The national effort to combat money laundering, tax evasion and terrorist financing has certainly led to the removal of Tunisia from the "list of countries under the supervision of the FATF", but vigilance is still required. All authorities and structures involved in these cases as well as natural and legal persons are called upon to cooperate further and to denounce suspicions of money laundering and any illicit practices. This is the invitation launched, Wednesday, December 16, 2020, by the officials of the BCT who intervened at a videoconference dedicated to the presentation of the 2018-2019 activity report of the Tunisian Commission for Financial Analysis (CTAF), under the chairmanship of the Governor of the BCT, Marouane El Abassi.

According to CTAF President Lotfi Hachicha, the years 2018-2019 "constitute the starting point for cooperation between the CTAF and designated non-financial companies and professions and their supervisory authorities. Several objectives have been achieved, mainly the publication of regulatory texts, the organization of awareness days, the conduct of AML/CFT (money laundering-terrorist financing) inspections by inspectors of the supervisory authorities and the receipt of suspicious reports (DS)". Magazines and documents in free access on the WMC kiosk In concrete terms, the CTAF has frozen the equivalent of 86 million dinars as part of its preventive approach against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

It observed, at the end of its work, that 78% of the files processed in 2019 for money laundering, were still at the stage of stacking or dispersal, against 64% in 2018.

More than a thousand reports of suspicion received

In addition, 29% of the cases processed in 2019 were at the integration stage compared to 20% in 2018.

During these two years, the Commission received 1 112 suspicious reports (SDs), of which 245 cases were processed and 710 files were sent to the competent authorities. Most suspicious reports (36% in 2019) concern fraud and the use of forgeries, 29% concern smuggling and 12% concern corruption.

"Although the number of DS received by the CTAF from banks represents 86% of declarative flows and continued to increase in 2019 to reach 89%, it is important to mark the beginning of a declarative effort on the part of other taxable persons, including in particular the Designated Non-Financial Enterprises and Professions (DNFBP)", reads the CTAF report.

The committee attributes this "favourable development" to the continuous effort made by the CTAF in terms of training and communication with taxable persons, with a view to raising their awareness of the challenges of the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).

It also explains it by the inspection missions carried out by the various supervisory and regulatory authorities. The report shows that it is natural persons who account for 71% of the total SDs received in 2019 compared to 75% a year earlier.

A computer system to detect suspicious transactions

"The year 2019 was marked by an increase in SDs received on behalf of natural persons, peaking at 421 compared to 386 declarations in 2018, an increase of 9%. Also, the number of SDs received in the names of legal persons recorded an increase of 34% to 176 declarations against 129 declarations, a year earlier".

The author of the statement must refrain from informing the person concerned of the statement to which he or she has been subject and of the resulting measures. The CTAF and the BCT advocate, in fact, in favour of the installation with financial institutions of an efficient computer system to detect suspicious transactions, the provision of compliance and internal control services of these institutions, the necessary prerogatives and the resources and means essential to their work.

The governor of the BCT, Marouane Abbassi, spoke during the videoconference, the decashing process, the challenge of digitalization and the means of fighting against the informal, where we can detect the most financial embezzlement.

He said to this effect "if we enter into digital payment and interoperability, we can process everything with the required speed. All administrations involved in informal cash must cooperate to identify the phenomenon. With less taxation too, we can integrate the informal into the formal and we are working on this with the parties and departments concerned."

An action plan to consolidate Tunisia's institutional arsenal

As a reminder, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) adopted, in 2017, for Tunisia, an action plan to consolidate not only its institutional, legal and regulatory arsenal, but above all to improve its effectiveness.

Within the framework of this plan, for 17 months, the creation of the national register of companies (to allow the traceability of the beneficial owner of the financial transactions of companies and the inclusion of associations and liberal professions), the amendment of Organic Law No. 2015-26 on the fight against terrorism and the suppression of money laundering, the progress of asset and account freezing operations in connection with money laundering and the financing of terrorism and other steps.