1999 money laundering operations doubled

The number of suspected money laundering operations in Finland doubled in 1999 from 186 to 348, according to the Finnish National Bureau of Investigations ( Keskusrikospoliisi ), with the amount involved in cases police knew about totalling nearly FIM2.5billion. Jari Liukku, head of the National Bureau of Investigation’s money laundering task force, was quick to point out that the rise was not necessarily due to a major increase in financial crime. He claimed the increase was due more to the new law, introduced in 1998, which requires banks, insurance companies and other financial businesses to alert the authorities of suspected money laundering operations.