NEW DELHI: In a significant recognition of India’s expertise in financial intelligence and investigation, 2012 batch IRS officer Raghav Gupta, Director at the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has been invited by the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to serve as an expert speaker.
Gupta is the first Indian officer to receive an invitation of this nature from the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor, marking a notable milestone for Indian expertise in financial intelligence, informal value transfer systems and complex financial investigations.
The formal invitation was issued on 21 July 2026 by Cristina Ribeiro, Senior Coordinator at the OTP, and addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of NATGRID.
The ICC has requested the nomination and participation of Gupta in a specialised capacity-building programme focusing on hawala systems and related financial investigation methodologies.
Training to Be Held at The Hague
The specialised training programme is scheduled to take place on 5 October 2026 at the seat of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.
The programme forms part of the OTP’s ongoing capacity-building initiatives for ICC personnel involved in financial investigations and asset-tracing activities.
The proposed session will focus on practical aspects of understanding informal financial networks and investigating complex financial flows—areas that have become increasingly important in cases involving organised crime, illicit finance and international criminal activity.
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ICC Recognises Gupta’s Financial Investigation Expertise
In its invitation, the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor specifically highlighted Gupta’s extensive expertise and experience in informal value transfer systems, financial intelligence and investigations into complex financial networks.
His proposed contribution is expected to provide ICC personnel with practical and strategic perspectives on several aspects of financial investigations.
These include understanding the functioning of hawala networks, identifying investigative challenges, tracking emerging trends and applying best practices to detect and analyse financial flows.
The knowledge shared during the session could assist ICC investigators and other personnel dealing with financial investigations connected to international criminal cases.
What Will the Session Cover?
The proposed training will provide insights into:
- How hawala and informal value transfer systems function
- Challenges involved in investigating such networks
- Emerging trends in informal financial transfers
- Techniques and best practices for detecting suspicious financial flows
- Analysis of complex financial networks in international criminal investigations
- Asset-tracing methodologies relevant to financial investigations
The OTP said Gupta’s contribution would support the professional development of its personnel while encouraging knowledge-sharing between institutions working to combat illicit financial activities.
ICC to Cover Travel and Accommodation
Should Gupta accept the invitation, the ICC will cover the official travel-related expenses associated with his participation.
This includes round-trip airfare and accommodation in The Hague for the duration of his official engagement.
The invitation requested confirmation of his availability at the earliest and, in any case, by 7 August 2026.
Who Is Raghav Gupta?
Raghav Gupta is a 2012-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS–Income Tax) officer currently serving as Director at NATGRID, the Ministry of Home Affairs organisation responsible for creating an intelligence-sharing framework connecting databases relevant to national security and counter-terrorism.
Gupta initially joined NATGRID as Deputy Secretary in June 2022.
He was subsequently re-designated as Director in January 2026, with his tenure in the post extending until 31 May 2027.
His professional experience spans international taxation, financial intelligence and financial crime investigations.
First Indian Instructor at OECD International Tax Crime Academy
Gupta has also achieved another distinction in the international financial investigation domain.
He is reportedly the first Indian to join the panel of instructors at the OECD International Tax Crime Academy.
The academy focuses on developing specialised expertise among officials dealing with tax crimes and related financial investigations.
His association with international tax crime training further reflects his experience in tracing complex financial structures and investigating illicit financial flows.
Experience in High-Profile Financial Investigations
Before his present assignment at NATGRID, Gupta held investigation-related positions in Mumbai and served as Deputy Director of Income-tax (Investigation) in Kanpur.
During his investigation postings, he handled cases involving areas such as benami transactions, black money and offshore financial structures.
He was also involved in inquiries connected with offshore leaks, giving him exposure to complex cross-border financial investigations.
Such experience is particularly relevant to the ICC’s proposed training, where investigators often need to understand financial networks that operate across jurisdictions and use formal as well as informal channels to move funds.
Why Hawala Investigation Expertise Matters
Hawala is an informal system for transferring value between individuals or locations, often operating outside conventional banking channels.
While informal value transfer systems can have legitimate uses in certain contexts, their opaque nature can also create challenges for investigators attempting to trace illicit funds.
Financial investigators may have to reconstruct transactions through multiple intermediaries, identify beneficial owners and establish links between apparently unrelated financial activities.
These challenges become even more complicated when funds move across borders or are connected to shell entities, cryptocurrency, offshore accounts or other financial mechanisms.
This makes expertise in financial intelligence, asset tracing and informal value transfer systems particularly valuable for international investigative agencies.
Recognition of India’s Financial Intelligence Capabilities
The ICC invitation also assumes significance from an institutional perspective.
The Office of the Prosecutor’s decision to seek expertise from an Indian government officer highlights the growing importance of India’s experience in dealing with complex financial networks and illicit financial flows.
Gupta’s professional background combines tax investigation, international taxation, financial intelligence and intelligence-grid operations, providing a specialised perspective relevant to the ICC’s capacity-building requirements.
The engagement could also facilitate greater knowledge-sharing between Indian institutions and international organisations working on financial investigations.
NATGRID’s Role
Gupta’s present position at NATGRID adds another dimension to his expertise.
NATGRID operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is designed to facilitate access to information from multiple databases for authorised security and intelligence agencies.
Its broader objective is to strengthen the ability of security agencies to analyse information and identify connections relevant to national security.
Gupta’s experience in financial investigation therefore complements the intelligence and information-sharing environment in which NATGRID operates.
A Milestone for Indian Officers
The ICC invitation represents a significant professional recognition for Gupta and marks a notable moment for Indian officers working in the fields of financial intelligence and investigation.
Being the first Indian officer invited by the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor as an expert speaker in this specialised area places his expertise in an international forum focused on some of the most complex financial investigations.
If he participates in the October programme, Gupta will share India’s experience in understanding hawala networks, investigating financial flows and analysing complex financial structures with ICC personnel in The Hague.
The initiative also underscores the increasing importance of financial intelligence and asset tracing in tackling international crime, where following the money can be as critical as investigating the underlying offence.
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