Anti money laundering policy

3.1 Money laundering describes offences involving the integration of the proceeds of crime, or terrorist funds, into the mainstream economy. Such offences are defined under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 as the following ‘prohibited acts’:

• Concealing, disguising, converting, transferring or removing criminal property from the UK. (s327);
• Becoming involved in an arrangement which an individual knows or suspects facilitates the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property by or on behalf of another person. (s328);
• Acquiring, using or possessing criminal property (s329);
• Doing something that might prejudice an investigation e.g. falsifying a document (s333);
• Failure to disclose one of the offences listed in a) to c) above, where there are reasonable grounds for knowledge or suspicion (s330-332); and
• Tipping off a person(s) who is or is suspected of being involved in money laundering in such a way as to reduce the likelihood of or prejudice an investigation. (s333).

3.2 Provided the Council does not undertake activities regulated under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the offences of ‘failure to disclose’ and ‘tipping off’ do not apply. However, the Council and its employees and Members remain subject to the remainder of the offences and the full provisions of the Terrorism Act 2000.

3.3 The Terrorism Act 2000 made it an offence for money laundering to become concerned in an arrangement relating to the retention or control of property likely to be used for the purposes of terrorism or resulting from acts of terrorism.

3.4 Although the term ‘money laundering’ is generally used to describe the activities of organised crime, for most people it will involve a suspicion that someone they know, or know of, is benefiting financially from dishonest activities.

3.5 Potentially very heavy penalties (unlimited fines and imprisonment up to fourteen years) can be handed down to those who are convicted of one of the offences.

3.6 Bribery is an inducement or reward offered, promised, or provided, to gain personal, commercial, regulatory or contractual advantage.