Global watchdog gives Iran until Feb. 2020 to tighten anti-money laundering rules

Global watchdog gives Iran until Feb. 2020 to tighten anti-money laundering rules
October 18, 2019, 9:39 am

Iran has been accused of engaging in money laundering and using front companies to avoid US sanctions. (File photo Reuters)

A global dirty money watchdog said on Friday it had given Iran a final deadline of February 2020 to comply with international norms, after which it would urge all its members to apply counter-measures.

“If before February 2020, Iran does not enact the Palermo and Terrorist Financing Conventions in line with the FATF Standards, then the FATF will fully lift the suspension of counter-measures and call on its members and urge all jurisdictions to apply effective counter-measures, in line with recommendation 19,” it said in a statement.

That meant countries should apply countermeasures when called upon to do so by the FATF and should also be able to do so independently of any call by the FATF, it added.

Iran has been accused of engaging in money laundering and using front companies to avoid US sanctions.

On Wednesday, US prosecutors charged Turkey’s Halkbank with fraud, money laundering, and sanctions offenses related to the bank’s alleged participation in a multi-billion-dollar scheme to evade US sanctions on Iran.

source:Reuters

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