Press Release: Efficacious effort by Malta Customs in combatting money laundering
Following an analysis of the current trend in infringements of the Cash Control Regulations (S.L. 233.07) and the inherent risks, the Customs Department, this week, has initiated the process intended to continue beefing up its Anti-Money Laundering Team by two additional Officials, that is, from 9 to 11 officials. The selection process will be followed by a programme of intense training.
This Section was introduced, within the Department’s structure, in November 2018, commencing with a team of four Officials. It was, subsequently, enhanced by five additional Officials in 2019. The AMLT is now working in close cooperation with the newly established Customs Canine Unit, the Customs Enforcement Unit and the Customs Intelligence Services. The section has also improved cooperation with other counterparts, such as, the Police anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing units and the FIAU.
Noteworthy to be highlighted is the Department’s thrust in vigorously reviewing its legislative framework, providing more efficacious powers to Customs Officials. To mention just three amendments:
- One is that, during investigations regarding contraband, tax evasion, money laundering, terrorism financing and others, Customs now has the power to demand and collect information from any entity, private or public, regarding transactions that take place, including transactions between third parties;
- Another legislative amendment obliges economic operators to give to Customs access to their computer systems and all their records, when requested, so that a systems-based audit may be carried out, as and when required. Systems-based audit means an audit procedure, including auditing of electronic systems, designed to obtain audit evidence as to whether key controls are operating continuously, consistently and effectively as planned in preventing, or detecting and correcting, material mis-statements or instances of non-compliance throughout the period being audited; and
- Another important legislative amendment is that, now, if there are suspicions of criminal activity, any amount of cash, declared or undeclared, may be detained at the border.
The Customs Department has employed also a system, through which information is electronically shared, in real time, with the FIAU and the Police, to provide key figures and trends pertaining to high risk individuals, countries and other monitored jurisdictions.
Against this background, the Customs Department has signed several Memoranda of Understanding, among others, with several government agencies, that include the Police Force, the FIAU, Malta’s Security Service, the Office of the Attorney General, the Asset Recovery Bureau, the Sanctions Monitoring Board, the Central Bank of Malta, the Commerce Department, Transport Malta and Valletta Cruise Port.
Notably to say that, in this spirit of collaboration between law enforcement agencies, the Customs Department’s canine teams, specialized in detecting concealment of cash, are at times seconded to the Police when searches for cash are carried out at private residences and other remote places.
With regards to money laundering, Customs is mainly involved on four fronts:
- in gathering information, monitoring and investigating cross-border movement of cash;
- in detecting offences related to contraband and other related illegal activity;
- in trade-based money laundering cases, such as, over-invoicing typologies; and
- in monitoring and investigating, together with the Sanctions Monitoring Board, cases involving strategic trade and sanctions monitoring.
Results
From 2016 to 2020, Malta’s customs department has:
- registered, year on year, record breaking drug seizures (tons of cocaine and cannabis resin), with a total street value of more than €179 million;
- intercepted €2.4 million in undeclared cash;
- seized a number of boats and outboard morors, believed to be intended for human trafficking;
- detained 176 million ‘Tramadol Pills’, hydrochloride tablets used by Jihadists and by militias in war zones. Estimated value €1.2 billion.
- seized over 900 dummy rifles used in traing exercises by militias;
- seized two conatiners full of Libyan Dinars, worth nearly €1 billion;
- intercepted millions of countefeit good, with a total value of more than €111 milion; and
- seized millions of contraband cigarettes, with a total value of’ €43.5 million.
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Press Release: Sforzi effettivi mmirati biex jinkumbattu l-ħasil tal-flus
Wara li d-Dwana ta' Malta analizzat il-modi differenti wżati bil-ħsieb li jinkisru r-Regolamenti dwar il-Kontroll tal-Flus (L.S. 133.07) u r-riskji li dawn l-abbużi jġibu magħhom, din il-ġimgħa ingħata bidu għall-proċess biex ikompli jissaħħaħ l-Anti-Money Laundering Team b'żewġ ufficjali tad-Dwana oħra, jiġifieri, minn 9 għall 11-il ufficjal. Kif jitlesta l-proċess ta' għażla, l-uffiċjali magħżula jgħaddu għal programm intensiv ta' taħriġ.
Id-Dipartiment tad-Dwana introduċa din is-Sezzjoni fl-istruttura tiegħu f'Novembru tal-2018, b'tim ta' erba' uffiċjali. Fl-2019, id-Dipartiment saħħah is-Sezzjoni b'ħames uffiċjali oħra. Il-lum, l-AMLT qegħda topera mill-qrib mal-Customs Canine Unit, li m'ilhiex li twaqqfet, il-Customs Enforcement Unit u l-Customs Intelligence Unit. Minbarra minhekk, is-Sezzjoni ħadet ħsieb li jkollha relazzjoni mill-qrib ma' organizzazzjonijiet ta' infurzar oħra, bħal, per eżempju, l-Units tal-Pulizija kontra l-ħasil tal-flus u l-iffinanzjar ta' terroriżmu u anki l-FIAU.
