Author(s): Sami Hamdan AL-Rawashdeh
In view of the development of international standards, the issuance of modified recommendations by the Financial Action Task Force in 2012 and the issuance of the evaluation methodology in line with international standards in 2013, the State of Qatar has undertaken a comprehensive review of its national legislation. These efforts culminated in the issuance of Law No. 20 of 2019 on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing. The aim of this study is to deal with the provisions related to criminal liability for the money laundering crime as stipulated in the law, in addition to the regulatory framework for the prevention of money laundering crimes stated in the same law. The aforementioned law included a number of provisions and rules that would enable the State of Qatar to efficiently and effectively combat money laundering and terrorist financing. Among the most prominent of these rules are the tightening of criminal penalties associated with violating the provisions of the law, reforming and modernizing the regulatory framework for combating money laundering and terrorist financing in Qatar to bring it in line with the highest international standards, including the Financial Action Task Force standards in combating money laundering and terrorist financing. The provisions contained in the law also included strengthening the role of the National Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Committee, allowing it to evaluate the national system for combating money laundering and supervising its proper functioning, and authorizing the Financial Information Unit, regulatory agencies and law enforcement authorities with the necessary powers to ensure the proper application of the law and achieve the required effectiveness.