AIF signs agreement with Argentina to fight money laundering

(Vatican Radio) The Financial Intelligence Unit (AIF) of the Holy See and Vatican City State signed a bilateral cooperation agreement with Argentina on Tuesday, in an effort to expand the international network “to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism”.

Read the official statement below:  

L’Autorità Informazione Finanziaria (AIF), the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Holy See and Vatican City State, has formalized its bilateral cooperation with Argentina, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Vatican on Tuesday.

The MOU was signed in the Palazzo San Carlo by the Director of AIF, Rene Bruelhart, and the President of the Unidad de Información Financiera (UIF) of Argentina, José Sbattella.

“We’re very pleased to have signed this MOU with Argentina today,” Bruelhart said. “This is an important step to further expand the network to support global efforts to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism. We’re looking forward to fruitful cooperation with Argentina, which will be beneficial to both parties.”

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is standard practice and formalizes the cooperation and exchange of financial information to fight money laundering and combat terrorist financing across borders between the competent authorities of both countries. It is based on the model Memorandum of Understanding prepared by the Egmont Group, the global organization of national Financial Intelligence Units, and contains clauses on reciprocity, permitted uses of information and confidentiality.

AIF became a member of the Egmont Group in July 2013, and has already signed MOUs with the Financial Intelligence Units of more than a dozen countries, including the U.K., the United States, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

AIF is the competent authority of the Holy See/Vatican City State to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism. It was established in 2010.