Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010

59

Relationships between credit institutions and shell banks.

F124[59. (1) A credit institution or financial institution shall not enter into a correspondent relationship with a shell bank.

(2) A credit institution or financial institution that has entered into a correspondent relationship with a shell bank before the commencement of this section shall not continue that relationship.

(3) A credit institution or financial institution shall not engage in or continue a correspondent relationship with a bank that the institution knows permits its accounts to be used by a shell bank.

(4) A credit institution or financial institution shall apply appropriate measures to ensure that it does not enter into or continue a correspondent relationship that permits its accounts to be used by a shell bank.

(5) A credit institution or financial institution that fails to comply with this section commits an offence and is liable

(a) on summary conviction, to a class A fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months (or both), or

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years (or both).

(6) In this section, "shell bank" means a credit institution or financial institution (or a body corporate that is engaged in activities equivalent to those of a credit institution or financial institution) that

(a) does not have a physical presence, involving meaningful decision-making and management, in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated,

(b) is not authorised to operate, and is not subject to supervision, as a credit institution, or as a financial institution, (or equivalent) in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated, and

(c) is not affiliated with another body corporate that

(i) has a physical presence, involving meaningful decision-making and management, in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated, and

(ii) is authorised to operate, and is subject to supervision, as a credit institution, a financial institution or an insurance undertaking, in the jurisdiction in which it is incorporated.]

Annotations

Amendments:

F124

Substituted Inserted (26.11.2018) by Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Act 2018 (26/2018), s. 31, S.I. No. 486 of 2018. A class A fine means a fine not greater than €5,000 as provided (4.01.2011) by Fines Act 2010 (8/2010), ss. 3, 4(1), S.I. No. 662 of 2010.