Our Works

This is Our Project Page. It's a great opportunity to help visitors understand the context & background of our latest work. However, here we have selected just a few 20 Projects for this page out of the many vast categories of over 470+ Types of Due Diligence Services offered under our multifaceted due diligence services deployed across 46+ African Countries.

For more insights into a wider understanding of the vast arrays of our numerous projects, please do feel free to ring our telephone line or write us expressly. We are always here to pick-up your enquiries as fat as possible.

Corporate Investigation

Our Corporate Investigation Cases are client specific, & of several scenario formats. In most cases it bothers within the confines of Fraud, Mis-appropriations, Monitoring, Adverse Media, Corruption, Conflict of Interest, Sanctions, Regulatory, Operational, Administrative, General Compliance, Directorships, etc.

Market Intelligence

Our Market Intelligence case studies depicts a process that uses data and information to help businesses with strategic market positioning. Case studies can provide unique insights into a brand or strategy, and can be useful for studying strategy, marketing, sales, supply-chain or HR practices. Alternatively, your departments like product management, marketing management, key account sales, product development & M&A would benefit from such Intelligence.

Open Source Intelligence

Here are some case studies on open source intelligence (OSINT) describes OSINT investigations, which involve analysts searching for data in open web spaces such as news outlets & social media. The data is then transformed into actionable intelligence. There are many potential use cases for OSINT, including: Investigating potential security threats or vulnerabilities. Monitoring & analyzing public opinions & sentiments.

Citizenship By Investment Investigation

Our Case Studies within the CBI / RBI boils down to screening, vetting, checks, & enhanced due diligences, & in most cases it warrants in-depth investigation & on-going monitoring.

Granting citizenship & residency to wealthy investors through 'golden' passport & visa programmes can potentially lead to economic growth. But they can & are being exploited by criminals & the corrupt, who want to launder their money, hide their identity & assets, or carry out further crimes. Our services for clients along this CBI / RBI domain technically involves in-depth background check reports for all of our clients, agencies & law firms operating these programmes; hence, we aid them in their respective jurisdictions to implement a variety of safeguard, risk management measures to ensure these programmes are administered in a risk-sensitive way.

Properly managed, CBI or RBI programmes can benefit both host countries & individuals, but in practice, such programmes bring significant risks of money laundering, fraud, & other forms of misuse. In most cases our report to our clients highlights a wide range of results, elements & findings backed with traceability proofs & support evidences.

In our experience in this CBI / RBI domain, haven worked for several CBI / RBI Law Firms, Agencies, Consulting Firms, Immigration Firms, etc. in different jurisdictions all over the world, its' imperative to note that CBI / RBI programmes can allow criminals more global mobility & help them hide their identity & criminal activities behind shell companies in other jurisdictions.

Under our Services as a Due Diligence Specialist Company, we assist Our Clients in highlighting the vulnerabilities, risk exposures & assessment of these complex & international investment migration programmes as it relates to each of their prospective applicants (weather as a main applicant, or dependants, etc.); including the frequent use of intermediaries, involvement of multiple government agencies, abuse by professional enablers & lack of proper governance of the CBI / RBI programmes.

International (Corporate) Debt Collections

Our Case Studies around this domain would technically highlight the nature of the debt, origin of the debt, age of the debt & all other factors as to weather the debt is in court or currently out of court. But in our typical nature we don't take cases to court rather we deploy lots of non-defensive & non-adverse techniques towards such Corporate Debt Collections which are strictly made know to our prestigious clients whom are mostly International Corporates from different parts of the world.

Supply-Chain Risk-Based Due Diligence

What Is It & Why Is It Important?

Supply chain management or SCM is the overseeing of the flow of goods & services from raw materials to final products. It includes all the processes involved.

Retailers bank on a company’s SCM to sell their products & services. The business world has become highly competitive, & retailers can’t afford to lose a customer. Right SCM boosts sales.

Our Supply-Chain Risk Due Diligence applies to both imported & domestically produced goods, services & products.

Our Due Diligence within this domain looks into the following five-step framework designed towards checking & assessing strong company management systems; identifying & assessing risk in the supply chain; designing & implementing a strategy to respond to identified risks; carrying out an independent third-party audit of supply chain due diligence; reporting or monitoring yearly on supply chain due diligence.

