Tunisia's removal from the European AML/CFT list will inevitably strengthen its image as a country that respects international financial transparency standards and is a reliable site for foreign investment. This withdrawal is the result of tireless efforts by Tunisian diplomacy.

The European Commission permanently removes Tunisia from the blacklist on money laundering. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, in a statement published yesterday, Friday 19 June, the definitive withdrawal of Tunisia from the Updated List of Third Countries with Strategic Deficiencies in their Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism measures. Thanks to this new ranking, our country is recognized as a state that complies with European standards in the fight against money laundering and the fight against terrorism.

Better still, the ministry said the updated list was recently published in the Official Journal of the Union following its approval by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament. It should be noted that Tunisia was first placed on the blacklist of countries that do not collaborate enough in the field of money laundering and terrorist financing before occupying the gray list in preparation for its removal from this list. Teams from the Financial Action Task Force have come to our country to ensure that the necessary steps have been taken to comply with the standards set at European Union level .

He added that the European Commission adopted on 7 May 2020 a delegated regulation proposing the removal of certain countries from the AML/CFT list of the European Union, including Tunisia. This decision takes into account the withdrawal of our country, in October 2019, from the list of countries under the supervision of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), following the measures taken by the Tunisian authorities as part of the action plan agreed with the FATF to strengthen the effectiveness of the national anti-money laundering system. and the financing of terrorism.

The Tunisian authorities should exploit this decision of the FATF in order to restore Tunisia's brand image abroad and attract new investors interested in the creation of projects in our country. This is because one of the criteria taken into account with the decision to invest in a given country concerns the financial situation, which must be sound, transparent and fair. Some criminals use all the subterfuges to bring dirty money into a country to make it grow and profit. This money often comes from the sale of drugs and arms trafficking.

Several sectors of activity are affected by these fraudulent operations given their openness to external financing such as banks, the real estate sector and the jewelry sector. Hence the need to be vigilant and cautious to avoid money laundering. Preventive measures have been taken at all levels to avoid a possible slippage and economic operators have been sensitized to ensure that the money comes from a secure source and not contaminated by financial crimes.

For banks, for example, documents and evidence are required from anyone who intends to bring in a large amount of money from abroad. The procedures put in place should help these operators as well as state officials to discover in a timely manner a possible attempt to bring ill-gotten money into Tunisia. In this case, the transfer is refused and the perpetrator of the operation is submitted to the judicial authorities so that they take their decision against him by referring to the legislation in force that severely punishes anyone who tries or wants to bring dirty money into our country.

"Tunisia's removal from the European AML/CFT list will inevitably strengthen its image as a country that respects international financial transparency standards and is a reliable site for foreign investment. This withdrawal is the result of tireless steps taken by Tunisian diplomacy, the day after our country's graduation from the FATF list , both with the European institutions and with the EU Member States in order to popularize the efforts made by all Tunisian stakeholders to comply with international AML/CFT standards," the Foreign Ministry stressed.

Another aspect of the FATF that should not be overlooked is the financing of terrorism. Indeed, terrorists are spread across several countries of the world and need the money for the acquisition of weapons and war accessories. This funding for terrorists must be abolished and prevented from reaching their destination so as not to cause disasters in this world. Hence the need for all countries to work together to call to order anyone who intends to provide financing to terrorists to commit their crime. At this level too, precautions are taken from the outset to refuse money intended to engage terrorism. It is defined as any act committed by a person or group of persons aimed at destabilizing the State or destroying public and private property. Tunisia has experienced such acts as those of the Bardo Museum, a hotel in Sousse and a place of worship in Djerba. Such acts have had unfortunate consequences for the Tunisian economy and the consequences are still noticeable.