After Panama Leaks the world of global finance is yet again rocked by thelatest leaks called the FinCEN Files, which shows how the world’s leadingbanks were involved in money laundering for suspicious individuals.
The FinCEN Files, which is a list of thousands of documents containing over2,100 leaked Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) filed by banks and otherfinancial firms with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial CrimesEnforcement Network (FinCen) have shed light on one such case involving theinfamous money-launderer from Pakistan Altaf Khanani.
As per the documents, Altaf Khanani, who was arrested by the US Authoritiesback in 2015 exchanged large and suspicious sums for accounts in Denmark’sbank namely Danske Bank’s branch in Estonia through one of his centralcompanies, the Danish newspaper *Berlingske Tidende* reported.
According to the report, the leaked documents show, that a customer ofDanske Bank’s branch, which according to the newspaper has hidden owners,exchanged millions with the Dubai -registered company Mazaka GeneralTrading, which US authorities have linked to Khanani.
“There can only be one reason why money has been moved out of Danske Bankand into his trading companies – and that is money laundering. Because thatwas the only thing that happened in those companies,” says Richard Grant,the former head of the Australian intelligence service told *DR*, a Danishnews platform.
Back in September 2015, the US authorities arrested Altaf Khanani forinvolvement in laundering funds for designated terrorist organizations.
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The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a statement, “TheKhanani Money Laundering Organisation (MLO) is a TCO composed ofindividuals and entities operating under the supervision of Pakistaninational Altaf Khanani, who the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)arrested this September.”
“The Khanani MLO facilitates illicit money movement between Pakistan, theUnited Arab Emirates (UAE), United States, United Kingdom, Canada,Australia, and other countries, and is responsible for laundering billionsof dollars in organized crime proceeds annually,” the statement added.
Further, the statement accused Khanani Money Laundering Organisation (MLO)of laundering illicit funds for organized crime groups, drug traffickingorganizations, and designated terrorist groups throughout the world.
“Altaf Khanani, the head of the Khanani MLO, and Al Zarooni Exchange havebeen involved in the movement of funds for the Taliban, and Altaf Khananiis known to have had relationships with Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Dawood Ibrahim,al Qaeda, and Jaish-e-Mohammed,” the statement further said.
