The U.S. Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) and the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT), in cooperation with the Indonesian National Police (INP), organized a two-day Asset Tracing and Recovery Workshop in Makassar on September 23–24.
This was the 16th session of the program, which brought together 24 investigators from the INP and six prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office (AGO). Participants came from several provinces, including Gorontalo, North Maluku, Central Sulawesi, and Southeast Sulawesi. Experts leading the workshop included representatives from ICITAP, OPDAT, INP, AGO, Indonesia’s financial intelligence unit, and local asset tracing specialists. The sessions covered topics such as financial investigations, money laundering laws, digital forensic methods, asset tracing strategies, and inter-agency cooperation.
U.S. Embassy Spokesperson Jamie Ravetz said: “This workshop reflects the strong partnership between Indonesia and the United States. Financial crimes in the public sector are not only a national challenge — they cross borders and undermine the global financial system. By following the money and tracing and recovering assets, we protect our economies, strengthen public trust, and hold criminal networks accountable. International cooperation is essential to stop these crimes at their source.”
The Asset Tracing and Recovery workshop series started in June 2023 through collaboration between ICITAP and INP’s Corruption Crimes Investigation Directorate—now known as the Corruption Eradication Corps. Since September 2023, OPDAT has expanded participation to include AGO prosecutors to improve collaboration on cases involving public sector financial crimes.
Over more than two years since its inception, 357 participants from 23 Indonesian provinces have taken part in these workshops. The initiative is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs as part of efforts to protect both U.S. interests abroad and support Indonesia's ability to address complex financial crime.