Location: Nairobi, Kenya

• 5-14 February 2024: Foundation Programme (VIRTUAL)
• 8-17 July 2024: Cash Economy Investigation Techniques and insight into Crypto Currency (Specialty) Programme (VIRTUAL)
• 4-15 November 2024: Intermediate Programme (ON SITE)

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

• 15-19 April 2024: Anti-Money Laundering: Current Trends, Prosecutions, and the Challenges around Crypto Assets  (Specialty) Programme (ON SITE)
• 22-26 April 2024: Investigative Techniques for the Effective Use of Banking Information (Specialty) Programme (ON SITE)
• 25 November-4 December 2024: Foundation Programme (VIRTUAL)

Location: Tokyo, Japan

• 20-24 May 2024: Major Case Management (Specialty) Programme (ON SITE)
• 27-31 May 2024: Big Data Analytics and Crypto Assets, Trends, and Investigative Techniques (Specialty) Programme (ON SITE)
• 11-20 November 2024: Foundation Programme (VIRTUAL)

Francophone Programme: Through the support of key partners, a pilot Francophone programme is currently underway to cater to the needs and realities of French-speaking jurisdictions. For more information on the pilot Francophone programme, please contact us by e-mail at: AcademieFiscaleFrancophone@oecd.org.

Pilot Programme for South Asia: The OECD and the Government of India have decided to partner in the delivery of a new pilot Academy programme aimed at financial crime investigators from South Asia. The 2024 course offerings will be updated on this site soon. For more information on the pilot programme, please contact us by e-mail at: taxacademy-southasia@oecd.org.

The foundation programme on conducting financial crime investigations was the inaugural Academy course and is a key part of the curriculum in all four centres. The course is open to officials involved in the fight against all forms of financial crime and provides participants with the key skills required to conduct tax and other financial crime investigations, including the ability to trace money through complex financial arrangements and use sophisticated techniques to identify links between suspects and illicit financial activities.

This more advanced programme on managing financial crime investigations targets participants with managerial or supervisory responsibility in the investigation or prosecution of tax crimes and other financial crimes. The modules offered include leadership skills; effectively managing limited resources; international evidence; prosecutorial and investigative challenges; threats and risks assessments; illicit flows, including complex money laundering and the challenges of bribery and corruption cases; best practices and international initiatives.

Anti-Money Laundering: Current Trends, Prosecutions, and the Challenges around Crypto Assets

This 8-day specialty course was added in 2018 and is targeted at investigators and/or managers with experience in the investigation, management of, and/or prosecution of money laundering cases. The course provides an overview of current trends in money laundering, the enablers who provide the means, the freezing and seizing of assets, and money laundering prosecutions. The course also explores the challenges posed by crypto assets and new and emerging money laundering/terrorist financing risks posed by crypto assets.

Asset Recovery: Freezing and Seizing Assets

This 8-day specialty course is intended for investigators and/or managers with experience in freezing and seizing assets resulting from the investigation of tax crimes and other financial crimes. The course provides an overview of the legal measures associated with asset recovery, explores the use of restraining orders, considers both conviction based and non-conviction based confiscation of assets from the proceeds of crime, and provide a snapshot of international asset recovery initiatives, as well as the challenges and best practices in this field.

Investigative Techniques for the Cash Economy

In October 2019, the Academy introduced this new 8-day specialty course for investigators and/or managers faced with the challenges of investigating the cash economy, sales suppression systems, illicit financial flows, and the cash proceeds from financial crimes. The course will explore the general investigative techniques, risk indicators, electronic sales suppression systems, electronic investigative techniques, methods of proof and indirect verification of income, and legislative and procedural approaches to the cash economy.

VAT/GST Fraud Investigations

This 8-day specialty course is for investigators and/or managers with experience in the investigation and prosecution of VAT/GST frauds. The course explores the threat and risk assessment around various types of VAT/GST fraud, investigative techniques and their challenges and best practices, asset seizures and the money laundering issues associated with VAT/GST fraud, as well as prosecution challenges and best practices.

Investigative Techniques for the Effective Use of Banking Information

In October 2020, the Academy introduced this new 8-day specialty course for investigators and/or managers faced with the challenges of investigating the use of banking information. The course will explore a range of issues relating to the use of banking information from effective use of suspicious activity/transaction reports, turning intelligence into evidence, maximising the use of information available from financial institutions, anti-tipping off legislation, and issues related to correspondent banking.

1. Subscribe to the Academy distribution list

Have you been receiving Academy invitations? If you have, you can simply skip this step. If not, please write to the Academy Secretariat to subscribe to the list.

