Governments and regulators aim to restrict natural persons' transactions and legal persons who have committed various crimes. Since the persons and organizations in this sanction, PEP, and watch lists contain high risks, businesses have to identify these people and not take action on the necessary people. That is why businesses need to screen their customers on sanctions, PEP, and Watch lists to meet global and local AML requirements and protect themselves against risks. Just one example: there are more than 1000 dynamic sanction lists in the world, and these sanction lists change very often.
Political Exposed People (PEP) Check
First of all, what is a Politically Exposed Person (PEP)? Individuals who are considered high-risk in terms of being involved in crimes such as bribery, money laundering, or corruption. As a result, it is recommended that businesses take steps to understand the meaning of PEPs, identify them, and perform PEP checks in order to comply with regulatory guidelines. It is important to note that bribery and corruption are widespread issues globally, with approximately one trillion dollars processed through bribery alone each year and an estimated 2.6 trillion dollars lost to corruption. They are further classified into subcategories such as Domestic, Foreign, and International Organization PEPs, each with varying levels of risk. Additionally, Relatives and Close Associates (RCAs) of PEPs can also be included in this category, though they are generally considered to be less risky than the PEPs themselves. Ultimately, the risks associated with them can vary greatly depending on the individual's position and authority. To better illustrate this, we have included some example PEP lists below.
Cia World Leaders PEP List
The Central Intelligence Agency publishes weekly and also updates by Heads of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments. The guide here is mainly intended to be used as a reference aid and includes as many world governments as practically accepted.
World Presidents PEP List
Because of their high potential for bribery, corruption, and money laundering, the president of any country has a very high risk, so businesses need to know who these people are in case of any eventuality. For this reason, regulators have suggested that people on these lists should be scanned and known.
CoE Parliamentary Assembly
The Council of Europe parliamentary assembly of the European countries, including Turkey, is composed of members of national parliaments. These parliament members can also be called PEP because they carry more risk than a normal person, so people on this list should also be known.
Every Politician
Country-specific parliaments around the world need to be known because these people also have risks of crimes such as bribery and corruption. PEP screening is important to detect these people and investigate any suspicious activity conducted by them.
Sanction List Check
It is an undeniable fact that financial crimes have reduced confidence in the financial systems of all countries and their economic stability. Governments also impose sanctions on people and countries that carry out these activities in order to prevent threats and actions that may occur in their own countries. The importance of sanction lists has become even more important with the Anti-Money Laundering regulations. Especially companies that have to comply with the regulations regularly follow the sanction lists and these lists are also prohibited from making financial transactions by those who are blocked.
Most of the sanctions lists also have the goal of criminal financing of terrorist activities, and the criminals that may be included in the sanctions lists are likely to have crimes such as drug trafficking, terrorism, human rights violations, violations of international contracts, terrorist financing, money laundering, international contract violations. Below you can find some examples of sanction lists.
Consolidated Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List:
The Unified Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List is maintained by the Government of Canada and includes individuals and organizations that are subject to specific sanction arrangements under the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Authorities Act (JVCFOA) and the Special Economic Safeguards Act (SEMA). These sanctions are imposed to address issues such as corruption, human rights violations, and threats to international peace and security. The list is regularly updated to ensure its effectiveness in targeting sanctioned entities and to align with global efforts to combat illicit activities.
EEAS Consolidated List
The EEAS (European External Action Service) Consolidated List is a compilation of sanctions imposed by the European Union member states. It is an essential tool for the correct implementation of financial sanctions in line with the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) objectives. The list includes individuals, entities, and countries that are subject to various types of restrictive measures, including asset freezes, travel bans, and trade restrictions. By publishing this consolidated list, the EU aims to enhance coordination among member states and facilitate compliance with EU sanctions by financial institutions, businesses, and individuals.
SDFM Terror List
In Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine (SDFM) maintains and publishes a list of individuals and organizations that have been sanctioned due to their involvement in terrorist activities or associations. This list is important for businesses operating in Ukraine or engaging in transactions with Ukrainian counterparts to ensure compliance with anti-terrorism measures. By screening against the SDFM Terror List, businesses can mitigate the risks associated with terrorism financing and support efforts to maintain national security.
