Senior Financial Forensic Analyst (FMG/PA 4)

Job Purpose

The incumbent is to undertake investigations into moderate to complex civil recovery and asset forfeiture matters, as well as to provide forensic support to the Financial Crimes Investigation Branch and external law enforcement agencies, Bank of Jamaica and Financial Services Commission in investigations relating to money laundering, terrorism financing, cash seizure, embezzlement and other financial crimes, to include breaches of the financial sector laws. 

Key Responsibilities

• Analyzes financial documents and records and prepares affidavits, notice of application, fixed date claim forms and other related court documents, such as judicial orders (CIO, DO, AMO) pursuant to civil recovery and asset forfeiture investigations; 
• Prepares affidavits, notice of application, orders and other court documents for various judicial orders (CIO, DO, PIO, AMO), pursuant to FIDA, POCA, TPA and UNSCRIA, in order to obtain documents to identify, trace and reconstruct financial transactions pursuant to financial crimes investigations, including money laundering; 
• Prepares affidavits for restraint order (RO) in an effort to secure and restrain assets derived from criminal proceeds or represents realizable property; 
• Appears before a Parish Court Judge in Chambers to advocate for investigative orders;
• Testifies in the Parish Court and the Supreme Court in relation to Forensic Statements, Statement of Information and Civil Recovery Particular of Claims respectively;
• Co-ordinates with the Legal Services Branch, The Financial Crimes Investigation Branch, Clerks of Court and Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to ensure that committal proceedings are initiated for accused found guilty of financial crimes offenses;
• Analyses documents and prepares Statement of Information aimed at identifying illicit benefits of defendants, post-conviction, in keeping with the assumptions under POCA, case laws and accounting standards; 
• Prepares Supplemental Statement of Information to support forfeiture investigation and responds to any Defense Affidavit filed, in keeping with the Court’s timetable;
• Prepares Concealed Income Analysis, Net Worth Computation, Bank Deposit Method, Sources and Application of Funds and other models, in keeping with sound accounting principles, to support investigations being pursued under POCA, Corruption (Prevention) Act and Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions)(Special Provisions) Act; 
• Compiles financial profiles, forensic reports and witness statement of forensic analysis undertaken in furtherance of complex money laundering, corruption, fraud, terrorist financing and other financial crimes; 
• Prepares reports to support an application for mutual legal assistance, in keeping with the procedural guidelines, treaty and provisions of the Mutual Assistance (Criminal Matters) Act, to obtain evidence and undertakes enquiries from overseas jurisdictions; 
• Undertakes enquiries in overseas jurisdiction pursuant to approved MLAT and other established mechanisms, in order to obtain evidential material and information surrounding assets, income, criminal records and convictions of targets of civil and asset forfeiture investigations; 
• Drafts and files affidavits, appears before a Justice of the Peace or a Judge in Chambers, and obtains search warrants in furtherance of investigations of civil recovery, assets forfeiture and money laundering; 
• Prepares operational order in keeping with the Information, Risk Assessment Intent, Method, Administration, Communication and Human Rights (IRIMARCH) model and execute search warrants on targets in pursuant of asset recovery investigations; 
• Undertakes local enquiries to determine significant expenditure incurred by Defendants, co-ordinates the valuation of real properties subject to asset recovery and traces, and identifies Defendants’ hidden assets; 
• Liaises with law enforcement liaison officers, ODPP and courts to secure evidential material such as Number One Information sheets, certified copies of case files including overseas indictment, criminal complaints and judgments for use in court proceedings; 
• Liaises with various external entities (to include Financial Institutions, TAJ, National Land Agency, etc.) and obtains statements and documents pursuant to the investigations;
• Participates in case meetings and reviews to ensure that case file is thorough and comprehensive for court purposes; 
• Ensures that all documentation (including evidence not handed over to the authorities) related to forensic projects are routed to the Director, Document and Case Management via the Manager, Civil Recovery & Financial Forensics; 
• Supports Manager, Civil Recovery & Financial Forensics in the analysis of financial documents and records, and prepares affidavits, notice of application, fixed date claim forms and other related court documents, pursuant to significant and highly complex civil recovery investigations; 
• Collaborates with specialist staff including analysts, auditors, accountants, regulators and other key staff members, in order to obtain evidence and documents to determine acts of corruption, fraud and other irregularities in government Ministries, Departments and Agencies; 
• Provides forensic analysis to the Bank of Jamaica and the Financial Services Commission, in identifying and investigating financial crimes perpetrated by licensees or violators of the Banking Services Act, Bank of Jamaica Act, Securities Act and other relevant financial sector legislation; 
• Liaises with Supervisors of the regulated sector to identify compliance violations of the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), Terrorism Prevention Act (TPA), United Nations Security Council Resolutions Implementation Act (UNSCRIA) and attendant regulations, supports the gathering of evidential material from the licensees and provides financial forensic expert evidence in Court to successfully prosecute offenders; 
• Liaises closely with the FID’s stakeholder agencies including the Police and financial institutions, in assessing referred cases and investigating adopted cases; 
• Conducts enquiries, interviews persons, searches premises and secures evidence;
• Assesses financial information with the expressed aim of reconstructing the history of a financial transaction or transactions in order to determine whether a financial crime has been committed; 
• Analyses evidence and prepares recommendations to management; 
• Advises and liaises regularly with FID’s lawyers, as part of managing cases and presenting evidence, attending conferences, as necessary; 
• Handles intelligence material from partner agencies within legal and operational restrictions and ensures that any intelligence identified from FID’s investigations is properly recorded and disseminated; 
• Maintains accurate records and files relating to investigations; 
• Participates in multi-disciplinary team in assessing requests for consent and making recommendations to administratively freeze bank accounts or grant permission for financial institutions to continue business relationship with the account holders; 
• Participates in joint meetings with Enforcement, Investigation and Intelligence Unit of Tax Administration Jamaica, Border Protection Unit in Jamaica Customs Agency and Revenue Protection Division, in developing investigative strategies in furtherance of tax and customs evasion investigations; 
• Analyses financial records, financial disclosures, assets holdings, cross border declaration of funds reports and other evidence of expenditure or investment to determine tax cheats;
• Prepares tax briefs for referral to the TAJ, Jamaica Customs Agency and Revenue Protection Division for the conduct of tax evasion/cheating the revenue investigations; 
• Participates in the development of detailed investigative scope, objectives, staff assignments and time/cost budgets; 
• Maintains effective working relationships with external and internal stakeholders and clients, ensuring the Branch provides a consistently high level of service to them; 
• Ensures that the appropriate analytical software, such as Altia, is utilized in the processing of financial documents, creating associations, linkages and generating evidential reports to efficiently and effectively conclude investigations; 
• Recommends ICT capacity development and other relevant training for direct reports;
• Institutionalizes the use of the Crime Analysis Team, in order to ensure a complete and comprehensive investigation, in order to positively impact the quality and success of FID investigations; 
• Makes the appropriate recommendation where there are gaps in the ICT infrastructure of the Financial Crimes Investigations Branch; 
• Facilitates the maintenance of the Department’s case management system;
• Prepares and presents Case updates in agreed formats, using enterprise data available in the FID Case Management application; 
• Performs any other duties. 

