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Cooperation of the AMLC with the Utrecht University

The AMLC focus on money laundering includes the use of trade flows, or Trade-Based Money Laundering. In this context, a good risk-based project is currently the subject of much work. Over the last few years, in a public and private context, a lot of knowledge about the trade sectors was acquired from what we came across in criminal investigations. Think of the car trade, the fruit and vegetables sector. We cooperated with financial institutions and we are mainly aware of Trade-Based Money Laundering or TBML indicators which have been generated using transaction data. 

However, there are many more relevant sources, think of tax data, or data relating to the – illogical – flow of goods such as at Customs. On a daily basis, millions of goods are being traded in a country like the Netherlands and it is of importance to get more of a view of these sources. In the time to come, we are therefore going to invest into the identification of vulnerable points in the Dutch flows of trade. We are collaborating with Joras Ferwerda, research fellow of Utrecht University. This collaboration will provide us with a view on several issues. What sectors in the Netherlands are vulnerable to Trade-Based Money Laundering (TBML) and why? What are the signs Customs must look for on where the checking of export is concerned? What signs should be the focus of the various sectors themselves? We were fortunate to be able to use the experiences of the HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs) and the ABF (Australian Border Force). In addition to gaining more knowledge, this methodology generated new signs which can be the subject of further judicial investigations. For more information, please contact our TBML expert, Tamara Pollard: tw.pollard-maijer@belastingdienst.nl

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