SINGAPORE EXPANDS PREDICATE OFFENSES LIST TO COMBAT

UNCLAS SINGAPORE 001578 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR INL ERINDLER, L/LEI DBUCHHOLZ, AND EB/ESC/TFS JUSTICE FOR OIA SROBINSON AND AFMLS TREASURY FOR PDEGERABEDIAN AND FINCEN RMILLER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM KTFN ETTC KTFN EFIN SNAR SENV PHUM KIPR EAGR, SN SUBJECT: SINGAPORE EXPANDS PREDICATE OFFENSES LIST TO COMBAT MONEY LAUNDERING AND TERRORIST FINANCE REF: 05 SINGAPORE 3516 ¶1. In a move to strengthen its ability to combat money laundering and terrorist finance, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently expanded its list of predicate offenses under which suspected individuals can be prosecuted. The amended Corruption, Drug Trafficking, and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act of 1999 (CDSA),which went into effect May 8, now criminalizes the laundering of proceeds from 292 categories of serious offenses, including ones committed overseas, which would be serious offenses if they had been committed in Singapore. Previously, MHA limited its list to 184 offenses. The additional predicate offenses can be viewed at: http://www.egazette.com.sg/Document/sls/2006/ 060254.pdf ¶2. Singapore's amended list appears to align more closely with the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) "designated categories of offenses" as defined in FATF Recommendation One. For the first time, it includes offenses related to terrorist financing, illicit arms trafficking, counterfeiting and piracy of products, environmental crime, and insider trading and market manipulation. The amendment supplements offenses contained in the previous Schedule covering areas such as trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling, and sexual exploitation of children. With an eye on Singapore's two new multibillion dollar casinos slated to be operational in 2009, the list also addresses a number of gambling-related crimes. ¶3. Singapore's Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act of 2000 limits its ability to cooperate with other countries unless an offense is on its list of "serious offenses" (reftel). The limited number of crimes in the "serious offenses" list has been an obstacle in our efforts to conclude a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT). This expanded list covers many, but not all, of our concerns. ¶4. The following Acts (and number of new offenses, unless otherwise indicated) are covered in the revised CDSA list. Animal and Birds Act (6) Arms and Explosives Act (8) Arms Offences Act (1) Betting Act (3) CDSA (2 existing; no new offenses) Chemical Weapons (Prohibition) Act (1) Children and Young Persons Act (1 existing; 3 new) Commodity Trading Act (1) Common Gaming Houses (2) Computer Misuse Act (7) Control of Plants Act (5) Copyright Act (3) Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act (1 existing; no new offenses) Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act(1) Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 2006 (3) Environmental Pollution Control Act (3) Explosive Substances Act (3) Feeding Stuffs Act (1) Hazardous Waste (Control of Export, Import and Transit) Act (4) Hijacking of Aircraft and Protection of Aircraft and International Airports Act (4 existing; no new offenses) Human Organ Transplant Act (1) Immigration Act (2) Internal Security Act (3) Kidnapping Act (3 existing; no new offenses) Medicines Act (2) Monetary Authority of Singapore Act (1 - terrorist finance) Moneylenders Act (2 existing; no new offenses) Penal Code (156 existing; 16 new) Poisons Act (1) Prevention of Corruption Act (8 existing; no new offenses) Sale of Food Act, Food Regulation (1) Securities and Futures Act (3) Societies Act (6) Strategic Goods Act (2) Termination of Pregnancy Act (2 existing; no new offenses) Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act ((4) Trade Marks Act (4) United Nations Act - Anti-Terrorism Measures (1) Vandalism Act (1 existing; no new offenses) Wholesome Meat and Fish Act (2) Wild Animals and Birds Act (1) Women's Charter (4 existing; 3 new) HERBOLD