March 29, 2000
International efforts to combat money laundering will be the focus of a meeting held by the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP) in the Cayman Islands from 30 to 31 March, the UN agency said today. The objective of the "UN Offshore Forum Plenary" is to reach an agreement on common action to deal with the abuse of international financial services by money launderers.
"The very mention of the word 'offshore' conjures up a highly negative scenario of fast boats, money laundering, tax evasion and secrecy," said Pino Arlacchi, Executive Director of the Vienna-based ODCCP.
Some 40 offshore centres are expected to attend, including the Island of Jersey, the Cayman Islands, the Isle of Man and the Bahamas.