Public Prosecutor, Latisha S Williams returned to the Turks and Caicos Islands following a three week attachment to the Serious Fraud Office in London, United Kingdom during the month of September 2016. Miss Williams who has been with the department since its inception was identified as an ideal candidate for such an exclusive program by the former DPP John Masters, which was fully funded by the Professional Development Fund under the Office of the Deputy Governor.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is a sui generis law enforcement agency within the United Kingdom specifically England and Northern Ireland in that it investigates and prosecutes the most serious economic crime, focusing mainly on criminal conduct such as Fraud, Bribery and Corruption of large companies which debases the confidence in UK plc. The Serious Fraud Office and the office of Director were created by the enactment of the UK’s Criminal Justice Act 1987 and the office is a non-Ministerial Government Department.
An ecstatic Miss Williams expressed her pleasure to have the opportunity and stated that her experience at the Serious Fraud Office has completely motivated her to do more in her current role at the DPP’s Office; including heading a specialist area for serious fraud and economic crime matters.
She stated; “My time with the SFO was awe-inspiring and the most thrilling experience of my life. Working in a fast-paced, unique environment where there are Investigators and Prosecutors under one roof was indeed extraordinary.”
Miss Williams's training focused on investigating all levels of Fraud, Corruption, Bribery and Money Laundering (Asset Recovery) to the Prosecution of these Offences in the High Court and Miss Williams stated that her final week with the SFO was spent shadowing Counsels at the Southwark Crown Court in London.
“I have learnt some handy legal techniques” said Williams. “Which I hope to share with my team over the next coming weeks. Financial crime within Turks & Caicos Islands has grown significantly over the past decade and has become a very serious concern for the TCI Government as well as governments worldwide as it threatens the development of economies and their stability. As our Economy grows and financial crime rises so must our standards and practices of combating criminal activities of this kind.
“I would like to offer my profound thanks to the Office of the Deputy Governor for their assistance in pursuing and funding this secondment. It was very informative, very well presented, plus enjoyable. I have learned so much during my training that will assist me in my workplace and in Court. I have already started to use some of the strategies and tools given to me, with counsels and witnesses alike and they are working remarkably well.
“Having had firsthand experience with procedures and legislation that the TCI Office of the DPP could greatly benefit from and or mirror I came away from the secondment feeling very confident as to the reforms that could easily take place and benefit the Office of the DPP.”
Commenting on Miss Williams secondment to the UK Serious Fraud Office, Deputy Governor, Anya Williams said: “This attachment was arranged to provide Senior Prosecutor Williams with a wider practical knowledge of prosecuting serious and complex fraud matters within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. I would like to congratulate Ms. Williams on the successful completion of her secondment to the UK SFO and I am pleased that she has not only found this experience to be most productive, but also personally rewarding.
“ Ms. Williams has been considered to be a highly professional and competent Public Prosecutor and I am certain that the hands on training provided will certainly not only assist her in her personal professional development, but also that of the department. I wish to record my gratitude to the UK Serious Fraud Office for their assistance in facilitating this program and do hope that there will be further opportunities for other members of the department to benefit from similar programs in the near future.”