Political Intelligence Agencies Acting Against Organised Internatioinal Economic Crime: Potentials, Problems, Forecasts. Report from the Working Session at the 13th Annual Symposium on International Economic Crime

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/eb025750
Published date01 March 1996
Date01 March 1996
Pages17-31
AuthorRichard H. Blum,Michael Ricks
Subject MatterAccounting & finance
Journal of Financial Crime Vol. 4 No. 1 Analysis
ANALYSIS
Political Intelligence Agencies Acting Against
Organised Internatioinal Economic Crime:
Potentials, Problems, Forecasts
Report from the Working Session at the 13th Annual Symposium on International
Economic Crime
Richard H. Blum and Michael Ricks
INTRODUCTION
As part of the work of the Symposium a workshop
was convened to consider the potential role of, and
issues arising from, the expansion of previously
political intelligence agencies into fighting inter-
national, organised economic (entrepreneurial)
crime.
Because participants were expressing only per-
sonal views on sensitive issues, some of which
might have repercussions, identifying information
will not be offered other than to note that those
present included officials and professionals from a
number of European nations, the former Eastern
Bloc,
Africa and North America. Some had cur-
rently or previously been affiliated with political
and police intelligence agencies, central banks, law-
yers,
financial police, the judiciary, foreign minis-
tries,
prosecutors, university or university related
criminologists and economic crime researchers/
legal scholars, tax authorities, corporate security
divisions, private investigation and the press. Some
did not indicate their affiliations. It may be pre-
sumed that some attending were intelligence per-
sonnel under cover of other affiliations.
Views were expressed with clarity and cogency,
sometimes with remarkable frankness and inten-
sity. Personal experiences, operational and institu-
tional concerns, empirical data, and more abstract
issues were considered, for the most part in an
atmosophere of respectful exchange.
The discussions ranged from operations to
national policy constitutional-ideological issues,
bureaucratic self-interest, organisational interrela-
tionships, conflict and damage dangers, and effi-
cacy. It appeared that the sometimes wide
differences in views could be in part linked to
organisational and national sub-cultural perspec-
tives,
as well as career and professional foci and
personal experience.
From the standpoint of the facilitator (chair) and
rapporteur (also facilitator) the discussions consti-
tuted a productive and stimulating exchange of
views.
Following the meeting, further discussions
with individual participants ensued, including con-
tinuing correspondence. Part A below limits
itself,
apart for some logical topical extensions to the
content of the meeting.
Part B offers secondary historical background,
interpretation and opinion. It extends considera-
tion of problems and potentials as political intelli-
gence agencies move into a new arena previously
the official concern of police, customs, treasury/
tax, corporate security, central banking/bank reg-
ulators, prosecutors and the judiciary, and foreign
ministries. Part B derives in the main from
material based on discussions and correspondence
following the meeting, but is informed by an
extant literature. This part is intended to assist the
reader unfamiliar with police intelligence in under-
standing how it might be that participants focused
on the issues they did.
Since the space available in this issue of the
Journal is limited, it is the intention to provide the
interested reader with the supplemental materials
Page 17

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT