Improving Interagency Cooperation on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Through Standardization at the National Level

Simultaneously with the expansion of the state functions and the increasing complexity of the tasks performed by public authorities, the need for standardization of their activities in various fields and forms is increasing. Activities in the field of countering the laundering of proceeds from crime and the financing of terrorism are regulated by the international standards of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, which establish common approaches and requirements for the organization of interaction between competent authorities and private sector entities. However, this is not enough to ensure the coherence and effectiveness of their joint work at the national level. The purpose of the study is to develop proposals for the implementation of a federal standard for interdepartmental interaction of anti-money laundering system entities; to develop a register of their rights and obligations when interacting within the framework of coordinating bodies and working groups. The regulatory acts in force in Russia, agreements on interaction and cooperation between competent authorities and private sector entities included in the anti-money laundering system are investigated. General scientific and formal dogmatic methods were used. The necessity of introducing a federal standard of interdepartmental cooperation in the sphere of combating money laundering and terrorist financing is substantiated. The procedure for its introduction into legislation and its content are proposed. A number of shortcomings in the regulation and organization of the work of interagency coordination bodies and working groups have been identified. Recommendations are given to expand the composition of high-level interagency bodies. It is proposed to organize the activities of operational-level working groups within the coordinating bodies of Rosfinmonitoring in accordance with the directions of the “financial security belt”. A register of unified rights and responsibilities of members of high-level and operational-level interagency working groups was developed.