|
|
Sanctions:
The EU have adopted restrictive measures against individuals
responsible for misappropriation of State funds. These individuals
will be members of the ousted Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine
Ben Ali's government and family members.
For further information, please click on the following link: -
http://www.europa-eu-un.org/articles/en/article_10614_en.htm
November 28, 2011 - The Arab League (comprising 22 Arab
member states), of which this country is a member, has approved
imposing sanctions on Syria. These include: -
* Cutting off transactions with the Syrian central bank
* Halting funding by Arab governments for projects in Syria
* A ban on senior Syrian officials travelling to other Arab countries
* A freeze on assets related to President Bashar al-Assad's
government
The declaration also calls on Arab central banks to monitor
transfers to Syria, with the exception of remittances from Syrians
abroad.
For further information, click here
The Arab League (comprising 22 Arab member states), of which
this country is a member, has boycotted Israel in a systematic
effort to isolate Israel economically in support of the Palestinians,
however, the implementation of the boycott has varied over time
among member states..
There are three tiers to the boycott. The primary boycott prohibits
the importation of Israeli-origin goods and services into boycotting
countries. The secondary boycott prohibits individuals, as well as
private and public sector firms and organizations, in member
countries from engaging in business with any entity that does
business in Israel. The Arab League maintains a blacklist of such
firms. The tertiary boycott prohibits any
entity in a member country from doing business with a company or
individual that has business dealings with U.S. or other firms on
the Arab League blacklist.
____________________________________________________
Offshore Jurisdiction Blacklists – Further Information:
As a recognised offshore finance jurisdiction this country may fall
under various country offshore jurisdiction blacklists.
____________________________________________________
US State Department Money Laundering Report - 2011:
Tunisia is not considered an important regional financial center.
Tunisia has strict currency exchange controls which authorities
believe mitigate the risk of international money laundering. There
is a low level of crime in Tunisia. The primary domestic criminal
activities that generate laundered funds are clandestine
immigration, trafficking in stolen vehicles, and narcotics. There
also is informal economic activity involving smuggled goods.
However, there is no evidence to suggest significant levels of
narcotics are involved or that smuggling generates funds that are
laundered through the financial system.
As of yearend 2009, Tunisia had eight offshore banks and a
considerable number of offshore international business
companies. Tunisia also has two free trade zones, in Bizerte and
Zarzis, with a limited number of companies manufacturing
products for export. There are no offshore financial institutions
located in either free trade zone.
DO FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ENGAGE IN CURRENCY
TRANSACTIONS RELATED TO INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS
TRAFFICKING THAT INCLUDE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF US
CURRENCY; CURRENCY DERIVED FROM ILLEGAL SALES IN
THE U.S.; OR THAT OTHERWISE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT THE
U.S.: NO
CRIMINALIZATION OF MONEY LAUNDERING:
“All serious crimes” approach or “list” approach to predicate
crimes: All serious crimes
Legal persons covered: criminally: YES civilly: YES
CRIMINALIZATION OF TERRORIST FINANCING:
Ability to freeze terrorist assets without delay: YES
UN lists of designated terrorists or terrorist entities distributed to
financial institutions: YES
(Please refer to the Department of State’s 2009 Country Reports
on Terrorism, which can be found here: http://www.state.
gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2009/140886.htm)
KNOW-YOUR-CUSTOMER RULES:
Covered entities: All financial institutions
Enhanced due diligence procedures for PEPs: Foreign: YES
Domestic: YES
SUSPICIOUS TRANSACTION REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:
Covered entities: All financial institutions and financial
intermediaries
Number of STRs received and time frame: Not available
Number of CTRs received and time frame: Not available
MONEY LAUNDERING CRIMINAL
PROSECUTIONS/CONVICTIONS:
Prosecutions: Not available
Convictions: Not available
Assets forfeited: criminally: Not available civilly: Not available
RECORDS EXCHANGE MECHANISM:
With U.S.: NO
With other governments/jurisdictions: YES
Tunisia is a member of the Middle East North Africa Financial
Action Task Force (MENAFATF), a Financial Action Task Force-
style regional body. Its most recent mutual evaluation can be
found here: http://www.menafatf.
