9 February 2010
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Funds derived from criminal activities
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 financial records of criminal organizations and the 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 traffic 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 prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering (Council of European Communities, 1991), the ICPO-Interpol General Assembly, meeting in New Delhi in 1997, called upon 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) Money Laundering - Interpol’s Definition A concise working definition was adopted by Interpol General Secretariat 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'. Reference With the restructuring of the Interpol General Secretariat, a Financial & High Tech Crime (FHT) Sub-Directorate has been functional within the Specialised Crimes Directorate of ICPO-Interpol since 17 September 2001. Police officers in the FHT also deal with offenses relating to money laundering, counterfeit currency, payment cards and intellectual property rights. FHT Objectives The Financial & High Tech Crime (FHT) Sub-Directorate works towards the following goals/objectives:
FHT participation FHT participates in the activities of:
Recognizing that Interpol has assumed a leading role among international organizations in combating the laundering of funds from criminal activities and acknowledging the value of the existing international mechanisms such as the United Nations Convention against illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, the 1992 OAS Model regulations concerning laundering offenses, the forty recommendation of the FATF, the Convention on laundering, search, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds from crime (Council of Europe,1990) and the European Council Directive on prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering (Council of European Communities, 1991), the Interpol General Assembly at its 66th session (New Delhi, 1997) adopted two comprehensive resolutions AGN/66/RES/15, AGN/66/RES/17 and AGN/66/RES/18. These resolutions called on the member countries to adopt national laws that specifically make the laundering of illegal proceeds a criminal act and to develop effective enforcement strategies at national as well as international levels. IMoLIN Database The Internet based information network IMoLIN serves as a clearinghouse of money laundering information for the benefit of all national and international anti-money laundering agencies. It was developed and is administered by the Global Programme against Money Laundering of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP) on behalf of the United Nations and other international organizations, including the ICPO-Interpol. There are five main features of IMoLIN, and all but one accessible to the public:
International Meeting and Co-Operation The General Secretariat works closely with other international organizations with the purpose of fostering international awareness of the importance of utilizing financial investigative techniques against organized criminal activities. Most importantly, this liaison 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 who have participated in mutual co-operation and assistance in the development of international programs relative to the assets of criminal organizations:
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