It was expected that multinational companies would voluntarily conduct due diligence in order to avoid reputational damage & improve their standing with workers & customers. Several international frameworks have been established as guidance, to encourage multinational companies to prevent negative human rights impacts, & when they occur to mitigate & remedy them.

Documents & Data Verifications

Our Projects under this domain concern verification of all manner, nature & forms of Documents, either in hard format or in soft format, we simply are here to handle it. We ensure they are Vetted, Verified, Confirmed, Authenticated, etc.

International Trades Supports

In most case, we carry out Facilitation / Administration / Management / Vetting / Confirmations & Assurances after a well methodologically conducted Due Diligences on behalf of the Client before 100% commitments are made either via Traditional Markets, Social Markets, or by B2B Online Platforms Sellers (Industrial & Bulk Sellers) regarding the following areas & scopes as listed below:

Industrial Procurement
Purchases Site Visits
Sighting & Witness Support
Expediting & Monitoring
Global Business Verification
Acclimated Testing & Certification Vetting
Assessment & Valuation
Third Party Inspection
Other Client-Specific Service Support
International Business Development
Client-Specific Trade & Business Assistance
Business Presence Syndication & Agency Services
Tender Participation Vetting
International Cooperation & Partnership
Market Research & Intelligence
Market Visits
Physical Location Visits
Trade Exhibition
Vendor / Agency / Distributor Registration & Onboarding (Facilitation / Administration / Management / Vetting)
Translation Services
Contracts, Orders, & Invoice Integrity

Local Support for Buyers. Mitigate Costly Risks with Reliable Inspection Services. Connect with Suppliers & Service Providers from across the globe for your Industrial Buying or Selling requirements. Complete local assistance for your international procurement or distribution or supply irrespective of the origin of suppliers, backed up with the following approaches as follows:

Vendors Screening & Due Diligences
Suppliers Screening & Due Diligences
Contractors Screening & Due Diligences
Distribution / Distributors Screening & Due Diligences.

International Process Serving

If you are looking for Expert Process Servers, you have come to the right place. Process Serving is an act of communicating to a party (individual or business entity) about important (and possibly urgent) judicial or non-judicial matters in which they might be interested.

This is done to enable that person to respond to the proceedings before the court, tribunal or another body.

Process serving in & across Africa is done by our process server.

Our Process Servers delivers the documents & then executes a statement or affidavit of service & in some cases gets it witnessed in front of a notary public.

Insurance Claims Investigation

Our Insurance (Claims) Investigations examines insurance claims that are suspicious or otherwise in doubt. Our Investigators in this field have differing specialties & backgrounds. Some insurance companies have their own in-house investigation teams while other companies’ sub-contract the work to us as professional private investigators or as a private investigation firm.

Although such investigations are usually conducted to combat fraud, very often investigators will be working simply to establish the circumstances of a particular claim (for example, in a multi-vehicular road accident involving various parties, health & hospitalizations, death, physical injuries, accidents, workplace or wok related disabilities or injuries claims).

Methods of defrauding insurance companies are manifold, as are the means of investigating them. As a crime, however, evidence shows that insurance fraud in nations is increasing, with many public awareness campaigns to deter potential fraudsters & appeal to the public to report any suspicious claims.

One of the most common forms of insurance fraud is the exaggeration of injuries. Because many injuries can be exceptionally difficult to quantify (for example, psychological injuries or physical injuries such as whiplash), investigators will often seek to establish that what the claimant claims is true (for example, if a claimant states he or she cannot work) & that there are no obvious discrepancies in the symptoms claimed (very often examined in conjunction with medical staff). Surveillance is often employed in such circumstances to verify the claim.

Another form of lesser-known fraud is that of claiming on an insurance policy for injuries sustained before the policy came into effect. For example, in a road accident, a person may claim to have sustained a debilitating back injury. On investigation, however, it transpires that the injury had been sustained in an incident some months or even years before. Very often insurance companies & investigators will study medical reports & history to eliminate this possibility, as well as searching for evidence of previous claims or accidents.

There are also many forms of fraud involving property, for example when a person with valuable assets (property, for example) deliberately destroys them, often through arson, with the intention of then claiming the value back through insurance. Another form would be an art collector insuring a high value piece & then having it 'stolen' - claiming the money for himself & keeping the art piece in the process.

