Have you prioritized the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing risks in your company? Learn about four stories that will show you the importance of managing transparent, safe and reliable processes in your company.
Surely you know that there are many ways to protect your business from money laundering, but are you aware of the specific risks that this crime could bring if you do not activate prevention strategies?
The consequences of poor ML/FT risk management can range from loss of prestige, reputational damage, a decrease in clients, to the total loss of assets. In these 4 cases you will learn the importance of being alert and having transparency and surveillance tools to mitigate these risks.
Case 1: the merchant
He was one of the most renowned merchants in the country. In the market places he was a reference for being one of the pioneers of the supply sector. However, he began to have problems because his partner was added to an international list of people who had financial relations with the mafia and was convicted of drug trafficking and money laundering.
The merchant had his accounts canceled and his companies went bankrupt, because it was shown that all the companies his partner was part of were involved in this crime. Finally, his estate of him was requested through extinction of domain.
Money laundering refers to those actions that seek to hide the origin, ownership or status of any asset resulting from any illegal activity.
Case 2: the financial company
It was launched as a great innovation: a financial company dedicated to gold and minerals. After 10 years of operation, its manager was captured. The reason: money laundering.
Apparently the origin of this mineral would have been illegal. Its leaders allied with illegal groups that carried out illegal extractions and, at the same time, exercised territorial control in conflict zones. 30 years in prison were handed down and he, along with his partners and his family, were tried for this and other crimes.
Case 3: the sports club
A manager and owner of a sports club had a company that brought in merchandise from abroad for hundreds of millions of pesos. Some time later, the authority discovered that this was nothing more than a front for active smuggling and laundering.
The director, who also constituted the board of directors of one of the most important soccer teams in the country, also committed falsification of documents. This caused part of the team’s shares to be frozen and its more than 60 properties requested for domain extinction.
Case 4: the multinational
The money that a large company had prioritized for its social projects was left in the hands of 4 workers. These were those responsible for the project within the organization, but they diverted said resources through illegal agreements with a false corporation.
The legal representatives signed the payments to the corporation trusting their workers. The leaders, realizing what their workers were doing, denounced them to recover nearly 30,000 million of their capital.
What lessons do these cases leave?
Validate your counterparties or third parties with an expert legal team and initiate contractual relationships knowing the background of potential partners.
Train all your company’s staff in managing these risks, so that everyone is alert to warning signs .
Complying with the standard and having a self-control and comprehensive risk management system helps you prevent these risks before they materialize.
Guarantee access to reliable, transparent and timely information with technological tools or digital platforms that help you manage these risks, regardless of whether your company is small, medium or large.
Implementing ML/FT risk prevention and mitigation processes is imperative for organizations. At Cadena, we have effective solutions and tools against money laundering and terrorist financing. Learn more here.
Organizations, leaders and collaborators must know that these risk scenarios exist and that it is necessary to have tools and information to prevent them.
