On October 25, 2021, during a visit to Panama City, Professor Celina Realuyo from the Perry Center spoke about “Transnational Organized Crime as a Threat to National Security in the New World Order” at the University of Panama before a limited in-person audience and more than 500 virtual participants. She explained that the COVID-19 pandemic accompanied by the economic recession is empowering criminal organizations that are expanding their markets and recruiting more members. For years the Perry Center and the University of Panama have been organizing joint activities as academic partners.

Training workshop for the Bank of Panama’s Superintendency

Following the event at the University of Panama, she and Marilu Jimenez of FINCADVISORS conducted a three-day anti-money laundering and terrorism financing training workshop for the Bank of Panama’s Superintendency. Professor Realuyo led the modules on the evolution of threat financing since September 11, preferred mechanisms of money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing, case studies on the convergence of terrorism and crime, challenges posed by WMD proliferation financing and the abuse of cyberspace by terrorists and criminals. This training at the request of the Panamanian government is part of Panama’s efforts to meet the recommendations by the Financial Action Task Force to improve their counter threat finance regime.