As the final step in Our Claim Investigation, our report highlights the most compelling facts of the case. As Investigators we do not typically offer an opinion in these reports; only the facts & findings.

Our report is therefore vital in cases of disputed facts & questionable evidence as it will help the insurance company make a final decisioning.

Tracing Of Heirs

Tracing a missing beneficiary or heir can be a complex and time consuming task. There are numerous variables to consider while trying to find a missing beneficiary or heir. Our tracing services are used by a range of sectors including solicitors & other legal entities, small & large businesses, trustees, mortgage houses, trusts, insurances, financial & non-financial institutions & local governments.

Who might need a Heir Tracing Services?

Heir Tracing Services help those managing estates locate beneficiaries who can’t easily be found. Common situations requiring Heir Tracing include:

Executors needing to distribute assets from a will, but beneficiaries have moved or can’t be contacted.

Administrators requiring help finding next of kin when someone dies intestate without a will.

Family historians or genealogists looking to locate lost relatives.

Adoptees & donor-conceived people searching for biological family.

Companies trying to track down shareholders from decades past.

Whether you’re a solicitor, probate researcher, trustee, or family member, our network of professional Heir Tracing Experts can locate missing or unknown beneficiaries of estates.

When executors can’t locate named beneficiaries, our global heir hunters step in. We access archives, records & family trees to pinpoint their locations or find descendant relatives if beneficiaries are deceased.

Even beneficiaries who have moved abroad or changed their names are trackable with our sophisticated research tactics.

Without a will clearly naming beneficiaries, estates can’t easily identify next of kin for asset distribution. Our professional heir tracers build detailed facts & family trees pointing to living relatives who stand to inherit. We obtain intestacy orders from courts once establishing legitimate heirs to lost will estates.

Marine Cargo Fraud Investigations

Marine Insurance covers the physical loss or damage of ships, cargo, terminals, & any transport by which the property is transferred, acquired, or held between the points of origin & the destination.

Cargo insurance is the sub-branch of marine insurance, though marine insurance also includes onshore & offshore exposed property, (container terminals, ports, oil platforms, pipelines), hull, marine casualty, & marine losses. When goods are transported by mail or courier or related post, shipping insurance is used instead.

Maritime Insurance Fraud occurs when there is intentional deception related to maritime activities, leading to unjust financial gain. Here are some common scenarios:

Scuttling of Vessels:

In this type of fraud, an insured shipowner deliberately and unlawfully sinks or wrecks their own vessel. This act is known as “scuttling” in maritime terminology.

The motivation behind scuttling is often to claim insurance payouts from hull & machinery underwriters.

The conspirators may manipulate contracts, documents, & vessel ownership to orchestrate the sinking.

2. Misuse of Commercial Contracts & Documents:

Fraudulent practices can involve misusing commercial contracts & documents such as bills of lading, charter parties, & marine insurance policies.

Examples of Fraudulent Practices include:

Sale of Nonexistent Cargoes: Conspirators claim to sell cargoes that do not actually exist.

Fraudulent Representations: Misrepresentations on cargo documents.

Illegal Claims on Letters of Credit: Attempting to claim funds illegally.

Fake Letters of Indemnity: Falsifying indemnity documents.

Cargo Theft and Cheating: Manipulating cargo quantity & quality.

Maritime insurance fraud poses significant challenges for insurers, as the stakes are high, & the complexities involved require vigilance & investigation.

Death Claims Investigation

Life insurance provides financial protection to individuals & their families in the event of their unexpected death. When an insured person dies, the designated beneficiaries file a claim with the insurance company to receive the benefits of the policy. However, before the claim is paid out, the insurance company conducts a thorough investigation to ensure that the claim is valid.

What Does It Mean When Your Insurance Claim Is Under Investigation?

A life insurance claim investigation is an examination conducted by the insurance company to verify the validity of a life insurance claim. The investigation process helps to prevent fraudulent claims and ensures that the beneficiaries receive the correct payout according to the policy terms.

The investigation process involves gathering information about the deceased person’s death, including medical records, police reports, & other relevant documents. The insurance company may also interview witnesses, family members, & friends of the deceased person to gather additional information.

