A week after 911, on September 28 2001, the Security Council passed (unanimously) SC/7158 a "Wide Ranging Anti-terrorism Resolution" calling for "Supressing its Financing and Improving International Cooperation" which reads in relevant part:
Quote:
3. Calls upon all States to:
(a) Find ways of intensifying and accelerating the exchange of operational information, especially regarding actions or movements of terrorist persons or networks; forged or falsified travel documents; traffic in arms, explosives or sensitive materials; use of communications technologies by terrorist groups; and the threat posed by the possession of weapons of mass destruction by terrorist groups;
(b) Exchange information in accordance with international and domestic law and cooperate on administrative and judicial matters to prevent the commission of terrorist acts;
(c) Cooperate, particularly through bilateral and multilateral arrangements and agreements, to prevent and suppress terrorist attacks and take action against perpetrators of such acts;
…
4. Notes with concern the close connection between international terrorism and transnational organized crime, illicit drugs, money-laundering, illegal arms-trafficking, and illegal movement of nuclear, chemical, biological and other potentially deadly materials, and in this regard emphasizes the need to enhance coordination of efforts on national, subregional, regional and international levels in order to strengthen a global response to this serious challenge and threat to international security;
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2001/sc7158.doc.htm |
Thus this concern with banks sharing financial information of suspicious accounts is not really news.