Australia and Tonga have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to upgrade joint efforts on financial crime.
At the recent plenary of the Pacific Financial Intelligence Community (PFIC) held in Fiji, Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) CEO Brendan Thomas and Kueni Fifita, chief manager of the Transaction Reporting Authority within the National Reserve Bank of Tonga, signed the agreement. The MoU “creates a permanent framework to share information that can help protect the Pacific from financial crime,” according to AUSTRAC.
This deal strengthens the long-standing partnership between Australia and Tonga in detecting and disrupting financial crime across the region. AUSTRAC states that regional collaboration is critical: “If we just stay within our borders, we’d have little chance of success. Our Pacific neighbours play a strategically significant role … That’s why we’re supporting them with the latest tools and intelligence.”
The Pacific Financial Intelligence Community comprises 15 regional financial intelligence units (FIUs) that meet virtually every two months and in-person annually. It advances work in operations, research, technology and capacity-building.
For Tonga, the MoU represents a concrete step to address prior assessments which found constraints in resource capacity and limited use of financial intelligence in investigations.
In recognizing the broader Australia–Tonga relationship, officials say the partnership is grounded in shared values of sovereignty, respect and cooperative development.
