Informing on the results of the State Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine work for 1 quarter of 2018

The SFMS as a financial intelligence unit of Ukraine takes enhanced practical measures aimed at counteraction to the legalization (laundering) of the proceeds from crime, terrorist financing and financing of proliferation of weapon of mass destruction. In particular, for 1 quarter of 2018, the SFMS has prepared 207 referrals (of them 116 case referrals and 91 additional case referrals) which have been submitted to
- Prosecutor’s office of Ukraine – 49 referrals (of them 8 case referrals and 41 additional case referrals);
- State Fiscal Service of Ukraine – 63 referrals (of them 48 case referrals and 15 additional case referrals;
- Internal affairs authorities of Ukraine - 34 referrals (of them 26 case referrals and 8 additional case referrals;
- Security Service of Ukraine - 35 referrals (of them 21 case referrals and 14 additional case referrals;
- National anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine - 26 referrals (of them 13 case referrals and 13 additional case referrals).
In these referrals, the amount of financial transactions that may be related to the legalization of money and the commission of another crime, determined by the Criminal Code of Ukraine, is UAH 29.6 billion.
The SFMS continues the active work on investigation of money laundering facts from corrupt acts, embezzlement and appropriation of state funds and property, including by the former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, his close friends, other officials and their related persons.
Abovementioned work was conducted within the framework of additional measures which have been taken on 2014 – 2017 related to blocking, arrest and confiscation of the state assets in amount of USD 1.5 billion.
Thus, for 1 quarter of 2018, the SFMS has submitted 43 such referrals (13 case referrals and 30 additional case referrals) to law enforcement authorities, in particular to:
National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine - 26 referrals;
Prosecutor"s Office of Ukraine - 16 referrals;
Security Service of Ukraine - 1 referrals.
In these referrals, the amount of suspicious financial transactions that may be related to the legalization (laundering) of funds or the commission of another criminal offense is UAH 15.3 billion.
Pursuant to the legislation of Ukraine, the SFMS (as a financial intelligence unit) together with law enforcement authorities, takes measures aimed at preventing and countering to the financing of terrorist activities (separatism).
Thus, for 1 quarter of 2018, the SFMS has submitted to law-enforcement authorities 20 referrals (of them 11 case referrals and 9 additional case referrals) regarding financial transactions of persons which, according to information from law enforcement authorities, may be involved in the financing of terrorism (separatism) and/or conducted with the participation of persons, who publicly call for violent change or overthrow of the constitutional order or change of boundaries of the territory or state border of Ukraine, including:
‐ 4 case referrals that contained information, in particular from the Internet regarding the collection or donating of funds for charity and assistance to terrorist and separatist groups. Such materials were submitted to the Security Service of Ukraine and the General Prosecutor"s Office of Ukraine;
‐ 1 case referral related to suspicions in the implementation of financial transactions by persons involved in the ISIL activities or other extremist groups having illegal links in the territory of Ukraine. Such material was submitted to the Security Service of Ukraine.
In the first quarter of 2018, the SFMS has used in 9 cases the legislation tool for termination of person’s transactions who, according to the law enforcement authorities, may be involved in the terrorism and separatism financing.
In order to increase the efficiency of international cooperation, in the first quarter of 2018, the main focus in the SFMS activities was to develop the Action Plan to improve the national financial monitoring system based on the results of the MONEYVAL 5th round of mutual evaluation of Ukraine.
Within the framework of strengthening interagency coordination, the SFMS carried out the fourth and fifth session of the Council on prevention and counteraction to legalization (laundering) of the proceeds from crime, terrorist financing and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, where presented the MONEYVAL Report and approved the draft Action Plan regarding the improvement of the national system of financial monitoring, which was sent to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
Also during the reporting period, the SFMS conducted 4 councils regarding the discussion of the relevant issues and agreement of common position on the introduction of new administrative reporting or amending changes to the existing reporting forms on prevention and counteraction to the legalization (laundering) of proceeds from crime and terrorist financing with interested authorities.
As part of the methodological component of the organization of the financial monitoring, the SFMS actively continued to implement measures on interaction with reporting entities, in particular:
‐ representatives of the SFMS took part in 26 educational events held for more than 960 people;
‐ the forty-fifth meeting of the Working Group on problem issues of the reporting entities – of Non-Banking Institutions and the Analysis of the Effectiveness of their Measures on prevention and counteraction to legalization (laundering) of the proceeds from crime, terrorist financing and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction was held.
At the same time, the SFMS actively interacted with the public, in particular, the Public Council of the SFMS, as well as strengthening the cooperation with the Notary Chamber of Ukraine, with which, on March 1, 2008, a Memorandum of the Common Principles of Cooperation was signed.
For execution of the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine as of August 30, 2017, No. 601-p "On the implementation of the Development Strategy of the System of prevention and counteraction to legalization (laundering) of the proceeds from crime, terrorist financing and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction for the period up to 2020", the generalize information regarding the implementation of Action Plan for 2017-2019 of the mentioned strategy was submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
In addition, within the framework of coordination activities, the SFMS prepared the National Report on the prevention and counteraction to legalization (laundering) of the proceeds from crime, terrorist financing and the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in 2017, which was submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in March.

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