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### Viewing cable 04PANAMA3038, OVERVIEW OF PANAMANIAN EFFORTS TO ADDRESS ILLICIT

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
04PANAMA3038 | 2004-12-22 19:30 | 2011-05-31 00:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Panama

`

    This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PANAMA 003038

    SIPDIS

    DEPT FOR S/CT, INL/LP, AND WHA/CEN

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2014
    TAGS: EFIN PTER SNAR PM ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
    SUBJECT: OVERVIEW OF PANAMANIAN EFFORTS TO ADDRESS ILLICIT
    FINANCE

    REF: PANAMA 2524

    Classified By: Ambassador Linda E. Watt for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

    ¶1. (SBU) This is the first in a series of reports from
    Embassy Panama's newly formed Illicit Finance Task Force
    (IFTF).  The interagency IFTF was initiated in September 2004
    to monitor terrorist financing and the laundering of
    narcotics and other criminal proceeds.  The task force
    includes members from DHS, DAO, DEA, RSA, NAS, ECON, and POL.

    --------------------------------
    Panama: Illicit Finance Overview
    --------------------------------

    ¶2. (C) Numerous criminal organizations and drug trafficking
    groups, including the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces
    (FARC) and the United Self-Defense Forces (AUC), move
    hundreds of millions of dollars of illicit proceeds through
    Panama each year.  (Comment: Embassy estimates that 70
    percent of the money laundered in Panama is derived from the
    sale of illegal narcotics; the other 30 percent of illicit
    funds come from the proceeds of corruption, arms trafficking,
    human smuggling, intellectual property rights violations and
    other criminal activity.  End comment.)

    ¶3. (C) Panama has made significant strides in improving its
    anti-money laundering (AML) regime over the past decade, but
    loopholes still exist.  Likewise, under-funded and
    understaffed Panamanian enforcement agencies and poorly
    functioning judiciary allow launderers to operate with little
    fear of arrest or prosecution.  Panama's well-developed
    financial services sector, the Colon Free Zone (CFZ), and
    geographic location at the crossroads of international trade
    and narcotics flows, make it vulnerable to money laundering
    and terrorist financing.  The majority of illicit funds are
    smuggled into Panama via bulk cash couriers, hidden in cargo,
    or transferred via wire to banks or other non-bank financial
    institutions.

    ¶4. (C) Panama's use of the USD and the existence of the Colon
    Free Zone make it an attractive place for traffickers to
    launder proceeds through the Black Market Peso Exchange
    (BMPE).  Excess USD earned by South American, mainly
    Colombian, drug traffickers and the need to exchange these
    dollars for local currency, create a black market whereby
    brokers purchase excess dollars from drug traffickers (in
    exchange for local currency) to sell to legitimate businesses
    for lower-than-normal market rates.  The USDs purchased in
    this scheme are often used to pay down the trade accounts
    between those businesses and CFZ exporters.  Free Zone goods
    are then shipped from companies in Colon to legitimate
    businesses, normally in Colombia and Venezuela, and the
    exchange is complete.  Efforts by the CFZ Administration to
    monitor BMPE bulk cash and third party payments have been
    weak due to the conflicting goal of promoting commerce.

    ¶5. (C) The anti-money laundering and compliance efforts of
    Panamanian banks and money remitters have improved in recent
    years.  In 2003, legislation was passed to increase
    regulatory oversight of money remitters and allow the bank
    superintendent (SB) to conduct audits of the industry.
    (Comment: Embassy officials noted that although regulation
    and compliance are generally improving, Panamanian
    institutions tend to give less scrutiny to wire transfers
    from U.S. institutions.  There is a perception among
    Panamanian companies that transactions from the U.S. are
    strictly regulated and therefore safe to accept.  End
    comment.)

    -------------------------------------------
    Torrijos Administration and Illicit Finance
    -------------------------------------------

    ¶6. (C) Since taking office in September, the Torrijos
    Administration promised to take a more aggressive approach
    toward money laundering and terrorist finance than did the
    Moscoso Administration.  Panama's Customs Service has long
    suffered from endemic corruption, but, the new director,
    Julio Kennion, has asked the USG to help form an Office of
    Professional Responsibility to address corruption within
    Customs.  (Note: Ironically, unconfirmed rumors of Kennion's
    involvement in corruption have already begun to surface.  End
    note.)