org/images/UploadFiles/MENAFATF.7.07.E.P5R2%20_with%
20response_.pdf
ENFORCEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES AND
COMMENTS:
The Government of Tunisia (GOT) should continue to implement
and enhance its anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing
(AML/CFT) regime. GOT authorities should disseminate statistics
and benchmarks such as prosecutions and convictions that will
aid in measuring progress. Since Tunisia has strict currency
controls, in all likelihood informal remittance systems such as
hawala are prevalent. Authorities should examine underground
finance and its possible link to money laundering and extremist
finance. Regionally, invoice manipulation and customs fraud is
often involved in hawala counter-valuation. As a result, authorities
should be aware of trade-based laundering and value transfer.
All offshore financial institutions are held to the same regulatory
standards as onshore financial institutions. Offshore financial
institutions undergo the same due diligence process as onshore
banks and are licensed only after the Central Bank investigates
their references and the Ministry of Finance approves their
applications. Anonymous directors are not allowed. Offshore
international business companies are subject to all regulatory
requirements, except for tax requirements and currency
convertibility restrictions. Bearer financial instruments or shares
are strictly prohibited.
____________________________________________________
US State Dept Narcotics Report 2011 (introduction):
No report available
____________________________________________________
US State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report 2011
(introduction):
(Tier 2 Watch List)
Tunisia is a source, destination, and possible transit country for
men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex
trafficking. Some Tunisian girls in domestic work in Tunis and
other governorates are trafficking victims. In northwest Tunisia, a
network of brokers and hiring agencies facilitates child domestic
work and domestic servitude, sometimes via weekly markets. One
study and information from an NGO indicate that 30 percent of
the girls enter domestic work before the age of 14; some enter as
early as ages 6 or 7. The majority has no vacation, no work
contracts, and the ones who live in their employers’ homes have
neither set hours of work nor freedom of movement. Almost all of
the girls in the study admitted ill-treatment, including forced
starvation and physical abuse; approximately one-fifth of the girls
surveyed have been sexually abused as well. Thirty percent were
forced to leave school, two-thirds want to change jobs, and almost
all were unaware of labor laws. Fathers take and have control of
the salary until the girls reach about 16 or 17. These are
indicators of potential forced labor.
In 2010 and 2009, seven Tunisian females were rescued from
forced prostitution in Lebanon and a female from Cote D’Ivoire
was forced into domestic servitude by a senior staff member of
the African Development Bank in Tunis. In that same period, an
online magazine alleged that dozens of children under 16 were
victims of forced labor and prostitution for Libyan tourists. In 2008,
two women were rescued from forced prostitution in Jordan and
three men from forced labor in Italy.
The Government of Tunisia does not fully comply with the
minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and has been
placed on Tier 2 Watch List for the last three consecutive years.
Tunisia was not placed on Tier 3 per Section 107 of the 2008
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, however, as
the government has a written plan that, if implemented, would
constitute making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance
with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is
devoting sufficient resources to implement that plan. Under the
leadership of former Tunisian President Ben Ali, the government
did not show evidence of progress in prosecuting and convicting
trafficking offenders, proactively identifying or protecting
trafficking victims, or raising public awareness of human trafficking
over the last year. Victims of trafficking likely remain undetected
because of a lack of the previous government’s effort to identify
them among vulnerable groups. However, in January 2011, Ben
Ali was removed from power after 24 years of rule as the result of
a popular revolution. The interim Government of Tunisia that
replaced the Ben Ali regime has indicated their commitment to
fight human trafficking through important initial steps. Most
notably, the current government has established a National
Commission to Combat Trafficking in Persons and is drafting
comprehensive counter-trafficking legislation.
