The Head of the State Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine Igor CHERKASKYI has signed with the President of the Supervisory and Financial Information Authority (Financial Intelligence Unit of the Holy See) Carmelo BARBAGALLO the Memorandum of Understanding concerning cooperation in the area of counteraction to laundering of the proceeds of crime, related predicate crimes, financing of terrorism and financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Thus, the SFMS and the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Holy See will exchange information in their possession concerning financial transactions suspected of being related to legalization (laundering) of the proceeds of crime, financing of terrorism and financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

It should be noted that the MOU is the first bilateral interagency document between Ukraine and the Holy See since the exchange of notes on mutual recognition in March 1992.

Following the signing, the Head of the SFMS Igor CHERKASKYI drew attention to the uniqueness of the event concerning the establishment of direct contacts with the FIU of the Holy See, and to the fact that so far the Ukrainian authorities have concluded no international agreements with the Holy See and its institutions. This underlines once again the importance of prevention and counteraction to money laundering and financing of terrorism in the global context.

At the moment, the SFMS has concluded 82 international interagency treaties on cooperation with financial intelligence units of foreign states.

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