International Cooperation

International Cooperation
 

Money laundering is generally regarded as a transnational crime. For the purposes of effectively combating transnational crimes concerning money laundering, terrorist financing, and financing of weapons of mass destruction, countries are required to reach consensus and closely work together. The AMLD, Taiwan’s FIU, spares no effort to participate in the international organizations related to prevention of money laundering. The AMLD also closely cooperates with counterpart FIUs to detect money laundering activities, and to freeze and seize the proceeds of crimes in order to prevent criminals from enjoying their illegal profits and investing the assets into subsequent crimes.The AMLD participates in the events of international organizations as follows:

 Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units

FATF Recommendation 29 states that countries should establish an FIU that serves as a national centre for the receipt and analysis of: (a) STRs; and (b) other information relevant to ML, associated predicate offences and TF, and for the dissemination of the results of that analysis.

FIUs are important channels for information exchanging between law enforcement agencies of countries. Recognizing the benefits inherent in the development of a FIU network, a group of FIUs met at the Egmont-Arenberg Palace in Brussels Belgium in 1995 and decided to found a group for the stimulation of international cooperation. Now known as the Egmont Group of FIUs, these FIUs meet regularly to find ways to cooperate, especially in the areas of information exchanges, training and the sharing of expertise.

The FIU Taiwan joined the Egmont Group at the 6th Annual Meeting in June 1998 under the title “Anti-Money Laundering Division, Taiwan” (AMLD, Taiwan). As of the end of 2018, the Egmont Group has 159 FIUs and provides a secured web for facilitating intelligence exchanges among FIUs.

 Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering

The Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), FATF-Style Regional Body (FSRB), was founded in 1997 with the mission of assisting its members to accept and implement “International Standards on Countering Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism & Proliferation” published by the FATF.

Currently, APG has 41 members, 8 observers, and 32 observer organizations, and is an associate member of FATF. Taiwan is a founding member of APG under the name “Chinese Taipei,” and is allowed to participate in the FATF’s affairs as an APG member.