OFFICIALS from 14 West African countries gathered this week in the Senegalese capital Dakar have pledged to crusade against organised crime, drug trafficking and money laundering, amid fears the crimes could destabilise the region. Finance, interior and justice ministers from the states set up an Intergovernmental Group of Action against Money Laundering (GIABA) charged with coordinating action against transnational crimes. The creation of GIABA results from a UN report warning “the African continent is largely used by international criminal organisations in all the phases of laundering.” – AFP
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