Financial Investigations and Anti-corruption Advisor – Green Corruption programme (Malawi) – Malawi

Basel Institute on Governance

The Basel Institute on Governance is an international and independent not-for-profit organisation working worldwide with the public and private sector to counter corruption and other financial crimes and to improve the quality of governance. As a Swiss foundation with headquarters in Basel, the Basel Institute maintains field operations in Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America. The Basel Institute is an Associated Institute of the University of Basel.

The Basel Institute’s Green Corruption programme focuses on applying our in-house expertise and experience in relation to the prevention of corruption and the enforcement of anti-corruption and anti-money laundering standards to the environmental sector. The programme covers corruption and financial crime related to the illegal trade in wildlife, forestry and timber products, fish and mining.

About the project: Empowering Malawi’s government agencies to control wildlife-related corruption by strengthening both prevention and enforcement approaches

The project will address corruption in the wildlife and forestry sector in Malawi from a prevention and enforcement perspective. To prevent corruption from occurring, the project will work with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to strengthen the internal risk management systems of the Departments of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), Forestry and the Malawi Police Service. Where corruption has already taken place, the project will support the ACB to drive forward investigations and prosecutions related to corruption in the wildlife and forestry sectors.

Programme activities will include:

1. Training and mentoring for prosecutors and investigators on criminal analysis, financial investigations and asset recovery on environmental corruption (including wildlife and forestry).
2. Environmental corruption case analysis.
3. Develop and support the adoption of risk mitigation for environmental agencies.
4. Support the highlighting of corruption prevention issues at the inter-agency initiative on tackling IWT.

The Advisor will assist investigators and prosecutors to build environmental corruption cases mainly by training, mentoring and case analysis support.

The Advisor reports to the Team Leader, Green Corruption programme, and will be working in close collaboration with the Basel-based team which consists of an IWT Analyst and Senior Investigation Advisor. He/she will work in coordination with the Institute’s and project partner’s Malawi-based staff. He/she will supervise the Malawi-based Prevention Advisor.

Key responsibilities

Representation

• Represent the Basel Institute’s Green Corruption programme in Malawi with government agencies and civil society.
• Coordinate closely with the Team Leader of the existing Basel Institute programme in Malawi.

Case work and capacity building

• Promote best practices on financial investigations to agencies directly or indirectly impacting on the fight against environmental crime.
• Provide technical assistance to prosecutors and investigators directly through the dissemination of criminal analysis products with a financial focus.
• Develop and deliver training in criminal analysis financial investigation techniques to prosecutors and investigators in Malawi as per identified needs at relevant partner agencies.
• Develop and transfer financial investigation tools in close coordination with partner agencies.
• Mentor investigators in the use of financial investigations and support the partner agencies in the investigation of major cases.
• Embed financial investigations as a key priority in environmental crime cases in partner agencies.
• Together with project partner and other Malawi-based staff, support the establishment of an anti-corruption task force.
• Liaise with partner agencies and relevant stakeholders.

Corruption prevention/integrity strengthening

• Supervise the Prevention Advisor to build the capacity of government agencies to manage corruption risks through assessment and implementation of mitigation measures.

Administrative

• Maintain and update all project files, in particular case specific files.
• Draft relevant operational and other project reports as required in the context of this technical assistance project as set out in the project log frame.
• Fulfil administrative requirements per Basel Institute’s staff and administrative regulations.
• Keep and maintain the highest professional standards in compliance with national law, regulations and the Basel Institute’s Code of Ethics.

Qualifications and skills

• At least 10 years’ conducting financial or money laundering investigations or asset recovery efforts.
• Strong preference for experiences with/knowledge of illegal wildlife trade or forestry related crimes.
• Experience either working for government agencies in financial investigations/asset recovery/money laundering OR advising government agencies and building their capacity in the same fields.
• Advantages:
  • Experience in investigating corporate entities.
  • Experience with mutual legal assistance/international law enforcement cooperation.
  • Experience in delivering trainings to law enforcement.
  • Experience working in southern Africa, preferably Malawi.
• Creativity, drive, patience and risk tolerance.
• Excellent English presentation and writing skills.

Offer

We offer an interesting and rewarding working environment with a proactive, dynamic and international team spirit. The work is both routine and varied, and offers scope for initiative and innovation. The salary is commensurate with experience.