West Lothian Council has adopted a strong new Anti-Money Laundering Policy to address cash crime.
A report to the council’s Executive outlined a zero tolerance policy to all aspects of fraud and corruption, and its commitment to upholding high standards of conduct and ethics in all areas of its work.
Money-laundering is defined as the process of taking the proceeds of criminal activity or terrorist funds and making them appear legal. It is an offence under the 2000 Terrorism Act.
As a large, multi-service provider with a lot of staff, the council is aware that opportunities exist for both small – and large-scale money-laundering activities to take place.
The new policy approved by Executive aims to ensure that suspected money laundering is identified, investigated and reported.
Leader of the council, Lawrence Fitzpatrick, said: “The council has an obligation to tackle issues like money laundering and fraud, and this policy provides the formal platform we need to address criminal activity like this.
“It includes the appointment of a Money Laundering reporting officer, to ensure referrals from employees, elected members and third parties of suspected money laundering activity are properly investigated and where appropriate are reported to the relevant authorities.”
