NCJ Number
143016
Date Published
1992
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Hong Kong's government finally has begun to acknowledge money laundering after years of denial.
Abstract
Police estimate that HK$6 million in drug money was being laundered in Hong Kong each day in 1989. That same year, the Narcotics Bureau's Financial Investigations Group was established to enforce the Drug Trafficking (Recovery of Proceeds) Ordinance. HK$357 million of alleged drug money had been seized by the Narcotics Bureau as of April 1990 pending the trial of individuals charged with trafficking offenses. At this time, bank secrecy is not so strict. Financial institutions under restraining orders are required to cooperate with the authorities, and inaction can lead to an institution being held in contempt of court. Consequently, banks and other financial institutions have appointed "compliance officers" to detect and report suspected drug proceeds. The ordinance passes much of the burden of enforcement on to the banks, as banks now are liable if they can be shown to have handled drug money. No one can say with absolute certainty what percentage of Hong Kong's banking business is attributable to money laundering. 11 notes and 31 references