French Riviera a haven for dirty money - report
By Emile Picy
PARIS, April 11 (Reuters) - Foreign mafia have discovered the glitzy French Riviera as a base to launder "dirty money," a French parliamentary report said on Thursday.
The study said France as a whole was not immune to money laundering but that the sun-soaked tourist hotspot was the main attraction because of a lax local judicial system.
"The Riviera is no longer just a place where rich pensioners come to put their fortunes in a bank account in the sun," it said. "(It) is extremely vulnerable to financial crime."
"It is in this context that we note serious malfunctions in the judicial system," it said, also criticising local financial institutes for insufficient vigilance.
The report was by the same committee that caused a storm last year by highlighting money laundering in the City of London and which in January said Luxembourg was upsetting European Union efforts to fight crime.
Author Arnaud Montebourg, a member of France's ruling Socialists, demanded that France take tougher action to prevent foreign and domestic criminals using it to launder money from activities such as illegal immigration channels or prostitution.
It said France's financial industry appeared to be turning a blind eye to suspect dealings, with some institutions failing to report suspicious funds.
"France is not meeting requirements for vigilance against money laundering in a satisfactory manner," the report said.
"Certain professions have collectively decided not to bother (fighting money laundering)," it added.
The report said organised crime was a special problem in the Cote d'Azur city of Nice, where a clutch of judges have been probed for corruption and mafia links.
The report said huge amounts of Russian capital invested in Riviera property had fostered a culture where money laundering was largely ignored.
The report said France's failures, and the obstacles it met in fighting dirty money were typical of many European countries.
04/11/02 07:03 ET
Hell's bells, Phil.
What do ya wanna bet this, "study" itself will be responsible for laundering countless millions; and, for that very same (Ex)lax laden Monaco judicial system who're reading the thing.
I mean, really.
This stuff's gotta be written for the displaced & bearded jamokes just gettin' off the boat at Ellis Island, for Christ's sake.
Now with an innocent man -- specifically OUR Ted Maher?
The "laxity" of Monaco's judiciary suddenly morphs into the vicious steel coils of a 25' Boa?
Monaco is such a sorry joke.
-BTTT-