How lawyers subject to financial monitoring should report to the Ministry of Justice - clarification of the BCU

Attorneys, law firms and associations, in cases where they are specially designated subjects of primary financial monitoring, must submit reports to the relevant interregional departments of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.

During its meeting on December 15, the Bar Council of Ukraine approved an information letter on the need for lawyers, law firms and law associations (specially designated subjects of primary financial monitoring) to submit a report to the relevant interregional department of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine by the 11th day after the reporting period.

The need to inform advocates was emphasized by Valentyn Gvozdiy, the Vice President of UNBA, BCU, who prepared the draft document.

He reminded that the issue of attributing attorneys to the subjects of primary financial monitoring is regulated by the Law of Ukraine «On Prevention and Counteraction to Legalization (Laundering) of Proceeds of Crime, Terrorist Financing and Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction».

On June 17, 2022, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine issued Order No. 2522/5 «Some Issues of Formation of Administrative Reporting by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine as a Subject of State Financial Monitoring in the Field of Prevention and Counteraction to Legalization (Laundering) of Proceeds of Crime, Terrorist Financing and Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction», which approved the reporting form No. 1-finmon (annual) and the Instructions for filling out and submitting this reporting form.

The approved information letter contains detailed recommendations for filling out and submitting this reporting form N 1-finmon by lawyers, attorneys and attorneys-at-law who are subjects of primary financial monitoring. The document can be found at the link.