‘The specialist nature of the knowledge and services provided by the accountancy service providers makes them vulnerable to being sought out and exploited by those who seek to launder the proceeds of crime or evade tax. It is recognised in international risk-based guidance that accountancy service providers may be sought to assist in the structure and design of transactions intended to conceal the nature and origin of funds.’
So says the first ever National Risk Assessment published jointly in October 2016 by the Department of Justice and Equality (DoJE) and the Department of Finance. The assessment covers the main risk areas of the many sectors in Ireland that are subject to the provisions of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act, 2010.
The report identifies the fact that very few (80 out of a total of 21,682 AML reports) suspicious transaction reports (known as STRs) were made by the accountancy profession, according to a separate report called the 2015 Annual Report on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing from the DoJE, given the size of the sector. As a result, (among other risk factors) the sector is assessed as Medium-High risk.
Among the accountancy services identified, by the National Risk Assessment report as vulnerable to the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing are:
- Company and trust formations;
- Insolvency services;
- Providing financial advice;
- Providing tax advice;
- Handling client money;
- Managing client assets and financial accounts;
- Investment business services;
- Auditing financial statements; and
- Company secretarial services.
This first ever National Risk Assessment has been produced ahead of the international inspection of Ireland being carried out by the FATF in December 2016 called the Mutual Evaluation Review. This review can have significant international positive or negative reputational impact potential for Ireland as a financial centre, in a post-Brexit world.
To hear more about how to be on the alert for suspicions of money laundering and terrorist financing under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act, 2010, come to our next AML course on Monday 28 November 2016.
