The financial action taskforce and money laundering: critical analysis of the Panama papers and the role of the United Kingdom

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to study the effectiveness of the implementation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations in the UK in an attempt to combat the laundering of proceeds of corruption. Design/methodology/approach A desk review of secondary resources was conducted to analyze available literature to examine the research topic. Findings The leakage of 11.5 million documents, known as the Panama papers, has revealed that the UK functioned as a safe haven for illicit and corrupt money. In an attempt to address this, the country called for a public registry of beneficial owners to disclose the identities of the owners of the incorporated corporations and to extend them to individuals abroad holding UK property. The FATF report recognizes the UK’s far-reaching regulation. Despite the measures taken, UK still faces serious risks with regard to the laundering of criminal proceeds, which demonstrates that technical compliance with FATF rules is not enough to effectively curb money laundering. Originality/value This study suggests that FATF rules’ effectiveness in identifying instances of laundering the proceeds of corruption is limited because of the deeply rooted system vulnerabilities and the rapid changes in money laundering trends.