2. Receive an invitation by email

You will receive an invitation by email for programmes of the International Academy and/or the regional centre (if applicable). Invitations are sent three months ahead of the programme starting date in case of on-site programmes, or two months ahead in case of virtual programmes. The invitation will include a link to the online application form, a draft agenda and senior management approval form and a letter, which entails the course dates, objectives and modality of the course, what is expected from applicants, information on its cost as well as the application deadline. Therefore, it is important to read this invitation carefully before applying.

3. Complete online application form

All applicants are required to complete an online application form (click here to see an example) and submit this together with their resume and a signed senior management approval form. For specialty programmes, you should also submit a one-page summary of a subject case where you were involved in the investigation, management and/or prosecution. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

4. Application review and selection

Once the application is closed, the Academy Course Leaders and OECD Secretariat review the applications. Scroll down to see the selection criteria for participants. Once selections have been made, officials are notified of the outcome of their applications.

5. Notification of the results

About one week after the application deadline, all applicants will receive an email that informs them whether or not their application was successful. Successful applicants will receive a confirmation email with a link to an online registration form and logistics note (on-site programme) or Zoom user guide (virtual programme). The confirmation email would also include information on actions required: e.g. visa application and flight information, payment, pre-course e-learning exercise and participant presentation and assignments.

6. Register for the course

In order to secure a place in the course, selected participants should complete an online registration form, which includes a pre-course questionnaire. Now there is just one thing left for you to do: look forward to the course. Until then we will remain in touch and at your disposal for any queries.

7. Welcome!

We welcome you to the Academy and are looking forward to building a lasting relationship with you as one of the Academy Alumni.

When reviewing the application forms and resumes, the Academy Course Leaders and OECD Secretariat consider a number of primary and secondary selection criteria outlined below.

Primary selection criteria

• Applicant is a government official working for a financial crime authority;
• Applicant has demonstrated experience in the investigation, prosecution, and/or recovery of assets related to financial crimes (assessed through the application form and resume);
• Applicant has the signed written approval of his or her senior manager to participate in the programme;
• For the intermediate course on Managing Financial Crime Investigations, the applicant must have demonstrated experience in the management of financial crime investigations, prosecutions, or recovery of stolen assets;
• For the eight-day speciality courses, the applicant must have demonstrated experience in the relevant field (e.g. money laundering, VAT/GST fraud investigations, asset recovery etc.). This is assessed though the submission of a mandatory one page case summary requested as part of the online application form;
• Participants must have a good command of English to be able to participate in the programmes in Kenya, Japan, and Italy. Participants must have a good command of English and/or Spanish to be able to participate in the programme in Argentina. This may be tested prior to acceptance to ensure that the applicant can participate effectively.

Secondary selection criteria

Once these primary criteria are determined, a number of secondary considerations are factored into the final selections. These include:

Gender diversity

In line with OECD policy on gender balance in conferences and events, the Academy strives to ensure that women are as equally represented as men as participants at the Academy. Jurisdictions should therefore consider gender balance when nominating officials for Academy courses. To the extent that women meet the above-outlined primary criteria for participation, their applications will be prioritised to ensure equal representation.

Geographical diversity

As an international programme, it is important that participants represent a broad range of jurisdictions. To that end, the Academy strives to ensure that every class has the broadest representation of jurisdictions possible based on qualified applicants.

Whole of government representation

An 'all of government' approach to combatting tax and other financial crimes underpins all of the OECD’s work on tax and crime. To that end, selections also take in account the authorities that applicants represent to ensure that a broad cross section of financial crime authorities participate in each course (e.g. FIUs, tax and customs authorities, AML authorities, police, prosecutors etc.).

Participation in previous programmes

While there is no restriction on attending more than one programme, where several qualified applicants apply from the same jurisdiction, preference will be given to those who have not previously participated in an Academy programme.

Funding

As a rule, Academy participants are required to fund their own participation in the programme, except for the virtual programmes which are provided free of charge. This is an important part of ensuring buy-in from their administration. However, on occasion, the OECD works with development partners who aid the sponsorship of participants that would not otherwise be able to attend. To that end, on some programmes, we set aside places for the recipients of donor funding. However, these participants, like all others, are still required to complete the application process and must still meet all of the above outlined primary criteria.

Exceptions

The OECD reserves the right to invite individuals to participate in the programme outside of the above outlined selection criteria in special circumstances e.g. a special governmental request, someone with a specific skillset, which would be beneficial to other participants etc.