The United States and Argentina held the fifth meeting of the Argentina-United States Dialogue on Illicit Finance (AUDIF) on January 9-10 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The main objective of the AUDIF is to advance shared goals on countering money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing, corruption and other illicit finance threats and typologies.

The AUDIF serves as a forum for key agencies in both countries to develop strategies and initiatives to combat these financial crimes and discuss related issues of interest. This Dialogue included discussions on assessing money laundering and terrorist finance threats in the Tri-Border Area, including Hezbollah; identification and action against the proceeds of corruption; and addressing regional illicit finance threats and vulnerabilities, including disrupting Venezuelan corruption networks.

The AUDIF was co-chaired by the Minister of Treasury of the Republic of Argentina Nicolas Dujovne and the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes Assistant Secretary Marshall Billingslea. The participants in the Dialogue included Republic of Argentina Financial Intelligence Unit President Mariano Federici and U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Director Kenneth A. Blanco, U.S. Department of Justice Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan, and Secretary for Institutional Coordination at the Office of the Attorney General from Argentina´s Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Juan Manuel Olima Espel, and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, and Secretariat for Strategic Affairs.