Financing of Terrorism Also Possible in Finland

Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has again this year received a record number of reports of suspected money laundering. According to the national Security Police, there may be individuals in the country involved in the financing of terrorism.

Finland has not experienced any terrorist actions, nor do officials consider Finland a probable target of terrorist attacks.

"The financing of terrorism is one of our priorities within the Security Police. The financing of terrorism is a global phenomenon. For example, at this moment there are investigations under way in Sweden and Norway, and as officials we must be realistic that this could be possible in Finland, too," says Lasse Anttila of the Security Police.

In addition to intelligence activities by the Security Police, the National Bureau of Investigation keeps a sharp watch on suspicious movements of money. THE NIB receives reports from a number of sources including banks and currency exchange offices. The number of reports of suspicious transactions has been on the rise.

"Listings can be of the names of companies and of individuals, and joint political decisions have been made about these on the UN and EU level," points out Olli Kolstela, Head of the NIB's Money Laundering Clearing House.

Several incidents a year involving names on the international list come under scrutiny each year, but so far have not led to any full-blown criminal investigations in Finland.

Source: YLE