Summary

SAI Finland has studied the government’s actions to prevent and combat laundering of illegally obtained money. The audit assessed the preconditions of anti-money laundering activities and examined whether the activities are planned and organized in such a way that it is possible to combat money laundering effectively. Auditors revealed that the preconditions for effective prevention of money laundering have been improved in recent years particularly through legislative amendments. However, few performance targets are set for the prevention of money laundering. Assessment of the effectiveness of the prevention of money laundering would require an overall view and targets that cover the entire continuum of anti-money laundering activities and related actors. SAI recommended that the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Finance should therefore ensure that resources are allocated for the preparation of the risk assessment from the operating expenditure appropriation.