If your life insurance claim is under investigation, it does not necessarily mean that the insurance company suspects you of fraud or wrongdoing. It is a standard procedure that insurance companies follow to ensure that the claim is legitimate & that they are not paying out benefits for fraudulent claims.

The investigation process can take some time, & the length of time it takes can vary depending on the complexity of the claim & the availability of information. The insurance company may not make any payments until the investigation is complete & they have verified the validity of the claim.

There are several reasons why an Insurance Company may initiate a Life Insurance Claim Investigation & some of these reasons include:

Suspicious Circumstances – If the policyholder’s death was sudden, unexpected, or suspicious, the insurance company may investigate the claim to rule out foul play or suicide. If the circumstances surrounding the claim are unusual or suspicious, the insurance company may investigate to rule out fraud or wrongdoing. For example, if the policyholder dies in suspicious circumstances or there is evidence of foul play, the claim may be investigated. For example, many claims involving a death in a foreign country get investigated. Foreign countries follow different guidelines for reporting a death & sometimes the documents insurance companies rely on are not available in such claims which may trigger an investigation.

Misrepresentation – One of the most common reasons life insurance companies will not pay out is material misrepresentation. If the policyholder provided false information on the insurance application or failed to disclose important medical conditions, the insurance company may investigate the claim to determine if the policy was obtained fraudulently.

Contestability Period – Most life insurance policies have a contestability period, which is usually the first two years after the policy is issued. During this period, the insurance company can investigate the policyholder’s medical history and other information provided on the application. If the company finds any misrepresentations, it can deny the claim.

Beneficiary Disputes – If there is a dispute among the beneficiaries about who is entitled to the death benefit, the insurance company may investigate the claim to determine the rightful beneficiary.

Policy Exclusions – Some life insurance policies have exclusions for certain types of deaths, such as suicides or deaths caused by illegal activities. Most accidental death policies have many exclusions. If the insured person’s death falls under an exclusion, the insurance company may investigate the claim to determine if the exclusion applies.

Cargo Scam Investigation

We generally get invites into such case scenarios either by clients', shipping companies, cargo owners, logistics firms, beneficiaries, industry players, insurance companies (either local or foreign depending on the scope of the contract arrangements & deal origination). However such cases are wider & vast as it requires lots of dynamics & skills in navigating through it all.

When Cargo is stolen, it can have significant consequences for businesses & supply chains. Here are some key points about cargo theft:

Financial Loss: Cargo theft results in substantial financial losses for companies. The stolen goods represent not only the value of the products but also potential revenue & profits.

Operational Disruption: Theft disrupts the normal flow of goods within supply chains. Delayed deliveries can impact production schedules, customer satisfaction, & overall business operations.

Increased Costs: Companies must bear the costs of replacing stolen cargo, investigating theft, & implementing security measures to prevent future incidents.

Insurance Claims: Businesses typically file insurance claims to recover losses due to stolen cargo. Handling these claims involves coordination with insurers & adjusting companies.

Law Enforcement Involvement: Local police & specialized cargo crime task forces investigate cargo theft incidents. They work to identify leads, suspects, & recover stolen goods. Joint investigations may be necessary based on the cargo’s value.

Industry Partnerships: Some industries have formed security coalitions that include both industry members, investigation firms & law enforcement. For example, Cargo Security Coalition shares information about thefts & best practices for risk reduction. Such partnerships have led to a decline in cargo theft incidents.

Remember that cargo theft is a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise, & combating it requires collaboration between businesses, law enforcement, & industry organizations.

Physical Site Visits & Inspection

A Physical Site Visit analysis is a comprehensive report that summarizes the findings of a physical inspection of a potential address, location, or site. It includes information on the site’s physical characteristics, location, surrounding area, demographic information, environmental impact, zoning regulations, traffic flow, & recommendations for a potential onboarding, contract approval, assessment, business or business relationship development.

Whilst a Physical Site Visit may be helpful, it is not always essential because the description of the scene given by the investigator or inspector, or other witnesses will usually be supported by photographs which can be used in decisioning or assessing the objectives or the subject matter at hand. The expert can base their report on this evidence.

