LONDON: A unit in Afghanistan's central bank leading a 15-year effort to counter illicit funding flows has halted operations, four staff members said, threatening to hasten the country's slide out of the global financial system.
Such units, which scrutinise money flows for potential suspicious activity, are critical for any nation that seeks to participate in the global financial community, said Stuart Jones, Jr, founder and chief executive of risk intelligence firm Sigma Ratings.Reconnecting with the financial system could be complicated by existing sanctions against the Taliban and the fact that a senior government minister heads a US-designated terrorist organisation.
One, who is still in Afghanistan, complained that international partners failed to get staff and their dependents out during the mass evacuation from Kabul that ended last month. The employee added that the unit's senior management were not present and it was still not operating. The group said it stood"in solidarity with our colleagues at FinTRACA and hopes that they and their families are safe".