COLOMBO: The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Inland Revenue to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, Central Bank said in a statement on Monday.
The agreement is to exchange information between the two institutions in order to facilitate investigations and prosecutions on money laundering and terrorist financing.
Money laundering and terrorist financing are internationally and domestically connected financial crimes which could threaten the stability of global economic and financial system, the Central Bank said.
With the increase of tax related crimes all over the world, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the international policy setter on AML/CFT, recommends countries to incorporate tax crimes as predicate offence to money laundering. In this background, domestic coordination and cooperation between the FIU and the Department of Inland Revenue would help strengthen existing AML mechanism in Sri Lanka in relation to tax evasion, the Bank said.
The FIU has already entered into similar MOUs with Sri Lanka Customs and Department of Immigration and Emigration while arrangements are being made to sign MOUs with other relevant domestic government agencies for the above purpose soon.
Commissioner General, Department of Inland Revenue Mrs. Kalyani Dahanayake and Director, FIU Mr. H. Amarathunga, signed the MOU on behalf of the respective institutions in the presence of the Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy, who is also the Chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) National Coordinating Committee.
