Panamanian financial examiners are looking at whether banks and other institutions are shirking their anti-money laundering responsibilities in the face of the economic downturn, according to Amado Barahona, the head of Panama's financial intelligence unit. Financial institutions that turn a blind eye to compliance discrepancies could face large fines and even the revocation of bank licenses, said Barahona. To prevent that from happening, private sector financial institutions will have to figure out how to make the most of their dwindling budgets without pulling funds from compliance departments, he said. Barahona spoke with reporter Juan Alejandro Baptista about challenges to Latin...
Improving the efforts to stop money laundering in Central America will require strong international pressure, according to Ricardo Gomez, a manager with Phoenix -based consultancy IPSA International, Inc.
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