Vol. 495 No. 4
73 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the statement made by a person (details supplied) that he was not getting the full co-operation from the banks in his investigations; and the plans, if any, he has to approach the banks directly to ensure this co-operation is forthcoming. [20275/98]
I am aware of the statement made by the head of the Garda bureau of fraud investigation in relation to the level of co-operation being received from financial institutions.
This matter has been raised at the money laundering steering committee, a group which is chaired by the Department of Finance and at which the financial institutions are represented. The gardaí have indicated that while they were unhappy with the co-operation given in certain specific cases, nevertheless, in overall terms, they are satisfied with the level of co-operation being received from the financial institutions.
The money laundering steering committee is currently conducting a review of the guidance notes in order to ensure a full and consistent understanding by designated bodies of their obligation under the Criminal Justice Act, 1994, to report suspicions of money laundering.
