新加坡总理黄循财：采取强硬措施打击金融犯罪，重点是洗钱、恐怖主义融资

First, in the interception of illicit funds.

According to INTERPOL, around US$2 to US$3 trillion worth of illicit proceeds are channelled through the global financial system every year. A very small fraction of these criminal assets is intercepted and recovered. Which means that criminals can largely get away with, and profit handsomely from their crimes.

To address this, FATF has revised its standards to improve international cooperation, for example, by requiring countries to recognise and enforce each other’s court orders on the confiscation of assets.

FATF also worked together with INTERPOL to bring operational experts and policymakers together to discuss best practices in asset recovery, and enhance collaboration between law enforcement, financial intelligence units and policymakers.

It is early days in this drive to enhance global asset recovery. The latest figures from INTERPOL showed that recovery rate from illicit funds have improved. From less than 1% a decade ago, to about 3% this year. 3% actually is still low, we need to do better. But at least we are moving in the right direction, and we can aim for even higher recovery rates in the years to come.

The second achievement that FATF has made in the recent years is in improving transparency of legal entities, like companies and trusts, which can be used to hide criminal activities. Of note, FATF has updated its standards to require the disclosure of additional information that can allow law enforcement agencies to better identify the real owners behind these entities.

The third achievement that FATF has made is to identify ways to break down information silos. It is understandable why law enforcement agencies and private financial institutions would want to put safeguards around their information concerning their sources and clients. However, these safeguards create silos that criminals can exploit to hide their tracks. To address this, FATF has recommended ways that information can be shared between law enforcement agencies and financial institutions, and amongst private financial institutions, that are within acceptable guardrails.

Singapore supports these effort as we have seen the benefits when such information silos are broken down.

Earlier this year, our central bank, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, launched a platform for private financial institutions to securely share information with each other on customers that exhibit red flags. This enables them to better detect criminal networks and activities.

Our Singapore Police Force established an Anti-Scam Centre – where officers from law enforcement agencies, the major banks, and online e-commerce platforms all sit together at one venue, one site, to facilitate real-time coordination in tracing suspicious fund flows and freezing illicit monies.

We have seen positive outcomes from such initiatives. We have been able to detect fraud earlier and recover more monies for victims.

Singapore’s Commitment

Through the collective efforts of FATF and its partners, we have made progress against money laundering and terrorism financing at the global level. But the success of the global effort against financial crime is also dependent on effective implementation within national borders.

未完待续,请点击[下一页]继续阅读