Türkiye in last phase for removal from Financial Action Task Force grey list: Treasury chief

By Deniz Cicek

The process to remove Türkiye from the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has reached its final stage, the Turkish treasury and finance minister said on Friday.

Mehmet Simsek told Anadolu that the task force has decided that Türkiye has completed all the items of an action plan meant to further strengthen the system to combat money laundering and terrorism financing.

"In accordance with the procedure, the evaluation report to be prepared by the FATF team following the visit to Türkiye will be discussed at the general assembly meeting in June and the grey list decision for our country is expected to be removed at this meeting," he said.

The point Türkiye has reached today is the result of intensive work carried out by all relevant institutions and organizations, especially the ministries of Justice, Interior and Foreign Affairs, under the coordination of the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), Simsek said.

*Writing by Gokhan Ergocun from Istanbul