Breaking the money laundering cycle

As global terrorism escalates, so the war on money laundering becomes increasingly urgent. But the process is facing several hurdles, and countries are beginning to realise just how deep the problem lies. By Nick Kochan

Co-operation between law enforcement officers across borders and departments is the linchpin to the success of the fight against money laundering. But co-operation is restrained by legal nicety and constitutional argument.

On September 11, those restraints were removed. Politicians saw how slow and cumbersome the system of co-operation between forces around the globe had become, and they loosened the constraints on attempts to hunt the terrorist money. This was the response to a political crisis