Kingstown, St. Vincent, May 09,2026-Heads of financial institutions within the Regional Security System (RSS) have met in St Vincent and the Grenadines amid growing concerns over financial crime across the Caribbean, with a Vincentian official warning that regional authorities must move from “reactive enforcement to proactive disruption”.
The meeting brought together heads of various financial and investigative units from across the RSS to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation to tackle money laundering and other illicit financial activities.
Director of the RSS Asset Recovery Unit, Kisha Sutherland, a Vincentian, told delegates that no single institution could effectively combat financial crime on its own and called for a more coordinated regional response.
“The most successful cases emerge when financial intelligence units, police, customs, border agencies, and prosecutors work together,” Sutherland said, warning that “fragmentation benefits criminals” while “coordination benefits justice”.
She also raised concerns about the pace of investigations in the region, arguing that authorities needed to adopt what she described as a “bold approach” to addressing increasingly complex financial crimes.
Sutherland said prosecutors should be involved in investigations from an early stage to help shape case strategies, evidence gathering, and witness preparation, noting that too many strong investigations ultimately fail because evidentiary requirements are not considered soon enough.
“The task before us is clear,” she said. “Move from reactive enforcement to proactive disruption. From isolated action to coordinated strategy. From processing metrics to recovery outcomes.”
She added that recovering proceeds from criminal activity could provide governments with additional resources to strengthen anti-money laundering and counter-financing programmes across the region.
“Every illicit dollar recovered is more than money reclaimed. It is a signal that crime does not pay,” Sutherland told the meeting.
The RSS, which comprises several Eastern Caribbean states, has increasingly focused on financial investigations and asset recovery as regional governments seek to strengthen efforts against organized crime, money laundering, and cross-border criminal networks.