U.A.E. Must Do More to Stop Laundering, Watchdog Says

(Bloomberg) -- The United Arab Emirates must do more to effectively combat money laundering and terrorist funding, according to the Financial Action Task Force, a Paris-based global watchdog.

While the Persian Gulf nation has improved its legal framework to fight illicit financing, “law enforcement agencies are not routinely identifying and targeting major laundering cases in line with the U.A.E.’s risk profile,” the organization said in a tweet. “There were just 33 convictions for money laundering 2013-2018.”

An official handling foreign media at the U.A.E. finance ministry and a representative for the ministry of economy didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

After an evaluation of the oil-rich country, the task force called for the U.A.E. government to pursue professional money launderers, close loopholes in gold and property markets, and make company structures more transparent.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.