On August 31, 2021, the Egmont Group (EG) of Financial Intelligence Units’ (FIUs) members confirmed the EG Chair’s use of emergency powers that suspended the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center of Afghanistan’s (FinTRACA) access to the EG Secure Web (ESW) as per section 6.2‐B of the EG Charter.
In October 2021, a Sub‐Group was mandated to:
- Determine whether the legal framework under which FinTRACA was accepted as an EG member in 2011 is still in place and enforced
- Determine whether FinTRACA still exists and operates in compliance with the EG standards
Considering the Sub‐Group’s findings on this matter, the Egmont Committee concluded that the legal framework under which FinTRACA was accepted as an EG member, even if not formally repealed, is currently not enforced by the new administration. This poses a risk for the EG. as there are indications that the Taliban administration disregards the legislative framework that made FinTRACA compliant with the EG requirements and eligible to become an EG member. This leaves FinTRACA without a legal basis for its existence and entails the lack of safeguards guaranteeing any undue influence on FinTRACA’s operations and abuse of power.
Consequently, the Egmont Committee recommended that the Heads of FIU expel FinTRACA as an EG member for failing to meet the EG Charter and EG Principles for Information Exchange, and a consensus was reached. In future, if this FIU demonstrates that Afghanistan enforces AML/CFT laws and regulations and that the FIU meets all EG membership requirements, it may reapply.
