13 february 2012

First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov holds a regular meeting of the Interdepartmental working group for identifying and preventing illegal financial operations

Participants:

Meeting participants discussed the results of an analysis on legally identifying and preventing the activity of those involved in illegal financial operations. In addition, the members of the group discussed proposals on improving the efficiency of law enforcement agencies and other bodies in identifying and preventing financial offences, especially regarding utilities, the fuel and energy sector and in credit and finance.

Following earlier instructions from Viktor Zubkov, the participants planned measures to improve interdepartmental coordination on the aforementioned issues. In particular, the participants developed and approved a procedure to coordinate the interaction between the Investigative Committee and the Federal Taxation Service.

The meeting participants analysed the incidence of crime in the financial sector, and laid out a plan for law enforcement agencies. Zubkov directed the attendees to focus more on suppressing and countering financial offences, and to streamline the law.

Following the meeting, Zubkov issued instructions to complete a list of legal approaches to ensure greater efficiency in detecting and suppressing illegal financial operations, the prevention of money laundering, and the fight against financing terrorism, tax and customs tariff evasion and corruption derived income.

In conclusion, Zubkov approved the group's plan for the first half of 2012.

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The Interdepartmental working group for identifying and preventing illegal financial operations was created at the directive of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in January 2012.

The objective is to improve the process for identifying and preventing illegal financial operations (including companies used as fronts), money laundering, the funding of terrorism, the evasion of taxes and customs tariffs and any corruption derived income.

The group formed by Viktor Zubkov includes the heads of the Federal Service for Financial Regulation, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Investigative Committee, the Federal Security Service, the Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Service for Drug Control, the Federal Taxation Service, the Federal Customs Service, the Federal Service for Financial Markets and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.