Vatican City, 19 May 2014 (VIS) – The
Autorità di Informazione Finanziaria (AIF) - Financial Intelligence
Authority - of the Holy See and the Vatican City State has presented
its Annual Report for 2013. The report reviews the activities and
statistics of AIF for the year 2013.
The year 2013 has seen a significant
strengthening of the legal and institutional framework of the Holy
See and Vatican City State to effectively combat financial crime, an
institutionalisation of international collaboration of the competent
authority of the Holy See with its foreign counterparts, and a
massively improved performance in monitoring potential financial
wrongdoing.
“In 2013 we have taken further
decisive steps to foster the legal framework, and, at the same time,
to make it work in practice,” said Rene Brulhart, Director of the
AIF. He continued: “The Evaluation conducted by Moneyval, the
Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering
Measures and the Financing of Terrorism of the Council of Europe, in
December 2013, and our statistics allow us to say that today we have
a proper and equivalent system in place to prevent and fight
financial crime. A system that is well in line with international
standards”.
The AIF has recorded a notable uptake
in suspicious transaction reports (STR), from 6 in 2012 to 202 in
2013. This increase reflects both the development of the legal
framework and a substantial improvement in the operational
performance of the supervised entities with regard to the prevention
of financial crime. Five reports have been passed on to the Vatican
Promoter of Justice for further investigation by judicial
authorities.
The number of requests from AIF
submitted to foreign authorities has increased from 1 in 2012 to 28;
the number of requests received by the AIF from foreign authorities
has risen from 3 in 2012 to 53 in 2013. “This increase is also due
to international cooperation fostered by a series of bilateral
agreements we have concluded,” said Brulhart. In 2013, AIF became
a member of the Egmont Group, the global network of Financial
Intelligence Units, and signed various bilateral agreements to
institutionalize mutual collaboration in the area of anti-money
laundering and combating financing of terrorism. Memoranda of
Understanding have been signed with Germany, Italy, the Netherlands,
Slovenia and the United States.
As already observed in 2012, the number
of declarations of cash above the amount of EUR 10,000 has decreased
again in 2013 to 1,557 declarations for outgoing cash (2012: 1,782)
and 550 declarations for incoming cash (2012: 598). This is due to an
increased monitoring by the competent authorities and the
introduction of reinforced procedures at the supervised entities.
By way of two Motu Proprio in July and
August 2013, the Holy Father extended the competencies of the Holy
See authorities, particularly AIF, and aligned the legal framework
with international standards. By way of a third Motu Proprio in
November 2013, the Holy Father responded to the requirements set
forth by the extension of responsibilities of the AIF by issuing a
new Statute for the AIF. In essence, the new Statute has built the
AIF on two pillars, supervision and financial intelligence, and has
clarified some aspects with regard to the governance, e.g. required
professional and financial skills for key personnel of the AIF’s
bodies.
In the initial trimester of 2014, AIF
conducted the first ordinary on-site inspection of the IOR to verify
the implementation of the measures taken to prevent and counter money
laundering and the financing of terrorism pursuant to the Law XVIII
of 8 October 2013.
The inspection has shown substantial
progress made by the IOR over the past 12 months. As a result of the
inspection, AIF has developed an action plan for the full adaption of
procedures to the requirements of Law XVIII and the implementation of
further organizational and procedural improvements.
About the Financial Intelligence
Authority - AIF
The Financial Intelligence Authority is
the competent authority of the Holy See/Vatican City State for
supervision and financial intelligence for the prevention and
countering of money-laundering and financing of terrorism.
Established by Pope Benedict XVI with
the Apostolic Letter in form of Motu Proprio of 30 December 2010, AIF
carries out its institutional activity according to the Statute
attached to the above mentioned Motu Proprio and the Law n. CXXVII of
30 December 2010, as subsequently amended and integrated.
In July 2013, AIF became a member of
the Egmont Group. Currently, AIF has signed Memoranda of
Understanding for the international exchange of information with
financial intelligence units of other states, such as Australia,
Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, Monaco, the Netherlands, Slovenia,
Spain and the United States of America.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment