As financial crime continues to rise, keeping track of the trends in this volatile area is both important and challenging.

One area of concern is the illegal wildlife trade, which generates billions of dollars globally each year and relies on financial crime to launder the proceeds. Anti-money laundering (AML) strategies can play a critical role in reducing this crime by increasing the financial risks of wildlife trafficking criminals and identifying their networks.

This webinar features Lucie Reháková, Financial Crime Specialist*, Joseph Mari, Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit at Scotiabank, and Barry McKillop, Deputy Director of Intelligence at the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center of Canada (FINTRAC). They explore the objectives of Project Anton, a public-private partnership founded to tackle illegal wildlife trade, and discuss how AML technology can help detect and identify criminal typologies to prevent the flow of dirty money.

Key discussion points include:

  • Role and objectives of Project Anton
  • Building transnational partnerships
  • Screening and reporting suspicious transactions
  • Maintaining data security to protect privacy

Learn about CGI’s financial crime solution.

Read the transcript

Guest speakers:

Joseph Mari

Joseph Mari is a Director within the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) at Scotiabank, overseeing investigatory operations related to capital markets, major investigations and transaction monitoring. He also serves as the Director of External Partnerships in the Financial Crimes Risk Management Division where he is responsible for developing strategic partnerships with external stakeholders that seek to strengthen the bank's commitment towards sustainability initiatives.

Joseph has acted as a lead coordinator for the Canadian financial industry led anti-sex trafficking and online child exploitation public/private partnerships, Project Protect and Project Shadow, since their respective creations in 2016 and 2020. As of 2022, Joseph has been the industry lead on Project Anton, which focuses on the illegal wildlife trade and its illicit finance flows.

Previously, Joseph worked with a variety of national and transnational institutions that include the US State Department, the Vatican, Public Safety Canada, and the United Nations.

Barry MacKillop

Barry MacKillop is the Deputy Director of Intelligence at the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) responsible for tactical financial intelligence, as well as targeted strategic financial intelligence. He has extensive experience in developing and implementing anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing compliance programs and policies.

Prior to this role, Barry worked at Public Safety Canada where he held various senior positions over nine years, including Director General of Law Enforcement, Organized Crime and Border Strategies, Senior Director of National Strategies (Serious and Organized Crime), and Director of Summit Security, Contract Policing and Firearms Policy.

* Lucie Reháková is no longer with CGI.