Pakistan remains on FATF grey list; Turkey plus 2 added

Paris/Islamabad, Oct 21 (UNI) The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Thursday retained Pakistan on its increased monitoring list, or grey list, and asked Islamabad to demonstrate that its terror financing investigation is targeting senior leaders of UN designated terror groups.
“Pakistan remains under increased monitoring,” said FATF President Dr Marcus Pleyer.
Mumbai attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed was last December sentenced to 15 years in jail, but there were reports that when his house was targeted in a bomb attack in July this year he was inside his house. Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar continues to roam about freely. In August he was reported to have gone to Kandahar to meet with the Taliban leaders.
Pleyer said “While Pakistan has reported some steps, the FATF encourages Pakistan to continue to make progress to address as soon as possible, the one remaining Counter Terrorist Financing-related item by continuing to demonstrate that Terrorist Financing investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN designated terrorist groups,“ he said, reading out the recommendations at the FATF plenary.
“Pakistan should continue to work to address its other strategically important Anti Money Laundering/Counter Terrorist Financing regime deficiencies, namely by providing evidence that it actively seeks to enhance the impact of sanctions beyond its jurisdiction by nominating additional individuals and entities for designation at the UN; and 2) demonstrating an increase in Money Laundering investigations and prosecutions and that proceeds of crime continue to be restrained and confiscated in line with Pakistan’s risk profile, including working with foreign counterparts to trace, freeze, and confiscate assets.”
The FATF recommendations come days after a US Congressional report in September said US officials have “identified Pakistan as a base of operations and/or target for numerous armed, nonstate militant groups, some of which have existed since the 1980s”.
It listed 15 terror groups of which 12 are designated as Foreign Terrorist
Organizations (FTOs) under US law. Of the 12, five are Kashmir-focused terror groups.
Pleyer, answering questions regarding the procedure followed to determine how the global money laundering watchdog arrives at its decisions, said all decisions are taken by consensus. He said the FATF works on technically driven arguments. “Experts know when they are assessing the money laundering and counter terror actions, and the weight of technical arguments, on the basis of which we take our decisions.”
The FATF said Pakistan’s “continued political commitment has led to significant progress across a comprehensive CFT (counter financing of terrorism) action plan” and that Islamabad has completed 26 of the 27 action items in its 2018 action plan.
The FATF encouraged Pakistan “to continue to make progress to address as soon as possible, the one remaining CFT-related item by continuing to demonstrate that Terror financing investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN designated terrorist groups”.
To a question whether FATF was considering putting Pakistan on the black list, Pleyer said that Islamabad has “already completed 30 action items out of 34, which shows a clear commitment of the Pakistan government”, and therefore there was no discussion of black listing the country. He said the Pakistan government is cooperating, and “we request it to address the remaining items of concern”.