FATF removes Ukraine from money laundering blacklist

The intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force against money laundering (FATF) has removed Ukraine from its blacklist, the Ukrainian Presidential Administration said here Monday. "Ukraine has largely fulfilled its commitments under the Action Plan and eradicated strategic deficiencies that FATF has identified in February 2010," Iryna Akimova, the first deputy head of the Presidential Administration said at a press briefing. She said the FATF commission on Money Laundering approved resolution on October 29 at a plenary session to remove Ukraine from black list of countries that do not fight legalization of dirty money. According to her, the decision was preceded by a long-term work of the Ukrainian Government, the National Bank and the State Financial Monitoring Service. They have developed bills that bring Ukrainian legislation into conformity with the requirements of the FATF. Ukraine was included on the blacklist on February 2010 due to a lack of legislation on fighting money laundering. The Paris-based FATF was founded in 1989 with the purpose of developing and promoting policies at national and international levels to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. It currently has 36 members.