FATF terms Pakistan’s progress as ’limited’, urges swift completion on its action plans

February 22, 2019 (MLN): The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has pronounced Pakistan’s efforts to curb terror financing and money laundering as ‘limited’ based on the country’s inability to demonstrate a proper understanding of the terror financing (TF) risks posed by the terrorist groups namely Da’esh, Al-Qaeda, JuD, FiF, LeT, JeM, HQN and Taliban.

The second plenary meeting of FATF began in Paris on February 17, 2019 and has been concluded today after a 4 day long deliberation on Pakistan’s progress on anti-money laundering actions recommended by the Force.

In June 2018, Pakistan made a high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and APG to strengthen its AML/CFT regime and to address its strategic counter-terrorist financing-related deficiencies.

Although Pakistan has taken steps towards improving its AML/CFT regime, including by operationalizing the integrated database for its currency declaration regime, the Force has suggested Pakistan to continue to work on implementing its action plan to address its strategic deficiencies, by:

1. Adequately demonstrating its proper understanding of the TF risks posed by the terrorist groups above, and conducting supervision on a risk-sensitive basis;
2. Demonstrating that remedial actions and sanctions are applied in cases of AML/CFT violations, and that these actions have an effect on AML/CFT compliance by financial institutions;
3. Demonstrating that competent authorities are cooperating and taking action to identify and take enforcement action against illegal money or value transfer services (MVTS);
4. Demonstrating that authorities are identifying cash couriers and enforcing controls on illicit movement of currency and understanding the risk of cash couriers being used for TF;
5. Improving inter-agency coordination including between provincial and federal authorities on combating TF risks;
6. Demonstrating that law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are identifying and investigating the widest range of TF activity and that TF investigations and prosecutions target designated persons and entities, and persons and entities acting on behalf or at the direction of the designated persons or entities;
7. Demonstrating that TF prosecutions result in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions and enhancing the capacity and support for prosecutors and the judiciary; and
8. Demonstrating effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions (supported by a comprehensive legal obligation) against all 1267 and 1373 designated terrorists and those acting for or on their behalf, including preventing the raising and moving of funds, identifying and freezing assets (movable and immovable), and prohibiting access to funds and financial services;
9. Demonstrating enforcement against TFS violations including administrative and criminal penalties and provincial and federal authorities cooperating on enforcement cases;
10. Demonstrating that facilities and services owned or controlled by designated person are deprived of their resources and the usage of the resources.

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