UAE extradites 43 in three years for money-laundering crimes
UAE authorities have extradited 899 criminals since 2020, of whom 43 were convicted of involvement in money-laundering offences.
Ten of those were either terrorists or were financing terrorist activities.
The UAE issued fines of more than Dh115 million ($31.3 million) in the first quarter of the year in its fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
“The Ministry of Justice puts the issue of strengthening international co-operation in the field of combating financial crime and organised crime at the forefront of its priorities,” Judge Abdul Rahman Al Blooshi said.
Mr Al Blooshi said the ministry had been working with partners in the country, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior and federal and local prosecutors, to forge international agreements to address money laundering, human trafficking, drug trafficking, bankrolling terrorism and other organised crimes.
This effort included 37 signed international agreements on mutual legal assistance, plus 15 collective agreements and 10 regional agreements to combat money laundering and shut down those who give financial support to terrorists.
The pacts have “resulted in making the UAE a successful model and a guarantor of the compliance of companies in various sectors” to address such serious crimes, Mr Al Blooshi said.
Last week, the Ministry of Justice
held its first conference on the role of central authorities in tackling serious offences, as well as the obstacles that may hinder co-operation.
Mr Al Blooshi told The National that the UAE had a long-standing relationship with countries around the world to handle such problems. “For us to have 32 countries at this conference is a testament and a reaffirmation of our commitment to put a stop to money laundering,” he said.
“The UAE is regularly coming up with policies and strategies to detect these crimes and to prevent the transfer of funds that result in or finance criminal activities.
“These are serious crimes that the UAE has been committed to fighting from the beginning.”
Since 2020, the UAE has been asked 3,061 times by partners to assist in either the extradition of criminals or for its assistance in thwarting criminal activities.
The Dh115 million in fines issued by the UAE in the first three months of the year was a sharp rise from last year’s Dh76 million.
During the three-day conference, recommendations were made to ensure these activities remained under control.
These included establishing direct communication channels between central authorities to enable the execution of legal and judicial requests.