AUSTRIA: POSSIBLE NORTH KOREAN ILLICIT FINANCIAL

S E C R E T VIENNA 003841 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2015 TAGS: EFIN KJUS KNNP KTFN KN AU SUBJECT: AUSTRIA: POSSIBLE NORTH KOREAN ILLICIT FINANCIAL ACTIVITY REF: STATE 220713 Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). (S) EconPol Counselor and Econ Unit Chief delivered reftel points December 7 to Thomas Wieser, Director General of the Ministry of Finance's Economic Policy and Financial Markets Directorate and to Birgit Ertl, an anti-money laundering expert in the MoF's Financial Markets Division. We noted that the USG had reason to believe that DPRK representatives had attempted to establish relationships with Austrian financial institutions following the USG's designation of Banco Delta Asia (BDA) as a "primary money laundering concern." Wieser thanked the USG for the information and promised to relay the information to the relevant authorities to investigate. He noted that the GoA had shut down the DPRK-run Golden Star Bank in Vienna in 2003. Wieser promised to keep us advised of any information regarding BDA activities in Austria. MCCAW