Russia can be removed from black list of FATF already this year - 28 September, 2002

Russia can be removed from the black list of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering /FATF/ which includes countries not efficiently fighting against money laundering already this year.

Russian Vice-Premier and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said as much while summing up a Washington session of G-8 finance ministers. The Russian official was taking part in an autumn session of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in the US capital.

Alexei Kudrin said that the session discussed issues of the fight against feeding terrorism and money laundering. He stressed that participants had pointed to the progress Russia had made in fighting money laundering and financial feeding of terrorism.

The Vice-Premier added that depending on the results of a FATF mission's current work in Russia a final decision will be made to remove Russia from the black list.

"Today a statement was made that Russia is almost ready for that," Kudrin concluded. "Let's wait for the results of the mission's work."