Moneyval Urges Bulgaria to Bolster Financial Crime Prevention Measures
Strasbourg, 27 June 2022
According to a report published by Moneyval, the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) body, Bulgaria needs to strengthen its financial crime prevention measures. The report highlights several shortcomings in Bulgaria’s current system and provides recommendations for improvement.
Moneyval’s Assessment
In their latest evaluation report, Moneyval presents a comprehensive assessment of Bulgaria’s level of compliance with the Recommendations on Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Proliferation Financing.
Key Findings
- Ineffectiveness of risk assessment and analysis process
- Insufficient resources for the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)
- Improvement needed in the legal framework for confiscating criminal proceeds
- Enhancement of cooperation with Foreign Financial Intelligence Units
- Improvement of customer due diligence standards
Recommendations for Bulgaria
Use of Financial Intelligence
Moneyval recommends Bulgarian authorities boost the effectiveness of their risk assessment and analysis process. Additionally, more resources should be allocated for the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
Confiscations Regime
The report advises Bulgarian authorities to strengthen the legal framework for confiscating criminal proceeds and related proceeds, which currently needs improvement.
Cooperation with FIUs of Other Jurisdictions
Moneyval suggests Bulgaria enhance its cooperation with the Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) of other jurisdictions.
Customer Due Diligence
Bulgaria should also improve its customer due diligence standards.
Council of Europe’s Emphasis
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism emphasized the need for Bulgaria to make progress in implementing these recommendations to better protect its financial system from illicit activities.
Ongoing Process
This evaluation is part of an ongoing process by Moneyval to assess, monitor, and report on member countries’ progress in implementing anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing standards. The Bulgarian assessment was conducted on-site during February and March 2022.
Full Report
The full report is available online at www.coe.int/en/web/moneyval.