Required Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Skilled in established and evolving investigative processes; 
• Sound knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and auditing standards;
• Efficient analytical thinking, decision making and problem solving skills;
• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills; 
• Knowledge of the Proceeds of Crimes Act, Financial Investigations Division Act, Terrorism Prevention Act, UNSCRIA and attendant regulations and other relevant legislations;
• Basic knowledge of Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions) (Special Provisions) Act, Major Organized Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency Act and Integrity Commission Act;
• Working knowledge of Bank of Jamaica Act, Securities Act, Banking Services Act and other relevant financial sector legislation; 
• Working knowledge of the Income Tax Act, Customs and Excise Act and other Revenue legislation; 
• Knowledge of court procedures and rules of evidence (is an asset); 
• Skilled in the use of typical office productivity software applications e.g. Microsoft Office;
• Skilled in the use of FID’s Case Management Application and the associated reporting tools. 

Minimum Required Qualification and Experience

• A BSc in Accounting, Banking and Finance, ACCA Level 2, or equivalent qualification;
• Minimum five (5) years in auditing, banking and/or investigations; 
• Professional certification as Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) or Certified Forensic Examiner (CFE) or Post Graduate Diploma in Revenue Administration, is an asset;
• Experience in dealing with matters of a confidential nature. 

Special Conditions Associated with the Job:

• This is a front-line position and incumbents will be exposed to harmful situations and personal security threats; 
• Exposed to highly confidential information; 
• Required to display a high level of integrity and professionalism; 
• Required to work beyond normal working hours, when necessary, in order to meet deadlines;
• May be required to work on weekends and public holidays; 
• May be required to work out of office and overseas; 
• Extended period of concentration on exacting details; 
• Exposed to unpredictable work demands related to developments beyond the control of and external to the Department; 
• Exposed to stressful work-related conditions; 

Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.