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UK Charity Commission seeks information on the risks non-profit organisations face from terrorist financing schemes

The Commission is currently undertaking a review of the UK’s NPO sector, in accordance with FATF’s Recommendation 8, to help assess its vulnerability to terrorist financing.

Bloomberg: Federal authorities propose increasing AML oversight penalties by up to 40 times

Ottawa plans to increase penalties for AML oversight failures by up to 40 times with maximum fines reaching US$ 20 million per violation or 3% of annual global revenue. Additional measures include boosting fines for criminal offences by 10 times and providing clearer guidelines on jail terms. The move follows growing scrutiny of money laundering, highlighted by cases like TD Bank’s US$ 4.42 billion penalty in the US for oversight failures…

Thai authorities stress the importance of protecting the financial sector from ML/TF and weapons proliferation amid growing global conflicts

The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) and the Bank of Thailand (BOT) join forces to outline heightened risks from high-risk countries and to address concerns raised in 2023 report by the OHCHR, which alleged that some Thai financial institutions facilitated transactions linked to Myanmar’s military government, suspected of human rights violations.

 

UN General Assembly adopts a landmark treaty to combat global cybercrime, promoting international collaboration to prevent and address digital threats

Negotiated over five years, this is the first international anti-crime treaty in 20 years. The Convention addresses crimes like online child sexual abuse, scams, and money laundering. It also emphasises protecting vulnerable individuals, safeguarding economies, and promoting digital safety. It will open for signature in 2025 in Viet Nam and enter into force after ratification by 40 signatories…

 

 

MONEYVAL re-rates Poland on Recommendations 1 and 33, in recognition of its corrective actions since the adoption of the MER and 1st enhanced FUR

Recommendation 1 outlines requirement for a risk-based approach, while Recommendation 33 states that countries should maintain comprehensive statistics on the effectiveness and efficiency of their AML/CFT systems. Requests for re-ratings on Recommendations 15 and 26 were analysed, but no changes were granted.

 

OCCRP investigation confiscated $2 m from a diamond company while Ukrainian authorities raided the warehouses over a scandal involving inflated food prices sold to the military

Kut’s warehouses are tied to the scheme and Hlyniana’s companies are under investigation for tax evasion and money laundering. Neither woman has been formally charged but both are under scrutiny in their respective countries…

SEC charges Deutsche Bank subsidiary to pay US$4m for failing to file certain suspicious activity reports on time

Deutsche Bank Securities has been fined US $4 million for failing to file suspicious activity reports on time between April 2019 and March 2024 despite receiving requests linked to law enforcement investigations. The SEC found the company took more than two years in some cases to file SARs undermining their usefulness. The bank has agreed to a censure a cease-and-desist order, and the penalty without admitting…

FATF praises Oman in latest evaluation report for achieving positive results in areas such as financial intelligence, international cooperation, and combating TF

Among many strengths identified in the report is a warning that excessive measures on NPOs may be disrupting legitimate activities. FATF advises Oman to remove the requirement for NPOs to be reporting entities.

EPPO Germany led a large-scale VAT fraud investigation, code-named ´Huracán, resulting in the conviction of 3 individuals for organised VAT fraud, and abetting tax fraud

The Regional Court in Düsseldorf sentenced one defendant to four years in prison while the others received sentences of three years and nine months and three years respectively. The court also ordered the confiscation of €7.4 million in assets and the successful transfer of €1.7 million in seized cash to the state treasury. The defendants have one week to file an appeal…

 

 

 

EU MEPs confirms Bruna Szego as the Chair of the EU AML Authority (AMLA)

Bruna Szego who currently leads the AML supervision and regulation unit at the Bank of Italy received strong support with 569 votes in favour 20 against, and 61 abstentions. Based in Frankfurt the AMLA is tasked with coordinating national financial intelligence units and directly supervising high-risk financial entities operating across multiple EU member states. Her appointment as Chair of the AMLA now awaits approval from a qualified majority…

 

Home Office publishes 2023/24 on the activities of the Appointed Person for England and Wales

Officers must file a written report to the Appointed Person in two scenarios: where assets are seized but not detained for more than 48 hours and where no assets are seized. This report should explain why the officer believed the powers were exercisable or why prior judicial approval was not practicable.

Home Office publishes Unexplained Wealth Orders Annual report from 2023 – 2024

This report shows how many times law enforcement agencies applied for an unexplained wealth order and how many unexplained wealth orders were issued by the High Court…