2 September 2010
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Introduction
These resolutions have also called on member countries to increase the exchange of information in this field and encourage governments to adopt laws and regulations that would allow access, by police, to the financial records of criminal organizations and confiscation of proceeds gained by criminal activity (Resolutions AGN/55/RES/18, 1986; AGN/56/RES/11, 1987; AGN/60/RES/4, 1991; AGN/66/RES/15, 17 and 18, 1997). Acknowledging the value of the 1988 United Nations Convention against illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and the 1992 OAS Model Regulation concerning laundering offenses connected to illicit drug trafficking and related offenses, the Forty Recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force, the Convention on laundering, search, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds from crime (Council of Europe, 1990) and the European Council Directive on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering (Council of European Communities, 1991), the INTERPOL General Assembly meeting in New Delhi in 1997 called on member countries which have not yet done so to ratify the 1988 United Nations Convention against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and to urge their governments to implement the Convention in order to give their law enforcement institutions the powers it provides for (Resolution AGN/66/RES/15, 1997). Additional Documents United Nations (UN)
European Union (EU)
Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units
Money laundering - INTERPOL’s definition A working definition was adopted by the INTERPOL General Assembly in 1995, which defines money laundering as: ‘any act or attempted act to conceal or disguise the identity of illegally obtained proceeds so that they appear to have originated from legitimate sources’. INTERPOL holds Second International Conference on Illicit Cash Couriers 07 May 2009 BRUSSELS, Belgium – More than 100 senior officials from 60 countries and seven International Organizations attended the Second International Conference on Illicit Cash Couriers held at the World Customs Organization (WCO) Headquarters in Brussels from 27 - 30 April 2009. Co-hosted by the WCO, the conference provided an opportunity for police and customs officials to identify methods of co-coordinating multilateral efforts to combat money laundering across the globe, and in particular the practice known as ‘cash couriers’ – illicit cash transportation, particularly by criminal and terrorist organizations which poses a serious threat to global economic stability. The conference provided participants with an overall picture of current trends, highlighting new methodology used by criminal groups to launder the proceeds of crime, particularly in the form of illicit hard cash. Strengthened co-operation between national law enforcement authorities worldwide and the need for effective and efficient implementation of mutual administrative agreements for information and intelligence exchange was underlined as vital to effectively tackle the problem. A series of recommendations were made regarding the implementation and use of technological devices to detect concealed currency, and other forms of payment, in strategic locations such as borders. The conference closed with a call for countries to improve information exchange by making national cash-courier reports and information on seizures available to the international police community through the specialized databases at INTERPOL and WCO.
 First International Conference on Illicit Cash Couriers held at INTERPOL
The First International Conference on Illicit Cash Couriers held in Lyon at the INTERPOL General Secretariat in May, 2008. It was also co-hosted by the World Customs Organization and the conference provided an opportunity for police and customs officials to discuss together common challenges and to work towards concrete action. High on the agenda was the link between cash couriers, money laundering and the funding of organized crime groups, in particular terrorism. The sixth Working Group on Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing expert meeting: The INTERPOL Working Group on Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing met at IPSG on the 20.-21. April 2009. The Working Group aims to provide the General Secretariat with expert advice on developing INTERPOL's ability to facilitate money laundering and terrorism financing investigations through effective and wider information sharing. The WG meeting was followed on Wednesday, 22 April by the 3rd Annual Meeting of the I-link Advisory Group, which some members of the WG also attended. The meeting focused primarily on the following areas:
Future work plan for the WG As one component of the future work plan, it was recommended that the WG consider reaching out to Non-European representatives for the next WG meeting, thereby increasing diversity. Making use of the Fusion Task Forces network, might serve as most efficient way to find new operational contacts. Additionally he pointed out the importance of consistent representation within the WG meetings. It was also noted that the next meeting should include representatives from the Virgin Islands, e.g., in order to discuss several issues raised at the WG meeting more in-depth. It was further agreed that the first step should be to establish a Project related to Tax Havens (with the immediate restriction that there will be no manpower available at INTERPOL). Following an extended discussion, it was decided that the WG needed to draft a formalized version of the WG’s Code of Conduct (CoC) and its regulations. International meetings and co-operation The INTERPOL General Secretariat works closely with other international organizations to foster international awareness of the importance of utilising financial investigative techniques against organized criminal activities. Most importantly, these liaisons and co-operation are aimed at supporting each international organization’s efforts in these areas and avoiding duplication. The following is a list of international organizations which have participated in mutual co-operation and assistance in the development of international programs related to the assets of criminal organizations:
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