The National Crime Agency (NCA) is facing severe criticism over weaknesses in its attempts to combat money laundering 21 December 2015 3 years ago 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.
