing and related criminal activities such as drug trafficking.