For full report click here
____________________________________________________
US State Dept Terrorism Report 2010
Overview: The Government of Tunisia placed a high priority on
countering terrorism, using tight border and internal security
controls to deter the formation of terrorist groups and block any
potential for terrorist actions; social programs to reduce the
impact of high unemployment and help prevent radicalization; and
prosecution to punish potential terrorists. Domestically, the
Tunisian government had a strong internal security apparatus
through which it provided a tight security net across the country
including check points, and unannounced identity document
checks. It provided extensive security for those events or persons
that could potentially attract terrorist attention, such as the annual
Jewish pilgrimage to the island of Djerba, soccer games, and
public demonstrations.
Legislation and Law Enforcement: The Tunisian government
prosecuted at least 40 separate terrorism-related cases in 2010,
many including multiple defendants. Of those cases, two involved
people accused of joining a terrorist group outside the country,
one case included charges of providing weapons, two cases
involved receiving training for terrorist purposes, and several
cases included charges of recruiting. The majority of charges,
however, related to collecting money without authorization, joining
a terrorist group, setting up an illegal group, holding unauthorized
meetings, neglecting to inform the authorities of terrorist acts,
and/or downloading prohibited material.
Countering Terrorist Finance: Tunisia is a member of the Middle
East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF).
The head of Tunisia's Financial Intelligence Unit served as
MENAFATF’s President in 2010. The Tunisian government has
complied with UNSCRs 1267 and 1373 in many respects,
generally concerning the implementation of effective financial
controls in Tunisia. There were at least four court cases in 2010
where individuals were charged with collecting or donating money
with intent to support terrorist goals.
Regional and International Cooperation: The principal focus of
Tunisian government counterterrorism efforts was to secure its
territory. Thus, it worked with its neighbors Libya, Algeria, France,
and Italy to seek information on migration and smuggling issues
and to improve its border security. In December, the Tunisian
government signed a new security agreement with Mauritania.
Tunisia is a Mediterranean Partner for Cooperation in the OSCE.
The Tunisian government participated in the October OSCE
Mediterranean Conference on European Security, and in the
December OSCE Summit in Kazakhstan. In his presentation at the
OSCE Summit, Secretary of State for Maghreb, Arab, and African
Affairs Harguem emphasized Tunisia's commitment to countering
terrorism, expressed concern that unilateral security measures
have reached the limits of their effectiveness, and called for
greater international mobilization to create a global response to
the phenomena of marginalization, exclusion, and poverty that
encourage violent extremism. Tunisia is also host to the Arab
League's Arab Interior Ministers' Council, which meets annually. In
the December meeting, the ministers focused on combating
terrorist use of the Internet. Tunisia acceded to the International
Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, as
well as the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical
Protection of Nuclear Material.
Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism: The Tunisian
government continued to maintain tight control over the religious
establishment, appointing imams, dictating Friday sermons,
closing mosques between prayer times, refurbishing mosques in
need of repair, and keeping watch at the local level over who
attends services. The Tunisian government promoted a moderate
form of Islam through the educational system and the media.
The EU have adopted restrictive measures against individuals
responsible for misappropriation of State funds. These individuals
will be members of the ousted Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine
Ben Ali's government and family members.
For further information, please click on the following link: -
http://www.europa-eu-un.org/articles/en/article_10614_en.htm
November 28, 2011 - The Arab League (comprising 22 Arab
member states), of which this country is a member, has approved
imposing sanctions on Syria. These include: -
* Cutting off transactions with the Syrian central bank
* Halting funding by Arab governments for projects in Syria
* A ban on senior Syrian officials travelling to other Arab countries
* A freeze on assets related to President Bashar al-Assad's
government
The declaration also calls on Arab central banks to monitor
transfers to Syria, with the exception of remittances from Syrians
abroad.
For further information, click here
The Arab League (comprising 22 Arab member states), of which
this country is a member, has boycotted Israel in a systematic
effort to isolate Israel economically in support of the Palestinians,
however, the implementation of the boycott has varied over time
among member states..
