Financial crime Malta graylisted for Financial crimes

Status: 06/24/2021 9:40 a.m.

Corruption, money laundering and “golden passports”: the Mediterranean island of Malta has fallen into twilight. An international institution to combat money laundering now wants to monitor the country more closely. The attempts by the Maltese government to avert the decision of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) were unsuccessful: The international institution for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and the financing of weapons of mass destruction has put Malta on the gray list for financial crimes, according to the Times newspaper of Malta “reported. Inclusion on this list means that the country is under increased surveillance, that it is being monitored more and more. At the same time, the state undertakes to remedy the deficiencies identified in the context of financial crime. Who is the FATF?

The Financial Action Task Force, based in Paris, is an independent international institution that develops and promotes measures to combat money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the financing of weapons of mass destruction. It was founded in 1989 by the G7 countries and currently has 37 members. More than 200 states and jurisdictions have committed to complying with the FATF standards. The FATF is supported by a secretariat affiliated with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Malta pledges cooperation

Prime Minister Robert Abela confirmed the decision and described it as “unjust”. Most of the concerns expressed by the reviewers have already been addressed. Malta wants to continue with its reform program, said Abela. “We will intensify our exchanges to better explain Malta’s achievements and to ensure that they are respected and understood by the international community.” Malta will never show itself to be uncooperative in the fight against financial crime or resist it, he assured the international partners.

Cayman Islands and Syria are also on the gray list

It is not the first time that Malta has fallen into twilight: the country has already been screened for financial crime more intensely because of its “golden passport” program. Like Cyprus, Malta had granted citizenships in return for financial commitments. The EU Commission then initiated infringement proceedings.

With the jump on the gray list of the FATF there is now a further loss of reputation for the country. As of February 2021, the FATF gray list includes countries such as Burkina Faso, the Cayman Islands, Ghana, Mauritius, Panama, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

Germany holds the FATF presidency

Germany took over the presidency of the FATF in July 2020. The term of office of Marcus Pleyer from the Federal Ministry of Finance ends on June 30, 2022.

Marcus Pleyer is currently the President of the FATF. Image: Felix Zahn / photothek.net

Incidentally, the Federal Republic of Germany is currently also being routinely audited by the FATF. In its last evaluation in 2010, the organization came to the conclusion that Germany was susceptible to money laundering and terrorist financing

Thus, this is the first airline in Vietnam to sign an electronic health passport agreement. This is the key to opening the border, creating favorable conditions for passengers to travel between countries, and at the same time meeting all entry requirements of authorities and governments at the destination. IATA will support and coordinate closely with Vietnam Airlines throughout the test run. A representative of the airline said that IATA and Vietnam Airlines will start testing in June this year. Accordingly, some passengers will be selected to download the IATA Travel Pass application for free on their mobile phones, create a digital personal profile including photos and passport information, fill in flight information to be updated on their flight requirements. epidemiological demand at the destination. In the first phase, some passengers will be selected to download the free IATA Travel Pass application to their mobile phones and create personal profiles. Photo: VNA Before departure, passengers must make an appointment and go to COVID-19 testing or vaccination at a facility designated by the Government of the host country that is registered with IATA, then share the results electronically and confirm flight status with the airline before commencing the journey. According to the airline, the application helps airlines and authorities check the validity of certificates and easily identify passengers. All this information is confidential and is only shared with the passenger’s permission. IATA Travel Pass integrates some leading digital solutions such as contactless travel, biometric data, electronic health certificates such as test results, COVID-19 vaccination, especially convenient and effective. when possible to replace the current types of paper procedures. Several airlines around the world have implemented the IATA Travel Pass. Illustration. Vietnam Airlines General Director Le Hong Ha acknowledged that Vietnam Airlines has become the pioneer airline in Vietnam to test the IATA Travel Pass, creating a big step forward for its passengers and for the domestic aviation industry. “We believe that Vietnam Airlines’ ability to accelerate digital transformation along with IATA’s extensive expertise in the aviation field will bring certain successes after this test,” said the CEO of Vietnam Airlines. According to Mr. Ha, electronic health passport solutions such as the IATA Travel Pass should be widely allowed and recognized by governments, helping to quickly restore regular international passenger transport. The most important goal is to restore passenger confidence when traveling and ensure a safe and seamless travel experience for all.” Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President of Airport Operations, Passenger, Cargo and Security said: “We are proud to welcome Vietnam Airlines as the first airline in Vietnam to apply the IATA Travel Pass. . This is a solution to facilitate international travel during the pandemic, providing peace of mind and ensuring that passengers meet all COVID-19 requirements upon entry. The IATA Travel Pass holds the key to the relaunch of the travel and tourism industry, an important contributor to the country’s economy.”

