London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

France’s financial intelligence chief slams weak anti-corruption efforts in Germany, EU

France’s financial intelligence chief slams weak anti-corruption efforts in Germany, EU

Tracfin’s director said understanding of anti-corruption issues among EU partners was “embryonic.”
The head of France’s financial watchdog slammed anti-corruption efforts in Germany and among European partners at hearings held by a parliamentary committee in France.

Recently released documents reveal that France’s financial intelligence chief Guillaume Valette-Valla deemed the risk of corruption among French MPs, ministers and elected officials to be “incomparably much lower” than elsewhere, “including in neighboring countries.”

Valette-Valla was answering questions from MPs at a hearing of a parliamentary committee investigating foreign interference in France in February.

The head of Tracfin, an anti-money laundering unit of the French finance ministry, expressed frustration at the lack of cooperation with Germany’s Central Office for Financial Transaction Investigation, whose appointed director has yet to take office amid reports of unprocessed suspicious activity notifications.

“We are again trying to collaborate with the German financial intelligence unit that is in a complicated situation and doesn’t have [a director] for several months now,” Valette-Valla told MPs, adding that anti-corruption rules for elected officials were much looser in Germany than in France.

Valette-Valla also criticized anti-corruption efforts at the EU level, accusing “EU partners” of having an “embryonic” understanding of issues of financial corruption.

“But Qatargate has sparked aspirations to create institutions similar to those set up by the French parliament,” he said, citing compliance advisory officers, an independent administrative authority and specialized jurisdiction as such examples.

This week the EU ombudsman Emily O’Reilly called on the president of the European Parliament to deliver on transparency reforms she promised after the so-called Qatargate scandal involving MEPs broke late last year.

Germany’s Central Office for Financial Transaction Investigation didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×