The U.S. is the easiest place in the world for a criminal, terrorist, tax cheat, or kleptocrat to open an anonymous shell company to launder their money with impunity. Anonymous corporations are great ways to hide money and other assets — they can hold a bank account or buy a yacht. Criminals often layer anonymous corporations, with one owning another and so on, making it even harder for law enforcement to “trace the money” and figure out who is directing the company’s activity. It’s time to ending the use of anonymous shell companies as vehicles for illicit activity by requiring that the true owners of U.S. companies be disclosed at the time of formation and updated upon any change.
FACT recently sent comments to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) urging the international body to adopt more robust beneficial ownership recommendations as part of its public consultation on Recommendation 24.
The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition welcomed the White House announcement today of a “Summit for Democracy” from December 9-10 bringing together global leaders from governments, civil society, and the private sector. The summit will address three themes: addressing and fighting corruption; defending against authoritarianism; and advancing respect for human rights.
What do the Iranian government, a fugitive international jeweler, and a disgraced Harvard University fencing coach have in common? They have all used U.S. real estate to launder their ill-gotten gains. In Acres of Money Laundering: Why U.S. Real Estate is a Kleptocrat’s Dream, Global Financial Integrity (GFI) dives into the murky world of global money laundering and demonstrates the ease with which kleptocrats, criminals, sanctions evaders, and corrupt government officials choose the U.S. real estate market as their preferred destination to hide and launder proceeds from illicit activities.
he Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition mourned the passing of Senator Carl Levin of Michigan. Levin, who for many years held leadership positions with the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, used his powerful position to investigate money laundering, tax avoidance and evasion, and the many ways in which corrupt actors abused the U.S. financial system for personal gain.
Following last month’s historic agreement on a 15 percent global minimum tax rate at the G7 Finance Ministers meeting, a groundbreaking 130 countries came together to support the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)’s Inclusive Framework, in another sign of accelerating progress on global taxation reform.
The Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition today warmly welcomed the Biden Administration’s move establishing combatting corruption at home and abroad as a core U.S. national security interest. The National Security Study Memorandum, and President Biden’s directive to the National Security Advisor to develop a national strategy to combat corruption, represents a significant and timely elevation of the fight against corruption and financial secrecy.