International tourists returned to Venice after Italy lifted restrictions for EU countries, the UK and Israel. Source: Reuters “Vaccine passport” or “vaccination certificate” is a document that travelers use to prove that they are fully vaccinated, have recovered from Covid-19 or have a negative test result. These vaccine certificates are expected to be digitized for display on smartphones, however a paper version should still be available. In addition, visitors must also receive vaccines that have been recognized by the EU. If you come from a “safe” country according to the EU’s assessment and complete 2 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days before departure, you will be exempted from isolation or testing when you arrive in Europe. Currently, only seven non-EU countries are on this list, including Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and China. However, this list will be added and published in a few days.

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A woman wearing a mask passed by the National Health Service (NHS) Covid-19 vaccination site in London (UK) on March 31. Photo: Tan Hoa commune

According to CNN, Dr. Carissa Etienne, Regional Director of the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO), countries should continue to use vaccines by AstraZeneca firm (UK – Sweden) in collaboration with Oxford University (UK) research, as well as WHO-approved vaccines. According to Dr. C.Etienne, nearly 200 million people worldwide have been vaccinated against the Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca / Oxford and reports of side effects are rare …

Europe

On April 14, President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union (EU) will promote the handover of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines to compensate for the Johnson & Johnson vaccines. postponed handover. It is expected that the total number of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines delivered to Europe in the second quarter will be 250 million, representing more than 50% of the total injected doses this quarter. This is a move to secure vaccine demand in the long term to prevent the development of new strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Reuters quoted some diplomatic sources as saying that EU countries have agreed to implement the vaccine passport initiative towards reopening the tourism industry in the summer. Details of this initiative will be discussed with the European Parliament (EP) in May.

According to the previously announced vaccine passport initiative, those with a certificate of vaccination have recovered from Covid-19 or tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. will be allowed to travel easily between EU countries.

The EU countries also agreed against discrimination against those who cannot or do not wish to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Carolina Health Minister Darias said Spain has received 146,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine and will use them in the injections as soon as the European Drug Administration (EMA). approved for the safety of this vaccine.

On April 14, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would extend a three-month extension of measures to protect groups believed to be vulnerable to the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. , namely those who have to rent a house. These individuals will not have a rent increase, a tenancy agreement will not be terminated and may apply for a temporary or partial rent delay or reduction.

Ukraine’s capital Kiev will extend the blockade until April 30 after the daily number of new infections and deaths from Covid-19 continues to rise, despite the strict restrictions imposed from May. 3. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko expressed concern that, if this decision is not made, the health system will be overloaded and thereby increasing the number of deaths caused by Covid-19. Kiev currently records about 1,500 new infections and more than 40 deaths a day from the epidemic.

The media of the Czech Republic reported that Germany would end the regular border controls with this country, which were applied from February 14 due to the complicated situation of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Asia

On April 14, the Indian government said that the country would cancel the 10th grade exam and postpone the 12th grade exam due to the skyrocketing number of Covid-19 cases. Specifically, the Indian Ministry of Education announced that the 10th grade exam scheduled to take place from 4-5 to June 14 will be canceled, and the results will be ranked according to the criteria set by this ministry. Grade 12 exams scheduled to take place during the above time will be postponed and held later.

India is witnessing a sharp increase in the number of new Covid-19 cases. On April 14, the country continued to record with an additional 184,372 cases positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the highest level in 1 day since the outbreak.

On April 14, strict blockade measures took effect in Bangladesh to control a new wave of infections. During the eight days of a blockade, people were only allowed to go out to buy medicine, food or in emergencies.

Americas

According to the scientists, the P1 variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was first discovered in Brazil and is the main cause of the country’s new wave of infection, which is mutating that it avoids good antibodies. than. Changes in this strain could cause the virus to increase resistance to the vaccine, affecting the severity of an outbreak in the most populous country in Latin America.

Step 1: Access to https://www.bluezone.gov.vn or directly download at App Store or Play Store.

Step 2: Once downloaded, the app will ask for Bluetooth permission to record contact with other Bluezone installed users. If Bluetooth isn’t open, drag the status notification bar and turn on Bluetooth; Or go to Settings, select Bluetooth and turn it on.

Step 3: After the installation is complete, click Scan Around. If someone near you less than 2m has used Bluezone, the application will automatically identify these users and put them on the contact list.