    ¶7. (C) Customs improvement is desperately needed to slow the
    flow of illicit cash movements into the Colon Free Zone and
    the bulk currency that fuels the BMPE.  Undeclared cash
    seizures have dropped from $7.4 million in 2003 to
    approximately $2 million so far in 2004.  In 2003, $470
    million was declared with Panamanian customs officials, up
    from $400 million in 2002.  Total declarations for 2004 are
    not yet known.  (Comment: Embassy officials believe that the
    drop in undeclared seizures, coupled with increasing
    declarations, indicates that couriers have little fear of
    further investigation once cash is declared.  Customs keeps
    records of declared cash, but, follow-up investigations into
    the sources and uses of the cash are rare.  Considering the
    safety, quickness and ease of electronic transfers versus
    cash transactions, $470 million in declared cash is a
    startling amount for a country of Panama's size.  End
    comment.)

    ¶8. (C) Panama has two main bodies that analyze and
    investigate financial crime: the Financial Analysis Unit
    (UAF), which works under the civilian intelligence service,
    the Council for Public Security and National Defense
    (CSPDN/Consejo), and the Financial Investigative Unit (UIF),
    which operates under the Public Ministry.  The UAF was
    created in 1995 (with USG assistance) and is responsible for
    the analysis of financial intelligence and data.  When
    suspicious activity is identified by the UAF, the cases are
    sent to the Attorney General who decides whether to turn them
    over to the UIF for criminal investigation.

    ¶9. (C) Orcila Vega de Constable took over as head of UAF
    under the Torrijos administration.  Upon taking office,
    Constable was instructed by members of the Torrijos
    administration to aggressively attack money launderers and to
    improve cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in this effort.
    Currently, the UAF has 12 staff members and, since its
    formation, has sent hundreds of cases to the Attorney General
    and the UIF.  (Note: Constable is an attorney with no
    experience investigating financial crimes.  End note.)

    ¶10. (C) The UIF continues to face resource and staffing
    shortages, severly limiting its ability to investigate
    financial crimes.  Gustavo Cardenas, the head of the UIF, is
    a hold over from the Moscoso Administration.  The
    understaffed UIF consists of nine investigators who have more
    than 400 open cases.  Though a number of cases are awaiting
    trial, so far in 2004, the UIF has produced no money
    laundering convictions.  With USG assistance, the UIF
    recently updated its facilities with a new computer system
    capable of supporting a staff of 15.  However, due to budget
    constraints, it still lacks basic analytic software programs
    and trained personnel to make full use of the new technology.

    ¶11. (C) Panama's long-term inability to effectively control
    money laundering is partly due to the lack of internal
    training for financial analysts and investigators.  Neither
    of the two main bodies responsible for financial intelligence
    and investigation, the UAF and the UIF, have formal training
    programs.  Most UAF-UIF financial analysts and investigators
    receive some financial training, but mainly through the
    support of foreign governments or simply on-the-job.

    ¶12. (C) As is evident by the 400 financial crime cases under
    investigation by the UIF, and the lack of money laundering
    convictions, there are problems at the judicial level.
    Panamanian judges have little familiarity or training in the
    technicalities of money laundering cases.  (Comment:
    Likewise, corruption is more evident among judicial officials
    than among law enforcement, suggesting a need for ethical
    training or oversight.  End comment.)

    -------
    Comment
    -------

    ¶13. (C) For the reasons previously mentioned, Panama will
    remain a preferred destination for licit and illicit funds
    from around the world.  Panama has improved its AML regime
    and, with continued U.S. support, law enforcement is
    beginning to investigate and bring cases to trial.  The
    challenge for the Panamanians will be to further improve
    customs procedures for monitoring bulk cash movements and to
    sustain and fully utilize the analytic and investigative
    improvements of the UAF and UIF.  More importantly, the
    Panamanians need to address corruption and the inability of
    Panamanian judges to convict money launderers.
    WATT

`