Remember the World War Two film, KELLY'S HEROES, starring Clint Eastwood and Donald Sutherland? It was about a group of American soldiers who steal a cache of gold from a bank, conveniently located behind the enemy lines in France in 1944. That movie reminds us of the law enforcement maxim, regarding the increased chances of success if a crime takes place amidst a background of chaos and confusion. Professional money launderers, a group of which at one point in my life I numbered myself among, instinctively know that when bankers and regulators are distracted by war or rumours of war, oncoming hurricanes or cyclones, or other national or regional catastrophes or events, their attention to detail fades, in the fact of the emerging threat.
Therefore, compliance officers at international banks must now increase their vigilance, and maintain a high degree of alertness, looking constantly for transactions which might mask the movement of criminal proceeds. While during period of danger or chaos, those transfers might be excused or ignored, due to current events, attention rightly focused elsewhere, or thought to be merely anomalies, they must be ferreted out, in real time, lest angry regulators later exact their justice, in a painful, and public manner.
In other words, expect money launderers to take full advantage of the situation; do not let them fool you; stay sharp, and catch them if you can.
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