Ministers had already announced the register, intended to lift the “cloak of secrecy” around company ownership contained within the consultation document for ‘Trust and Transparency For UK Companies’. This consultation also raised a number areas of weaknesses concerning ownership and control and will affect client due diligence procedures for regulated entities.
The UK financial intelligence unit which was part of SOCA has now been absorbed into this new law enforcement structure. For obliged entities under the Money Laundering Regulations you will still file your suspicious activity reports online by visiting http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/ and then click Reporting SARs in the top right hand corner. The old SOCA website address will automatically forward you to the new web address.
On 15 July, Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, announced the launch of the Transparency & Trust discussion paper. This sets out a number of proposals aimed at addressing opaque ownership structures and improving the accountability of company directors. The proposed reforms seek to promote growth by improving confidence in the UK as an open and trusted place to invest and do business. Greater transparency and improved trust will mean honest entrepreneurs and investors are more willing to do business in the UK and are not disadvantaged by those who don’t play by the rules.
Almost 60 percent of one of the bailed out Cypriot bank’s clients are “high risk” in terms of money laundering and almost a third of all bank depositors’ records contain errors, according to a leaked EU report.
The report which was published by the Cypriot website stockwatch.com.cy – was drawn up in April by Moneyval, a unit of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, and by accountancy firm Deloitte on the request of eurozone finance ministers.
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HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officers will shortly begin a programme of telephoning businesses registered with, and supervised by HMRC under the Money Laundering Regulations (MLR).
The OFT, in its first formal Regulatory penalty, has fined Leicester-based IPS Estate Agents Limited £11,844 for failing to comply with anti-money laundering regulations. IPS failed to comply with a number of requirements under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007, including those relating to: verifying the identity of customers keeping appropriate records ensuring that relevant staff […]