Written by Pauline Beart on 04 Aug 2010

http://frenchtribune.com/teneur/10462-fsa-fines-rbs-56m-breaching-money-laundering-rules 

The Financial regulator has fined Royal Bank of Scotland with largest record penalty of £5.6m for not having adequate control over the transfer of funds to the terrorist groups or other authorities included in Treasury's sanctions list.

The Treasury sanctions list contains the terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and the Taliban, including number of Middle Eastern and African companies and names of people living in Iran, Iraq, North Korea and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Bank and its subsidiaries, which include NatWest, Ulster Bank and Coutts, did not have adequate IT system to ensure the screening of customers conducting transactions with those included on the sanctions list.

The fine is related to the payment for the transactions made between 15 December 2007 and 31 December 2008.

The former chief executive, Sir Fred Goodwin, was in charge during that period.

It is the eighth largest fine imposed by the FSA.

The issue was brought into light by new management team of the bank, which assumed the position at the end of 2008.

The total penalty amount was £8m but RBS got 30 percent discount in the fine for agreeing to settle the charge.