§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents possibly related to money laundering(a) the In land Revenue and (b) Customs and Excise reported to the appropriate investigative agencies in each year since 1997; and how many prosecutions each year resulted from these reports. [185165]
§ Caroline FlintPowers to allow this Inland Revenue to pass disclosures relating to incidents of suspected money laundering to other investigatory agencies came into force with other provisions of the Anti-terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001 on 14 December 2001.
Since that time the number of disclosures passed to the appropriate agencies by the Inland Revenue in each tax year has been as follows:
Number 2001–02 0 2002–03 3 2003–04 7 The Inland Revenue do not have the power to prosecute incidents of suspected money laundering.
For HM Customs and Excise (HMCE), the investigation of money laundering is an assigned matter with the result that, where investigators from the organisation discover incidences of its occurrence, they are empowered to investigate and prosecute the offence themselves and do not need to make disclosures to another agency.
HMCE may refer cases to another agency where their investigations find that money laundering is related to offences which are not assigned, for example people trafficking or robbery. Since 2001, 17 money laundering cases have been referred to other agencies for them to pursue.
The information provided by disclosures relating to incidents of money laundering is used by law enforcement agencies in a variety of ways to detect crime and trace the proceeds of criminal activity. For example, such information may contribute to an ongoing investigation, be the trigger for a new one, or be held on the relevant intelligence databases for future cases.
Given the variety of ways in which this information is used, it is not possible to link particular disclosures with particular prosecutions and convict ions in the majority of cases.