There are three tiers to the boycott. The primary boycott prohibits
the importation of Israeli-origin goods and services into boycotting
countries. The secondary boycott prohibits individuals, as well as
private and public sector firms and organizations, in member
countries from engaging in business with any entity that does
business in Israel. The Arab League maintains a blacklist of such
firms. The tertiary boycott prohibits any
entity in a member country from doing business with a company or
individual that has business dealings with U.S. or other firms on
the Arab League blacklist.
____________________________________________________
Offshore Jurisdiction Blacklists – Further Information:
As a recognised offshore finance jurisdiction this country may fall
under various country offshore jurisdiction blacklists.
____________________________________________________
US State Department Money Laundering Report - 2011:
Tunisia is not considered an important regional financial center.
Tunisia has strict currency exchange controls which authorities
believe mitigate the risk of international money laundering. There
is a low level of crime in Tunisia. The primary domestic criminal
activities that generate laundered funds are clandestine
immigration, trafficking in stolen vehicles, and narcotics. There
also is informal economic activity involving smuggled goods.
However, there is no evidence to suggest significant levels of
narcotics are involved or that smuggling generates funds that are
laundered through the financial system.
As of yearend 2009, Tunisia had eight offshore banks and a
considerable number of offshore international business
companies. Tunisia also has two free trade zones, in Bizerte and
Zarzis, with a limited number of companies manufacturing
products for export. There are no offshore financial institutions
located in either free trade zone.
DO FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ENGAGE IN CURRENCY
TRANSACTIONS RELATED TO INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS
TRAFFICKING THAT INCLUDE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF US
CURRENCY; CURRENCY DERIVED FROM ILLEGAL SALES IN
THE U.S.; OR THAT OTHERWISE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT THE
U.S.: NO
CRIMINALIZATION OF MONEY LAUNDERING:
“All serious crimes” approach or “list” approach to predicate
crimes: All serious crimes
Legal persons covered: criminally: YES civilly: YES
CRIMINALIZATION OF TERRORIST FINANCING:
Ability to freeze terrorist assets without delay: YES
UN lists of designated terrorists or terrorist entities distributed to
financial institutions: YES
(Please refer to the Department of State’s 2009 Country Reports
on Terrorism, which can be found here: http://www.state.
gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2009/140886.htm)
KNOW-YOUR-CUSTOMER RULES:
Covered entities: All financial institutions
Enhanced due diligence procedures for PEPs: Foreign: YES
Domestic: YES
SUSPICIOUS TRANSACTION REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:
Covered entities: All financial institutions and financial
intermediaries
Number of STRs received and time frame: Not available
Number of CTRs received and time frame: Not available
MONEY LAUNDERING CRIMINAL
PROSECUTIONS/CONVICTIONS:
Prosecutions: Not available
Convictions: Not available
Assets forfeited: criminally: Not available civilly: Not available
RECORDS EXCHANGE MECHANISM:
With U.S.: NO
With other governments/jurisdictions: YES
Tunisia is a member of the Middle East North Africa Financial
Action Task Force (MENAFATF), a Financial Action Task Force-
style regional body. Its most recent mutual evaluation can be
found here: http://www.menafatf.
org/images/UploadFiles/MENAFATF.7.07.E.P5R2%20_with%
20response_.pdf
ENFORCEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES AND
COMMENTS:
The Government of Tunisia (GOT) should continue to implement
and enhance its anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing
(AML/CFT) regime. GOT authorities should disseminate statistics
and benchmarks such as prosecutions and convictions that will
aid in measuring progress. Since Tunisia has strict currency
controls, in all likelihood informal remittance systems such as
hawala are prevalent. Authorities should examine underground
finance and its possible link to money laundering and extremist
finance. Regionally, invoice manipulation and customs fraud is
often involved in hawala counter-valuation. As a result, authorities
should be aware of trade-based laundering and value transfer.
