NIGERIAN FIU REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE

UNCLAS ABUJA 002103 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS TREASURY FOR FINCEN DOJ FOR CD/AFMLS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIN KCRM CVIS SNAR NI SUBJECT: NIGERIAN FIU REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE ¶1. This is a request for guidance; see para 4. ¶2. After the recent training done by FINCEN through the Department of the Treasury, the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has asked for assistance in information sharing. In June of this year, following a visit from the FATF, Nigeria was removed from the list non-cooperating countries. The FATF recognizes the progress that GON has made in implementing anti-money laundering reforms, including establishment of a financial intelligence unit and progress on money laundering investigations, prosecutions and convictions. Nigeria has begun to receive requests from other FATF member countries for assistance in investigations as a result of this delisting. ¶3. The NFIU has open investigations on a number of multimillion dollar advance fee fraud (419) cases that involve money laundering to offshore banking institutions near the U.S. They believe some of the suspects are frequent travelers to the U.S. that may have applied for and received visas in Nigeria. They requested Embassy assistance in the investigations. The NFIU asked whether if they supplied the name, passport number, and date of birth of the suspects and in return the Embassy could release information (i.e. does suspect have a visa, reasons for traveling, and what companies/people they plan to visit etc.) to them about the traveler. ¶4. Request for Guidance: Post requests guidance on our response to this request. What information we should seek from and provide to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and what legal, privacy and other considerations need to be considered? We would be interested in putting the names of those under investigation into the Visa lookout system, but don't expect the Nigerian side will provide this information without some sort of quid pro quo. CAMPBELL