Madagascar, Money Laundering: Tax Evasion in Lead

Only 18% are clean! Jean Claude Razaraniaina, managing director of financial intelligence of Madagascar (SAMIFIN) reported Tuesday that tax evasion is at the top of the original offenses of money laundering. Studies show that nearly 82% of companies conduct formal misrepresentation. "Companies Malagasy or foreign does not give actual figures in their tax return, which may be the cause of money laundering," says the head of the first SAMIFIN.Customs fraud is in second place. As explained, importers and exporters to conduct trade with cash instead of debit, making it difficult or impossible to trace the money.

Companies specialized in mining are also singled out by SAMIFIN. Apparently some do not even have a bank account, which raises questions about the origin of money. "We decided to work closely with the servicing of the country where there are as many nationals suspected of being soaked in money laundering, such as Mauritius, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, France and Monaco," says Jean Claude always Razaraniaina.

Multiple branches

But money laundering is not just those using capital without going through institutions such as banking. The SAMIFIN notes, moreover, a decrease in the number of STRs received in 2011, which increased from 93 in 2010 to 67 in 2011, a gap 26. "We do not understand why we received fewer returns, while the number of people suddenly rich is growing. Do not subject the organs not mastered how to detect suspicious transactions and yet we spent three years to train and inform. Or maybe they deliberately did not make a statement to protect their customers, "asks Jean Claude Razaraniaina.

The answer seems to be mixing the two. Indeed, if the statement waiting SAMIFIN topics covered, ie all establishments likely to capital operations, some of them expect the same in return. "We ask our customers to make a sworn statement of the origin of Ar are more than 10 million. If justice or SAMIFIN wants this information, we are obliged to cooperate. But do not forget that we have the duty to respect the secrecy, "said an official of a primary bank in the capital.

If the complicity of the organ is established, it may be penalized by law. "The head of the bank may incur a prison sentence. But complicity may also lead to the closure of the establishment itself or the payment of a fine, "said the first head of SAMIFIN, while stressing that" facing the decline of reporting, we intend to do everything we can to enforce this law. "