Australian DFAT Sanctions List
The Australian DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) Sanctions List comprises individuals, entities, and countries that are subject to targeted travel bans and financial sanctions under Australian sanctions laws. These measures are implemented to promote national and international security, prevent human rights abuses, and deter illicit activities. Compliance with the Australian DFAT Sanctions List is essential for businesses operating in or having dealings with Australia to avoid legal and reputational risks and fulfill their obligations under Australian law.
Nonproliferation Sanctions (US)
The United States imposes nonproliferation sanctions under various legal authorities to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), including nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. These sanctions target private entities, foreign individuals, and governments engaged in activities related to the proliferation of WMD. The U.S. government announces these sanctions determinations in the Federal Register, which serves as an official notification and provides information to financial institutions, businesses, and individuals to ensure compliance with nonproliferation measures and prevent the misuse of sensitive technologies.
GB Consolidated List of Targets
The GB (United Kingdom) Consolidated List of Targets is a comprehensive compilation of international sanctions imposed by the UK government. It includes individuals, entities , and countries subject to various types of restrictive measures, such as asset freezes, travel bans, and trade restrictions. The purpose of this list is to ensure compliance with UK sanctions policies and international obligations, promoting global security, human rights, and foreign policy objectives. Businesses operating in the UK or engaging in transactions involving UK counterparts should consult this list to fulfill their legal obligations and mitigate risks associated with sanctions violations.
OFAC Consolidated List
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) within the U.S. Department of the Treasury maintains the OFAC Consolidated List, which is a combination of the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List and the Non-SDN Entities List. The SDN List includes individuals, entities, and countries subject to economic and trade sanctions imposed by the United States. The Non-SDN Entities List comprises entities that are subject to certain restrictions but do not meet the criteria for inclusion on the SDN List.
Wanted List Check
Various lists exist for local and global searches, to-do tasks, and personal productivity (PEP) purposes. Individuals on these lists may have committed crimes such as money laundering, terrorist financing, terrorism, human trafficking, arms smuggling, drug trafficking, bribery, and corruption. It is imperative that organizations avoid cooperating with or accepting these individuals as customers. Therefore, organizations should scan potential customers against these lists and take appropriate precautions based on the results. Below are examples of some of these lists.
Interpol Wanted List
The Interpol Wanted List is a database of individuals who are wanted for prosecution or imprisonment in their respective countries. When a person is wanted, a red notice is issued, which is a global bulletin that requests law enforcement officers to locate and temporarily detain the individual while awaiting extradition or surrender. The notice includes information such as the name and physical description of the wanted person, as well as the specific crime they are suspected of committing. Red notices are an important tool for international law enforcement agencies to track down and apprehend criminals who have fled their home countries.
Turkish Terror Wanted List
The Turkish government has a list of wanted individuals who are considered to be a threat to national security. The list is categorized into red, blue, green, orange, and gray, with the red category being the most dangerous. There are rewards available for those who assist in locating and reporting individuals on these wanted lists.
Sanction Scanner Solution
With the help of Artificial Intelligence, Sanction Scanner is able to collect and organize over 1000 sanctions and monitoring lists from regulatory and law enforcement agencies across more than 200 countries. This allows businesses to scan not only individuals and organizations but also planes and ships in their Sanction Scanner data. By utilizing our structured data, businesses can perform AML control more efficiently and securely. Additionally, custom search options can be created based on varying risk levels to reduce false positives. Sanction Scanner also offers business scanning options such as name, identification number, passport, and local identification for added convenience.
Our AI-powered system also collects and structures PEP lists and sanctions data from all over the world. By using Sanction Scanner, businesses can easily check their customers against the global PEP list using their name, identification number, or passport number. Results from the sanction and PEP screening are presented in clear and concise reports, available in both detail and summary. By presenting all results of a politically exposed person sought one after the other, Sanction Scanner can help minimize processing load and allow businesses to identify high-risk customers, taking a risk-based approach.
