The meeting, hosted by the Centre for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption (CCCEC), brings together 150 representatives of about 50 similar services from the member states. The forum is held on 11-14 October, and the event is aimed at optimizing the system of prevention and combating the money laundering and improving the international cooperation in this field. Moldova got the status of member of the EGMONT Group in May 2008.
In his speech, Vlad Filat said that Moldova, along with other states, firmly involved in the prevention and combating of the money laundering phenomenon, and well as the one of financing terrorism.
"We appreciate the efficient cooperation that we have with those 120 member states, which allows carrying out a very quick change of data to efficiently counteract the money laundering and financing terrorism. Presently, when Moldova's economy is being integrated in the world one with rapid steps, any economic offence, such as the misappropriation, swindles, embezzlements, fiscal evasions, etc., may be regarded through the light of money laundering, and the quick development of the IT technologies allows a vast area of manoeuvres to this effect," the prime minister said.
The prime minister stressed that the government backs efforts by the national authorities in charge of analyzing, monitoring and investigating the deeds suspect of involvement in the money laundering. Filat also said that the authorities provide necessary assistance in terms of technical, material and financial assistance, so as to be in line with the international standards in the area.
"Thus, all these actions, that were backed both by the banking institutions and the civil society, have eventually resulted in establishing an efficient system of prevention and combating the money laundering and financing terrorism in Moldova. The system substantially contributed to setting conditions for edifying the necessary environment to carry out transparent financial transactions. The implementation of this system ensures for the financial institutions the reduction of the risk to expose themselves to financial frauds, laundering illegally got money. As a result, this fact enhanced the degree of reliability on foreign markets, and consolidated the correctness of the financial transactions," the prime minister said.
Vlad Filat specified that the present exigencies, international standards, including the evolution of the infraction processes, establish new priorities and challenges for the national system.
"The advancement in the area of movement of information, capital, people, goods and services requires the change of the traditional concept and attitude towards the transnational crimes. Such an approach was backed by our European partners within negotiations on the signing of the Moldova - European Union Association Agreement. Hence, the government approved a 2010-2012 national strategy of prevention and combating money laundering and financing terrorism and an yearly action plan for its implementation," the prime minister said.
In the end, Vlad Filat thanked the members of the EGMONT Group Committee for having chosen Chisinau as place to hold this event. He emphasized that the latter will consolidate more the international collaboration in the field and will highlight Moldova's aspirations to get in line with the international standards.
The director of the Centre for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption, Viorel Chetraru, said that the evolution of the economic processes determined the advancement of the actions to prevent, combat frauds in diverse sectors of the economy. He also said that Moldova, along with other European states, reacted adequately to the present situation by creating premises to exclude possibilities to use the national financial, banking and non-banking system in money laundering and terrorism financing schemes, as well as to remove the reasons and conditions that trigger such frauds.
Viorel Chetraru specified that the success of counteracting such types of
serious offences implies the existence of a sufficient and ramified level of international cooperation. The CCCEC director said that, so far, the structure which he leads has signed 22 bilateral agreements on cooperation in the area, and plans to sign another seven agreements during this event.