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Money Laundering: Review of the Reporting ... - Dematerialised ID

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kpmg<br />

<strong>Review</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> regime for handling Suspicious Activity Reports<br />

Report <strong>of</strong> recommendations<br />

KPMG LLP<br />

3 History, aims and successes <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> current SAR regime<br />

3.1 Summary<br />

3.1.1 This section <strong>of</strong> our report provides background to <strong>the</strong> SAR regime, a discussion <strong>of</strong> its<br />

aims and some details <strong>of</strong> existing successes derived from <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> SARs:<br />

• A brief history <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> legislative background to <strong>the</strong> regime and those international<br />

developments which influenced it (section 3.2).<br />

• An indication <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> various recent developments which have affected <strong>the</strong><br />

implementation and practice <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> regime (section 3.3).<br />

• An outline <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> aims <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> SAR regime as it stands today (section 3.4).<br />

• An indication <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> existing successes arising from use <strong>of</strong> SARs (section 3.5).<br />

3.2 The history <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> regime<br />

3.2.1 The framework providing support to <strong>the</strong> SAR regime has developed through a series <strong>of</strong><br />

Acts <strong>of</strong> Parliament, associated Regulations, external reports and recommendations. These<br />

have built upon one ano<strong>the</strong>r as understanding <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> scope <strong>of</strong> money laundering activities<br />

and <strong>the</strong> need for wider legal tools to combat <strong>the</strong>m has developed. The initial focus was<br />

on <strong>the</strong> proceeds <strong>of</strong> drug trafficking and terrorist finance, but this has been widened to<br />

capture <strong>the</strong> proceeds <strong>of</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r forms <strong>of</strong> criminal activity and all assets <strong>of</strong> those identified<br />

as having a criminal lifestyle.<br />

The Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986<br />

3.2.2 The Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 (“DTOA”) first codified <strong>the</strong> requirement for<br />

individuals to report suspicions by creating a potential criminal liability for those who<br />

knew or suspected that <strong>the</strong>ir clients or customers were involved in laundering <strong>the</strong><br />

proceeds <strong>of</strong> drug trafficking and failed to disclose this to <strong>the</strong> authorities. It established <strong>the</strong><br />

first drug money laundering <strong>of</strong>fence, although <strong>the</strong> legislation was primarily used by LEAs<br />

in relation to <strong>the</strong> related predicate drugs <strong>of</strong>fences. It also permitted <strong>the</strong> confiscation <strong>of</strong><br />

assets, property and o<strong>the</strong>r benefits which derived from drug trafficking. There has<br />

<strong>the</strong>refore been a regime in place relating to <strong>the</strong> reporting <strong>of</strong> suspicion <strong>of</strong> money<br />

laundering for 17 years.<br />

The Financial Action Task Force<br />

3.2.3 The Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”) was established by <strong>the</strong> 1989 Paris G-7<br />

summit following recognition <strong>of</strong> mounting international concern over money laundering<br />

and <strong>the</strong> threat it posed (initially) to <strong>the</strong> banking system and individual financial<br />

institutions. FATF produced its Forty Recommendations in 1990 7 , setting out an<br />

international framework for Anti-<strong>Money</strong> <strong>Laundering</strong> (“AML”) efforts and a set <strong>of</strong><br />

recommended counter-measures. Recommendation 15 states “If financial institutions<br />

7 The FATF Forty Recommendations are available at www.oecd.org/fatf.<br />

jo/fh/519 23

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