A site visit by an expert may be appropriate in order to examine the scene of an incident or to witness a location or to verify a said or alleged claims, etc. (where the condition of the site, or something at the site, is in issue), remove samples, take photographs or assess whether any further tests need to be undertaken. This should be agreed with the person managing the investigation. As experts we bear in mind that if we carry out a site inspection, we may be called upon at trial to give evidence of fact as well as to tender our expert opinion.

We need to express the fact that Physical Site Visits are not solely for legal supports but are also used for Verifications, KYS, KYCs, etc. I this case we can see Physical Site Visits as a means of managing Enterprise Risk Management, Third Party Risk Management, Extended Due Diligence, etc., & so this does not have any ties or dealings or affiliations with the court.

A list of matters to be dealt with on the Physical Site Visit should be made in advance, all necessary SOPs & KPIs obtained, & any required procedures agreed.

Where a complex, technical investigation on site could recover evidence that would provide the basis of an expert's report (in the event that one is required), a specialist could form part of the investigation team.

However, whether they should then give evidence as the expert in any subsequent prosecution would need to be considered before any expert report is prepared. Experts generally maintain a professional distance from the investigation so as to preserve (and be able to demonstrate) their objectivity & independence, but the ultimate decision as to the role of those attending site remains with the person managing the investigation.

Counterfeits & Anti-Counterfeits Investigations

Our Call-to-Duty within these domains warrants us providing the following services:

Design & implement targeted & pro-active anti-piracy strategies & programs for both online & on-the-ground environments.

Investigate counterfeiting & piracy occurrences both online & offline & respond to those threats through various means such as a cease-&-desist, raids & seizures.

Cease the importation & sale of gray-market goods/parallel imports.

Serve as an out-of-house anti-piracy specialist.

Litigate civil actions.

Support & follow-up on criminal cases.

Secure & support cross-border enforcement actions.

Our Clients are of different industries & in a summary we represent some of the followings:

Global Manufacturers & Trading Company.

Leading food & beverage manufacturing company in Africa.

High fashion luxury goods manufacturers.

Luxury watchmaker.

Leading parts manufacturer for automotive, aerospace, & industrial uses.

We deploy our services in a lot of divers ways & in different modalities & techniques depending n the investigation stage.

We have partnered with lots of agencies, clients, investigation experts, investigation firms, law firms, & other law enforcement agencies to conduct undercover buys & participate in the seizure and impoundment of counterfeit goods.

Enforce your brand assets & control your supply chain by reacting quickly to signs of trademark infringement, diversion, & counterfeiting.

Conducting anti-counterfeiting investigations involves the identification & location of the suspected infringers. Obtaining evidence necessary to secure ex-parte seizure orders & other court orders to support enforcement.

Infringement monitoring & evidence acquisition (undercover buys) can provide the tangible evidence you need to assess signs of infringement. Undercover buys are the first step in understanding the source of the infringing goods.

BGVs

A background check is an investigation into a person’s professional & personal history that validates or disproves their character & identity. A background check may include various types of information, such as identity verification, education verification, employment verification, licensure verification, criminal background, sex offender registry review, address background, credit history, & more. A background check is conducted to investigate behavioral reliability, integrity, & personal adjustment, & to support decision-making in various situations.

Many aspects of the hiring process are based on what the applicant tells you through their application & interview. While most candidates are honest, anyone that has been in hiring long enough knows, some are less than truthful through direct statements & omissions. A background check allows you to objectively verify what a candidate tells you & identify any red flags that they have not disclosed.

Although often thought of as “pass/fail” tools, background checks can also be a time for bringing opportunity to those who “failed” a screening. In appropriate situations, employers can provide applicants with a chance to clarify the results of a background check & then make an informed decision based on the check & the prospect’s explanation.

Background investigations help you identify and avoid hiring applicants with red flags in their background that could put the safety of the workforce & clients, who may be minor children, at risk. For example, background screenings allow school districts to avoid hiring convicted sex offenders, medical providers to avoid hiring those with drug dependency, & all employers to avoid hiring violent employees.

Some organizations are legally required to conduct background screenings as part of the hiring, business, commercial relationship, or onboarding process. This is most common in healthcare, education, financial services, transportation, & education industries, where employees are placed in positions of significant trust & unique access & control over others. For example, physicians have authority & control over their patients, which could be exerted to harm the patient.

