Two civilian Financial Investigators have joined the Royal Gibraltar Police’s  Economic Crime Unit. 

A statement from the RGP follows below: 

Sophia Lombard and Tony Ford are working with a team of specialised detective  constables in the force’s Economic Crime Unit (ECU) to investigate everything from  international money laundering to large scale fraud. 

The two experienced investigators will help with Gibraltar’s continued work in  maintaining Gibraltar’s compliance with its Moneyval obligations – an international  monitoring body that evaluates whether a jurisdiction has effective systems in place  to counter money laundering and terrorist financing. 

Both civilian investigators have decades of experience between them, with Sophia  having worked as a chartered accountant for a local accountancy firm and Tony  having worked for the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission and The Gibraltar  Financial Intelligence Unit. 

Justice Minister Nigel Feetham, KC MP, who is also the Minister for Trade and  Industry, officially welcomed the two investigators to the RGP this morning (19 Aug),  at the ECU’s offices. 

He said: “I have said repeatedly that no one must put the reputation of Gibraltar at  risk and that financial crime will not be tolerated. Accordingly, there must be  meaningful consequences for anyone that does.  

“We value Gibraltar’s standing on the global stage and we must take a firm stance  against financial crime. This reinforces the work we must continue to do in respect of  the next Moneyval evaluation. Sophia and Tony will be in great hands in the Royal  Gibraltar Police.” 

Commissioner of Police Richard Ullger, added: “The unseen work that we are doing  in the Economic Crime Unit is critical and the support of these two highly skilled and  experienced financial investigators will strengthen our team considerably. On behalf  of the RGP, I’d like to welcome Sophia and Tony on-board.”

Picture Caption: Left to right – Detective Chief Inspector Mark Schembri, Tony  Ford, Minister Feetham, Sophia Lombard, Commissioner of Police Richard  Ullger and Detective Inspector Luis Miguel Garcia White