Financial Crime World

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Cameroon’s Grey Listing by FATF: A Call to Strengthen Financial Crime Prevention Measures

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has placed Cameroon on its grey list, citing strategic gaps in the country’s defenses against money laundering and terrorist financing. This decision was made after reviewing the Mutual Evaluation Report of the Inter-governmental Agency against Money Laundering in Central Africa (GABAC), which evaluated Cameroon’s anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) measures based on the 40 FATF Recommendations.

Challenges Facing Cameroon

According to GABAC’s evaluation, several areas require improvement in Cameroon’s response to the AML/FT threat. These include:

  • High risk of money laundering and terrorism financing due to vulnerabilities in different sectors of the economy
  • Ineffective AML/CFT supervisory controls in financial institutions
  • Insufficient dissuasive sanctions

Consequences of Grey Listing

Cameroon’s grey listing poses numerous challenges, including:

  • Reputational damage leading to loss of investor confidence
  • Downgrade of the country’s rating
  • Negative impacts on tourism and trade opportunities

The banking sector is particularly vulnerable, contributing about 10% of national GDP and becoming increasingly complex and cross-border.

To address these vulnerabilities, Cameroonian authorities are working on imminent regulatory and legal changes. These include:

  • Establishing an authority for coordinating national AML/CFT policies
  • Applying exhaustive criminal sanctions for agents of reporting entities
  • Enhancing the operational capacity of the National Financial Analysis Institute (NAFI) and national cooperation

Legal changes are also necessary to require the identification of ultimate beneficial owners and establish a legal framework for confiscating proceeds of money laundering. A local mechanism for the confiscation and handling of frozen and confiscated funds is also required.

To effectively combat these vulnerabilities, Cameroonian authorities are determined to:

  • Strengthen their legal and institutional framework
  • Develop a national coordination framework
  • Step up the control and supervision system for prevention actors
  • Improve the efficiency of the investigation and prosecution authorities

The goal is to meet international standards and avoid potential delisting from the grey list.