The Swiss government is tapping a veteran crime fighter for its top anti-money laundering job. The hire is being poached from Liechtenstein's financial intelligence arm.
It is a homecoming of sorts: Daniel Thelesklaf was Switzerland's first anti-money laundering head when the government set up a special unit in 1998. From August, he will return to the job, replacing Stiliano Ordolli, a 45-year old ex-banker who left abruptly last year amid reports of management issues.
Thelesklaf returns to Bern to run MROS, an interface between banks and regulators on money laundering, the Swiss government said in a statement on Friday. He currently runs Liechtenstein's financial intelligence unit, the principality's version of MROS.
Major Swiss Scandals
Thelesklaf, a lawyer, returns to Bern as Swiss banks come to grips with several major graft scandals including 1MDB and Petrobras. «With his undeniable expertise, experience, innovative spirit and extensive national and international network, Daniel Thelesklaf is optimally equipped for the challenge», the government said.
His first stint as head of MROS lasted just two years, before he left to consult internationally, including for the International Monetary Fund, the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, and the United Nations.
Lagging U.K., Singapore
The MROS is part of Switzerland's federal police arm, largely isolated from other agencies such as Swiss regulator Finma and intelligence authorities. Switzerland has lagged rival finance centers like Britain and Singapore in more closely linking up criminal and regulatory arms, as finews.com wrote.
In 2017, MROS received 4,684 suspicious activity reports, the overwhelming bulk of which were raised over suspected corruption. Just 51 reports concerned terrorist financing, which is also MROS' purview.
