EFCC Urges DNFIs Compliance With Anti-money Laundering, Terrorism Financing Laws
The Commander of the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ahmed Ghali, has charged Designated Non-Financial Institutions, DNFIs, to conduct their dealings in line with the Anti-money Laundering/Counter Terrorism Financing AML/CFT Laws.
He gave the charge on Friday, 6 August 2021 during a sensitization programme organised by the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering, SCUML, for operators of DNFIs at the Lagos office of the EFCC.
TheFact Nigeria reports that DNFIs are dealers in jewellery, luxury goods, chartered accountants, audit firms, tax consultants, clearing and settlement companies, legal practitioners, hotels, casinos, supermarkets, or such other businesses as the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment or appropriate regulatory authorities may, from time to time, designate.
This list of institutions has been expanded to include; Trust and Company Service Providers, estate surveyors
and valuer’s, estate agents and brokers, pool betting and lottery, hospitality industry,
consultants and consulting vompanies, importers and dealers in cars or any other automobile, dealers in mechanized farming equipment and machinery, practitionersbof mechanized farming, dealers in precious stones and metals, and Non-Governmental
Organizations, NGOs.
Ghali, in a short remark, charged the participants to ensure that they carry out their operations as stipulated by the laws “ to avoid any issues with the EFCC.“
He also urged them to support the Commission in its sustained fight against money laundering and terrorism financing in Nigeria.
Speaking, the Coordinator of SCUML, Lagos, Pascal Joseph Samu, who welcomed the participants, enjoined them to join hands and partner with the EFCC, adding that without them, “it will be difficult to achieve the sole aim of ridding the nation of money laundering.“
During the sensitization, Folashade Oluwasanya, a Compliance Officer with SCUML, Lagos, enlightened the participants on ways to report currency and cash-based transactions as well as suspicious transactions within their organisations.
She further advised them to ensure that adequate Know Your Customers, KYCs, are carried out on all customers.
In attendance were hoteliers, dealers in real estate, automobile dealers and consultants.
