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Emirati Leg of Global Diamond Trade Draws Belgian Scrutiny

By Gabriel Vedrenne

Nearly half of all suspicious funds transferred out of Belgium last year flowed to the United Arab Emirates, one of the largest diamond trading hubs worldwide, Belgium's financial intelligence unit disclosed in an annual report Monday. According to the report, the unit, also known as CTIF, received 33,445 suspicious transaction reports in 2018, a year-on-year increase of nearly 8 percent. Financial institutions filed nearly 80 percent of the total while administrative authorities, including customs and revenue officials, filed a larger proportion than previous years, CTIF found. The report includes the usual analysis of the role played by opaque, offshore corporate...

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