All offshore financial institutions are held to the same regulatory
standards as onshore financial institutions. Offshore financial
institutions undergo the same due diligence process as onshore
banks and are licensed only after the Central Bank investigates
their references and the Ministry of Finance approves their
applications. Anonymous directors are not allowed. Offshore
international business companies are subject to all regulatory
requirements, except for tax requirements and currency
convertibility restrictions. Bearer financial instruments or shares
are strictly prohibited.
____________________________________________________
US State Dept Narcotics Report 2011 (introduction):
No report available
____________________________________________________
US State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report 2011
(introduction):
(Tier 2 Watch List)
Tunisia is a source, destination, and possible transit country for
men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex
trafficking. Some Tunisian girls in domestic work in Tunis and
other governorates are trafficking victims. In northwest Tunisia, a
network of brokers and hiring agencies facilitates child domestic
work and domestic servitude, sometimes via weekly markets. One
study and information from an NGO indicate that 30 percent of
the girls enter domestic work before the age of 14; some enter as
early as ages 6 or 7. The majority has no vacation, no work
contracts, and the ones who live in their employers’ homes have
neither set hours of work nor freedom of movement. Almost all of
the girls in the study admitted ill-treatment, including forced
starvation and physical abuse; approximately one-fifth of the girls
surveyed have been sexually abused as well. Thirty percent were
forced to leave school, two-thirds want to change jobs, and almost
all were unaware of labor laws. Fathers take and have control of
the salary until the girls reach about 16 or 17. These are
indicators of potential forced labor.
In 2010 and 2009, seven Tunisian females were rescued from
forced prostitution in Lebanon and a female from Cote D’Ivoire
was forced into domestic servitude by a senior staff member of
the African Development Bank in Tunis. In that same period, an
online magazine alleged that dozens of children under 16 were
victims of forced labor and prostitution for Libyan tourists. In 2008,
two women were rescued from forced prostitution in Jordan and
three men from forced labor in Italy.
The Government of Tunisia does not fully comply with the
minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and has been
placed on Tier 2 Watch List for the last three consecutive years.
Tunisia was not placed on Tier 3 per Section 107 of the 2008
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, however, as
the government has a written plan that, if implemented, would
constitute making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance
with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is
devoting sufficient resources to implement that plan. Under the
leadership of former Tunisian President Ben Ali, the government
did not show evidence of progress in prosecuting and convicting
trafficking offenders, proactively identifying or protecting
trafficking victims, or raising public awareness of human trafficking
over the last year. Victims of trafficking likely remain undetected
because of a lack of the previous government’s effort to identify
them among vulnerable groups. However, in January 2011, Ben
Ali was removed from power after 24 years of rule as the result of
a popular revolution. The interim Government of Tunisia that
replaced the Ben Ali regime has indicated their commitment to
fight human trafficking through important initial steps. Most
notably, the current government has established a National
Commission to Combat Trafficking in Persons and is drafting
comprehensive counter-trafficking legislation.
For full report click here
____________________________________________________
US State Dept Terrorism Report 2010
Overview: The Government of Tunisia placed a high priority on
countering terrorism, using tight border and internal security
controls to deter the formation of terrorist groups and block any
potential for terrorist actions; social programs to reduce the
impact of high unemployment and help prevent radicalization; and
prosecution to punish potential terrorists. Domestically, the
Tunisian government had a strong internal security apparatus
through which it provided a tight security net across the country
including check points, and unannounced identity document
checks. It provided extensive security for those events or persons
that could potentially attract terrorist attention, such as the annual
Jewish pilgrimage to the island of Djerba, soccer games, and
public demonstrations.
Legislation and Law Enforcement: The Tunisian government
prosecuted at least 40 separate terrorism-related cases in 2010,
many including multiple defendants. Of those cases, two involved
people accused of joining a terrorist group outside the country,
one case included charges of providing weapons, two cases
involved receiving training for terrorist purposes, and several
cases included charges of recruiting. The majority of charges,
however, related to collecting money without authorization, joining
a terrorist group, setting up an illegal group, holding unauthorized
meetings, neglecting to inform the authorities of terrorist acts,
and/or downloading prohibited material.