Even when not required by a specific law or regulation, conducting a background screening helps organizations avoid lawsuits, risk exposures & liability for negligent hiring. Negligent hiring is a claim brought against the employer when someone is injured by an employee, & the employer would have known of the employee’s dangerous propensity if it had conducted a reasonable investigation.

Background screening brings truth to the hiring process, allowing you to make hiring decisions based on comprehensive and accurate background information. Informed hiring decisions protect your workforce, clients, & business.

Whether your organization conducts legally mandated or voluntary background checks (or wants to start), you can realize many benefits by working with a reputable, experienced provider like us at Augustus Hall Limited. We have been helping our clients verify the backgrounds of employees, corporates, entities, individuals & volunteers since 2009

EDDs

Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) is a comprehensive risk assessment process designed to gather & analyze information about high-risk customers or business relationships. This process goes beyond standard due diligence procedures, offering a deeper level of scrutiny.

Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) & Customer Due Diligence (CDD) are both vital components of the Know Your Customer (KYC) process. However, there is a significant difference in their scope of application. While CDD is a standard process applied to all customers, EDD comes into play specifically for high-risk customers requiring additional scrutiny.

The KYC process involves customer identity verification & continuous monitoring, which are essential elements of both CDD & EDD. However, EDD takes these steps further by providing a more detailed risk-based approach that includes additional measures to scrutinize and monitor high-risk customers. This additional scrutiny helps detect potential money laundering activities & other financial crimes.

In the context of a risk-based approach to EDD, this differentiation is crucial. It ensures that resources are appropriately allocated, focusing the most intensive scrutiny on the highest-risk customers. This not only improves efficiency but also enhances the effectiveness of anti-money laundering & anti-financial crime efforts.

Understanding the distinction between EDD & CDD is critical for compliance professionals. It enables them to better navigate the complexities of EDD procedures & methodologies, ensuring efficient & effective compliance with regulatory requirements.

Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) is an important step in the risk management process. It helps in identifying and scrutinizing certain individuals who pose significant risks to an organization. This includes high-risk customers and Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs).

High-risk customers are those who have the potential to threaten a company and its operations by engaging in fraudulent activities, compliance concerns, or cybersecurity breaches. They are identified based on certain attributes and can include individuals from high-risk jurisdictions, those with complex ownership structures, or those involved in industries that are prone to corruption or illicit activities.

These customers require a higher level of scrutiny compared to regular customers. EDD helps in understanding their transaction patterns, source of funds, and risk level. For more information on this, you can contact us appropriately.

ERMs

The Know Your Customer (KYC) process plays a significant role in the implementation of EDD. As an extension of the KYC process, EDD offers a more detailed risk-based approach that includes additional measures to scrutinize & monitor high-risk customers to detect potential money laundering activities.

KYC checks involve customer identity verification & continuous monitoring. These checks are not only a crucial part of the EDD process but also a regulatory requirement. Regulated entities are mandated to have a clear understanding of their business relationships, with businesses needing to fulfill CDD & EDD requirements through engaging in KYC checks.

To support these processes, there are EDD software & tools available that can automate many tasks & improve the accuracy & efficiency of EDD & KYC checks.

Implementing Enhanced Due Diligence is a critical task for compliance professionals, & it’s essential to stay updated on EDD regulations & requirements. It’s also beneficial to undergo EDD training and certification to ensure a thorough understanding of the EDD process & its best practices. At Augustus Hall Limited we do these professionally right.

On a foundational approach to both EDD, CDD, KYC, etc. we need to understand the bedrock of it all called the ERM.

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) in business includes the methods & processes used by organizations to manage risks & seize opportunities related to the achievement of their objectives.

ERM provides a framework for risk management, which typically involves identifying particular events or circumstances relevant to the organization's objectives (threats & opportunities), assessing them in terms of likelihood & magnitude of impact, determining a response strategy, & monitoring process. By identifying & proactively addressing risks & opportunities, business enterprises protect & create value for their stakeholders, including owners, employees, customers, regulators, & society overall.