Hawn, ta' min isemmi l-impenn tad-Dwana biex taġġorna l-qafas leġislattiv biex ikun assigurat li d-Dipartiment ikollu poteri effikaċi affavur l-uffiċjali tiegħu. Fost dawn insibu:
- Waqt investigazzjonijiet li jinvolvu kutrabandu, evażjoni ta' taxxa, ħasil tal-flus, iffinanzjar ta' terroriżmu, u oħrajn, id-Dwana, issa, għandha s-setgħa li titlob u tiġbor tagħrif mingħand kull entita', kemm jekk pubblika kif ukoll hekk tkun privata, rigward tranżazzjonijiet li jkunu għaddew, anke dawk li jseħħu bejn partijiet terzi;
- Permeżż ta' liġislazzjoni oħra li inbidlet, operaturi ekonomiċi, kull meta jkunu mitluba, huma obligati jippermettu aċċess lill-uffiċjali tad-Dwana għas-sistemi elektroniċi u r-records tagħhom bil-għan li jsir verifikar, hekk magħruf, systems based. Fil-fatt, system-based audit ifisser proċedura ta' verifikar, inkuż verifikar ta' sistemi elektroniċi, u hi intenzjonata li twassal għal evidenza verifikata li, fiha nfisha, hi prova jekk kontrolli primarji humiex jaħdmu bla waqfien b'mod konsistenti u effettiv kif ippjanat oriġinarjament. B'hekk, ikunu evitati, magħrufa u kkoreġuti rendikonti ewlenin żbaljati jew okkażjonijiet skorretti matul il-perijodu li tkun qed issir il-verifika; u
- Bidla oħra importanti fil-leġislazzjoni li tħaddem id-Dwana hi li, issa, kull ammont ta' flus, kemm dak iddikjarat kif ukoll jekk mhux iddijarat, jista' jinżamm fuq il-fruntiera, kemm il-darba jkun hemm suspett ta' attivita' kriminali.
Id-Dipartiment tad-Dwana hu wkoll mgħammar b'sistema fejn, permezz tagħha, it-tagħrif miġbur ikun mgħoddi fil-pront b'mod elektroniku lill-FIAU u lill-Pulizija biex dawn ikollhom għad-dispożizzjoni tagħhom ċifri u tendenzi ta' individwi, pajjiżi u ġurisdizzjonijiet oħra ta' riskju notevoli li jkunu qed jiġu mgħassa.
F'dan il-kwadru, id-Dwana ta' Malta ħadet ħsieb li tidħol f'patt ta' ftehim separatament ma' diversi aġenziji governattivi oħra, inklużi, il-Korp tal-Pulizija, l-FIAU, is-Servizzi ta' Sigurta' ta' Malta, l-Uffiċċju tal-Avukat Ġenerali, l-Asset Recovery Bureau, il-Bord li jissorvelja s-sanzjonijiet, Il-Bank Ċentrali ta' Malta, id-Dipartiment tal-Kummerċ, Tranport Malta u l-Valletta Cruise Port.
Tajjeb li, hawn, jingħad li, fi spirtu ta' ħidma konġunta kontinwament bejn l-aġenziji ta' infurzar tal-liġi, it-Taqsima tal-Klieb, fi ħdan id-Dipartiment tad-Dwana, hekk kif inhi attrezzata biex tikxef flus moħbija, taqsam is-servizz tat-timijiet tagħha mal-Pulizija, per eżempju, meta jsir tiftix għal flus fi proprjeta' privata u postijiet oħra fejn iikun hemm bżonn.
Fejn għandhom x'jaqsmu l-prattiċi ta' ħasil ta' flus, id-Dwana tikkonċentra l-iżjed fuq erba' pilastri, jiġifieri, biex:
- Tiġbor tagħrif u taghmel monitoraġġ u investigazzjonijiet dwar movimenti ta' flus deħlin jew ħerġin minn Malta;
- Tikxef kontravenzjonijiet marbuta ma' kutrabandu u attivita' oħra illegal relatata miegħu ;
- Tinvestiga każijiet ta' ħasil ta' flus hekk magħrufa "trade-based", bħal, per eżempju, tipi ta' fatturi b'ammonti sproporzjonati; u
- Tissorvelja u tinvestiga, flimkien mas-Sanctions Monitoring Board, każijiet konnessi ma' negozju strateġiku u monitoraġġ ta' sanzjonijiet.
Riżultati
Bejn l-2016 u l-2020, id-Dwana qabdet:
- Qabdiet rekord ta’ tunnellati ta’ droga, b’valur fit-triq li jlaħħaq aktar minn €179 miljun;
- Bi €2.4 miljun fi flus kontanti mhux iddikjarati;
- Numru kbir ta’ dgħajjes u muturi tal-baħar maħsub li huma intenzjonati għall-ittraffikar tal-bnedmin;
- 176 miljun pillola ‘tramadol’, intenzjonati għal Jiħadisti u għall-użu f’żoni ta’ gwerra mill-milizji, b’valur ta’ aktar minn €1.2 biljun;
- Aktar minn 900 dummy rifle, ukollkif ukoll maħsuba għat-taħriġ tal-milizji;
- Kważi €1 biljun fi flus b’denominazzjoni ta’ Dinari Libjani;
- Miljuni ta’ oġġetti kontrafatti, b’valur ta’ aktar minn €111-il miljun; u
- Miljuni ta’ sigaretti tal-kuntrabandu, b’valur ta’ €43.5 miljun.