News

On December 5, 2012 at the meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) was decided to establish the Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units of the CIS member states.
The Chairman of the State Control Committee of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Yakobson made a report on this topic. Head of the Supreme Audit Institution of Belarus, which includes the Financial Monitoring Department, said that the Financial Intelligence Units are central to the national systems for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. Their key objective is to identify the proceeds of crime, as well as to take measures for their confiscation.
Alexander Jacobson reminded that in 2009 the Republic of Belarus initiated the establishment of a special body, consisting of the heads of CIS Financial Intelligence Units. This proposal was supported by most of the countries of the Commonwealth and also by the Eurasian group on combating money laundering and financing of terrorism (EAG).
The Head of the State Control Committee of Belarus noted that the establishment of the Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units of the CIS member states will allow to create one more tool for the protection of the national interests of the CIS countries in the face of various challenges and threats that evolve and become transboundary.
Upon review of the proposals of the Republic of Belarus CIS Heads of state signed an Agreement on the establishment of the Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units of the CIS member states.
The Council will define the priority directions of cooperation, promote the development of common approaches to the harmonization of national legislation, develop proposals for improving the legal framework for cooperation and coordinate the interaction of FIUs and other competent authorities. The work of the Council will be also directed on the joint activities of financial intelligence, sharing of information, staff trainings.