ERM can also be described as a risk-based approach to managing an enterprise, integrating concepts of internal control, the Sarbanes–Oxley Act, data protection & strategic planning. ERM is evolving to address the needs of various stakeholders, who want to understand the broad spectrum of risks facing complex organizations to ensure they are appropriately managed. Regulators & debt rating agencies have increased their scrutiny on the risk management processes of companies.

The point of enterprise risk management is not to create more bureaucracy, but to facilitate discussion on what the really big risks are.

There are various important ERM frameworks, each of which describes an approach for identifying, analyzing, responding to, & monitoring risks & opportunities, within the internal & external environment facing the enterprise. Management selects a risk response strategy for specific risks identified & analyzed, which may include:

Avoidance: exiting the activities giving rise to risk

Reduction: taking action to reduce the likelihood or impact related to the risk

Alternative Actions: deciding and considering other feasible steps to minimize risks.

Share or Insure: transferring or sharing a portion of the risk, to finance it.

Accept: no action is taken, due to a cost/benefit decision

Monitoring is typically performed by management as part of its internal control activities, such as review of analytical reports or management committee meetings with relevant experts, to understand how the risk response strategy is working & whether the objectives are being achieved.

At Augustus Hall Limited & as Consultants we provide tailored Investigations, Market / Competitive Intelligence, Research, DDs, EDDs, Third-Party Risk Management, BGVs, AML, etc. services to Our Clients both in the Financial or Non-Financial Sectors, Multinational Commercial Organizations, International Trade Companies (Locally or Internationally) as it relates to their respective organizations typical risk functions.

In line with the aforesaid, we practically provide due diligence services across board to support our clients in their primary risk functions in their large corporations that may participate in an ERM program which typically include the following:

Strategic planning - identifies external threats & competitive opportunities, along with strategic initiatives to address them.

Marketing - understands the target customer to ensure product/service alignment with customer requirements.

Compliance & Ethics - monitors compliance with code of conduct and directs fraud investigations.

Law Department - manages litigation & analyzes emerging legal trends that may impact the organization.

Insurance - ensures the proper insurance coverage for the organization.

Operational Quality Assurance - verifies operational output is within tolerances.

Operations management - ensures the business runs day-to-day and that related barriers are surfaced for resolution.

Credit - ensures any credit provided to customers is appropriate to their ability to pay

Customer service - ensures customer complaints are handled promptly & root causes are reported to operations for resolution.

Internal audit - evaluates the effectiveness of each of the above risk functions & recommends improvements.

Corporate Security - identifies, evaluates, and mitigates risks posed by physical and information security threats.

AMLs

As Consultants, you may want to that its a fact that of course, not all suspicious activities end up being money laundering activities; so you may wish to ask us the question: What Triggers an AML Investigation?

An Anti-Money Laundering (AML) investigation is a formal analysis of suspicious or red-flag activities to determine if customers or other entities are using a financial institution for money laundering purposes. Let’s explore what triggers such investigations:

Unusual Patterns of Transactions: If there are irregular or unexpected transaction behaviors, such as large or frequent cash transactions, rapid and unexplained transfers, or complex and layered transactions, it could raise suspicion.

Suspicious Customer Activities: Any customer behavior that deviates from the norm can be a trigger. For instance, if a customer consistently cashes $9,000 checks for fifteen days in a row, it might warrant investigation.

Unexplained Source of Funds: When funds appear without a clear origin or legitimate purpose, it can be cause for concern. Investigating the source of these funds helps identify potential money laundering activities.

High-Risk Jurisdictions or Individuals: Transactions involving countries on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blacklist or greylist, or doing business in high-risk money laundering regions, may prompt an investigation.

Lack of Necessary Due Diligence Documents: Customers who fail to complete required due diligence documents can raise red flags. Proper documentation is essential for compliance & risk assessment.

Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs): Reports submitted to regulators or law enforcement about suspicious activities can trigger investigations. These reports help detect and prevent money laundering.

Remember, AML compliance programs aim to err on the side of caution, ensuring financial institutions remain vigilant in identifying & reporting potential illicit activities.

In conclusion, understanding AML requirements is paramount for Commercial Entities, International Trading Companies, Commercial Corporations, Multinational Organizations, International Businesses & not only for Financial Institutions operating in any Country. Financial Institutions play a crucial role in AML investigations, but the scope extends far beyond them alone.