The National Crime Agency (NCA) is facing severe criticism over weaknesses in its attempts to combat money laundering

Previously, the NCA has conceded that its system for monitoring suspicious financial transactions is neither effective nor efficient.

Submissions to a Home Office consultation on the issue from the Law Society and the Electronic Money Association include claims that:

· An NCA database is slow and often crashes when lawyers and financial industry professionals try to file suspicious activity reports (SARs).

· Delays in checking transactions risk tipping off criminals that their finances have been flagged for monitoring.

· NCA officers have a lack of money-laundering knowledge.

The criticism is strong evidence of the NCA’s shortcomings and can only help confirm the belief of many in legal circles that a strong, informed defence case stands a very good chance of success in any case brought by the Agency.