Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | In 4 yrs, only 700 suspected money laundering cases/yr-Subhomoy Bhattacharjee & Anil Sasi

In 4 yrs, only 700 suspected money laundering cases/yr-Subhomoy Bhattacharjee & Anil Sasi

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Mar 16, 2013   modified Modified on Mar 16, 2013
-The Indian Express

Contrary to the perception that money laundering is widespread across the country's banking sector, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has found an average of only about 700 cases annually over the last four years on which investigations could be initiated.

The FIU is the national agency responsible for tracking information related to suspect financial transactions.

Finance ministry data shows that during the last four years, banks and other entities have sent about 20,000 suspected transactions (STRs) every year for the FIU to investigate. But after trawling through them, an average of 700-odd cases have been found to qualify for investigation under the anti-money laundering law during the period.

The data for 2012-13 was only available until October.

In the wake of money laundering allegations leveled Thursday by a portal against the country's three top private sector banks after a sting operation, senior government officials looking into the issue said Friday that they were not surprised by the discussions reported by the portal between the bank managers and potential high net-worth clients.

None of them had resulted in a transaction, so no case can be made out in any one of them by the FIU, they said.

However, it is open to the banks themselves to deal with the officials under their respective vigilance rules. FIU and other anti-money laundering agencies need a crime to be committed, in other words a transaction to happen, before they can proceed against anyone, officials said.

For a branch manager of a bank, a customer willing to put in a large tranche of money is a potential business opportunity to achieve targets. At the most, he can accept the clients investments in cash while reporting it to FIU as a "suspicious" transaction.

Every branch of public and private sector banks is connected with the FIU through an anti-money laundering software. It is embedded in the banks' operating system and so gives the management no scope to interfere. The trigger is a cash deposit of Rs 10 lakh at one go or within a month, which means smaller deposits are also tracked.

According to government sources, the largest cash deposit happens with LIC premiums, car companies and shops, including pharmaceuticals. The usual modus operandi is to use old, unused accounts to carry out account shopping, which is reported more in the case of public sector banks as they have larger numbers of such inactive accounts.

The Indian Express, 16 March, 2013, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/in-4-yrs-only-700-suspected-money-laundering-casesyr/1088961/0


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close