Terrorism financing

On 7 June 2018, the Council (at ambassadors' level) confirmed the agreement reached between the Bulgarian presidency and the Parliament on new rules on using criminal law to counter money laundering. The new directive aims at disrupting and blocking access by criminals to  financial resources, including those used for terrorist activities. 

Slovenia's money-laundering office has opened an investigation into claims by opposition parties that the country's biggest state-owned bank, Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB), may have laundered nearly €1bn from Iran between 2008 and 2010, breaking an international embargo and failing to enforce rules on the financing of terrorism.

The Bulgarian State Agency on National Security (SANC) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) propose a whole new law against the money laundering, reported BGNES.

The current law contains 24 Articles and 5 Chapters, while the proposed project contains 125 Articles and 10 Chapters.

The European Commission has proposed that bank accounts of suspected terrorists in the EU be frozen within 48 hours without a sentence having entered into force.

Turkish Finance Minister Naci A?bal has praised the efforts of the Turkish National Financial Intelligence Unit (MASAK) and the Banks Association of Turkey (TBB), while criticizing a number of foreign states, without providing names, of "condoning" the financing of terrorism. 

The Council of Europe has urged Armenia to develop an effective national policy to investigate and prosecute money laundering in the country, as its experts have identified significant weaknesses in this area. 

Pakistan's parliament has approved amendments to an anti-money laundering law to make it more effective in targeting the financing of extremists and bring it into line with global standards, officials said on Nov. 26.

Two French nationals, brothers aged 20 and 28, who were arrested in Bulgaria in June, were indicted on terrorism-related charges in France.

The two brothers, who had headed for Syria to wage jihad, were arrested in Bulgaria in June and were sent back to France, according to reports of Le Parisien.

Switzerland may tighten its anti-money laundering laws after a report by a government-appointed group found the country was still subject to financial crime. 

A report from Switzerland's interdepartmental group on combating money laundering and terrorism financing (CGMT) comes amid a corruption scandal surrounding Zurich-based FIFA, world soccer's governing body. 

Bosnia's House of Representatives on Wednesday used urgent procedures to pass amendments to criminal legislation, in a last-minute bid to avoid sanctions being imposed by Moneyval, the Council of Europe Committee on Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism.