Specialist team planned - Green-Black intends stricter approach against money laundering
Baden-Württemberg will deal with money laundering and terrorist financing in the future with a specialized team. In the planned inter-agency investigation unit, specialists from Police, Tax Investigation and Prosecution offices will closely collaborate, according to a cabinet proposal.
This team will handle significant cases of money laundering and related offenses, recognize and contribute to the fight against organized crime, and identify and combat terrorist financing. The cabinet of Minister President Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) will address this topic on Tuesday. The news was first reported by the "Südwest Presse." With the new unit, the Green-Black coalition is implementing a project from the coalition agreement.
New positions are required for the specialized team. The Police alone are allocating 20 new positions. A reshuffling of the existing personnel is only possible to a limited extent due to the high workload, particularly in the areas of financial investigations due to the high number of money laundering suspicion reports and the high workload in the areas of organized crime and economic crime. Additionally, there will be six new positions for prosecutors and additional personnel at the Tax Investigation Office.
The traffic light coalition in Berlin also plans to create a new authority that coordinates analysis, criminal investigations, and supervision in cases of money laundering. A "Financial Crime Investigation Center" will become active in significant international cases of money laundering with a connection to Germany. It will begin investigating suspicious financial flows to uncover underlying criminal activities. The concept is called "follow the money" ("follow the money") and is intended to lead directly to professional accomplices and networks.
- The new inter-agency team in Baden-Württemberg, focused on money laundering and terrorist financing, will largely operate from Stuttgart, the capital of the Southwest state.
- The announcement from Minister President Winfried Kretschmann's cabinet regarding this crackdown on financial crimes has sparked attention across Germany, including reports in the "Südwest Presse."
- With the increase in financial investigations due to a surge in money laundering suspicion reports and organized crime cases, the Stuttgart police are allocating 20 additional positions specifically for the specialized team.
- Amidst these anti-money laundering efforts, the Südwest Police department has also faced challenges in reshuffling its personnel due to the high workload, limiting the possibilities for a substantial reallocation.
