News item | 26-10-2023 | 07:00
The Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) want to take further action in the fight against international organized crime. Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius of Justice and Security made agreements on this in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during a visit to the UAE this week with the country’s Minister of the Interior, His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan. They agreed to further strengthen cooperation between the police forces of both countries in view of the threat posed by organized crime. Special attention is also paid to the disruptive effect of money laundering practices and underground banking on society.
Two bilateral treaties between the Netherlands and the UAE have already entered into force as of August 1, 2023; one on legal assistance and one on extradition. These treaties are of great importance in the cooperation that has been built up in recent years between the Netherlands and the UAE in tackling cross-border organized crime. Thanks to the bilateral agreements, the investigative services of both countries can respond more quickly to each other’s requests and exchange information to roll up criminal networks. Minister Yeşilgöz also discussed the proper implementation this week with her counterpart, the UAE Minister of Justice, His Excellency Abdullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi.
This is a fight against criminal forces that threaten our society with intimidation and violence. At the same time, they try to corrupt our good economy with their illegally obtained assets. Only by cooperating more with other countries can we further tackle internationally operating criminal networks. I am very grateful to the UAE authorities for their good cooperation. With the agreements we have now made, we can continue to take action to destroy the criminal power structures and their underground banking networks
said Minister Yeşilgöz.
Cooperation with police services
The MoU agreed to further deepen cooperation specifically between the police services of the Netherlands and the UAE. To this end, it will be worked out in the near future how the police of both countries can make more use of each other’s expertise. For example, in tackling money laundering practices, underground banking and crypto crime. Criminals often avoid the regular financial system to stay under the radar. They operate through a parallel underground payment system. Criminal transactions are settled on each other and illegally obtained assets are quickly transferred across the border; often in the form of cryptos, in real estate and through commodity and trade flows. By working more together and sharing knowledge, the police services of both countries can recognize and tackle illegal patterns more quickly.
International Security Alliance
In addition, Minister Yeşilgöz participated in the International Security Alliance in the UAE, where discussions were held with various other countries in the world about broader cooperation in the field of security. For example, countering terrorism and radicalization has also been discussed for a long time. It concerns both a front against terror and a front against organized crime internationally. During the conference, the minister also offered to organize a knowledge session with investigative services about the international approach to underground banking. Yeşilgöz also spoke separately during the conference with her fellow Minister of the Interior Professor Dr. Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim of Singapore, because this country is an important trading partner of the Netherlands in Asia. Criminals like to abuse regular flows of goods and trade. That is why, according to Minister Yeşilgöz, Singapore is also an important partner to strengthen cooperation in the fight against organized crime.