Morocco Bolsters Anti-Money Laundering Authority to Combat Financial Crime

Created to replace the Financial Intelligence Processing Unit (UTRF) which has existed since 2009, the ANRF’s main mission is to analyze and transmit to the administrative and judicial authorities, at their request or on its own initiative, information on money laundering and terrorist financing offenses.

According to law 12-18 amending and supplementing law 43-05 on the fight against money laundering, it is the central body in the national system for combating money laundering. As such, it must ensure national coordination between ministries, public institutions and legal persons under public or private law in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

The ANRF must also ensure compliance with legal provisions on money laundering and terrorist financing by the persons subject to them, and address recommendations or general guidelines to them. According to the annual report of the public prosecutor’s office, the ANRF has already received 28 requests for information and transmitted 71 suspicious files on money laundering to the prosecutor of the king near the court of first instance of Rabat.

The courts of first instance of Marrakech, Casablanca and Fez are also competent to hear cases of money laundering offenses. In addition, in addition to representatives of the Ministries of Justice, Finance and Interior, those of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense Administration, Bank Al-Maghrib, the public prosecutor’s office, the AMCC, the ACAPS, the DGED, the DGSN, the DGST, the Foreign Exchange Office, the DGI and the General Staff of the Royal Gendarmerie now sit on the ANRF Council.