Countering Terrorist Finance: Tunisia is a member of the Middle
East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF).
The head of Tunisia's Financial Intelligence Unit served as
MENAFATF’s President in 2010. The Tunisian government has
complied with UNSCRs 1267 and 1373 in many respects,
generally concerning the implementation of effective financial
controls in Tunisia. There were at least four court cases in 2010
where individuals were charged with collecting or donating money
with intent to support terrorist goals.
Regional and International Cooperation: The principal focus of
Tunisian government counterterrorism efforts was to secure its
territory. Thus, it worked with its neighbors Libya, Algeria, France,
and Italy to seek information on migration and smuggling issues
and to improve its border security. In December, the Tunisian
government signed a new security agreement with Mauritania.
Tunisia is a Mediterranean Partner for Cooperation in the OSCE.
The Tunisian government participated in the October OSCE
Mediterranean Conference on European Security, and in the
December OSCE Summit in Kazakhstan. In his presentation at the
OSCE Summit, Secretary of State for Maghreb, Arab, and African
Affairs Harguem emphasized Tunisia's commitment to countering
terrorism, expressed concern that unilateral security measures
have reached the limits of their effectiveness, and called for
greater international mobilization to create a global response to
the phenomena of marginalization, exclusion, and poverty that
encourage violent extremism. Tunisia is also host to the Arab
League's Arab Interior Ministers' Council, which meets annually. In
the December meeting, the ministers focused on combating
terrorist use of the Internet. Tunisia acceded to the International
Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, as
well as the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical
Protection of Nuclear Material.
Countering Radicalization and Violent Extremism: The Tunisian
government continued to maintain tight control over the religious
establishment, appointing imams, dictating Friday sermons,
closing mosques between prayer times, refurbishing mosques in
need of repair, and keeping watch at the local level over who
attends services. The Tunisian government promoted a moderate
form of Islam through the educational system and the media.
|
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
*Please note that FATF deems that a country has significant aml deficiencies if
any of the 'Core' Recommendations, R1, R5, R10, R13, SRII, or SRIV are rated
either Partially of Non-Compliant. These are marked in red.
For FATF to remove a country from the regular follow-up process, it has to be rated
Compliant or Largely Compliant in the above mentioned Core Recommendations
and the following Key Recommendations: -
R3, R4, R23, R26, R35, R36, R40, SRI, SRIII, SRV
Please also note that any risk assessment should take into consideration all
follow-up reports.
any of the 'Core' Recommendations, R1, R5, R10, R13, SRII, or SRIV are rated
either Partially of Non-Compliant. These are marked in red.
For FATF to remove a country from the regular follow-up process, it has to be rated
Compliant or Largely Compliant in the above mentioned Core Recommendations
and the following Key Recommendations: -
R3, R4, R23, R26, R35, R36, R40, SRI, SRIII, SRV
Please also note that any risk assessment should take into consideration all
follow-up reports.
|
| Further Tables |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TUNISIA |
| KnowYourCountry |
|
________________________________________________________
AML News / Updates
February 1, 2011 - EU adopts restrictive measures against individuals
responsible for misappropriation of State funds in Tunisia
Read Summary....
January 28, 2011 - EU set to freeze assets of Tunisia's Ben Ali
Read more.....
January 23, 2011 - US Treasury issues guidance to financial
institutions on recent events in Tunisia.
Read report.....
Links:
Worldwide AML Legislation (International Bar Association)
AML News / Updates
February 1, 2011 - EU adopts restrictive measures against individuals
responsible for misappropriation of State funds in Tunisia
Read Summary....
January 28, 2011 - EU set to freeze assets of Tunisia's Ben Ali
Read more.....
January 23, 2011 - US Treasury issues guidance to financial
institutions on recent events in Tunisia.
Read report.....
Links:
Worldwide AML Legislation (International Bar Association)
|
| Last Updated: 16 April 2012 |