Bank staff raise alarm on money laundering suspects

(CNS): A gang of five financial crime suspects from the United States and the United Kingdom who were arrested on suspicion of money laundering this week were released by the RCIPS because they did not have enough evidence to prosecute, a police spokesperson said. The suspicious activity of the four men and one woman was reported to the Financial Crimes Unit on Tuesday after staff at a local branch of an international bank raised the alarm. The suspects came to the bank to discuss the potential business of US$500 million in foreign exchange transactions. 

Bank officials were suspicious and asked the group to leave, after which they alerted the FCU. Officers in turn contacted all banks of the suspicious activity and soon afterwards arrested one suspect on suspicion of money laundering when he visited another bank. They arrested another two members of the group later in the day at their hotel, where their rooms were searched. The last two members of the gang were questioned after intelligence research revealed information about their location.

But police confirmed that they were all released Wednesday after a day in custody and have now left the country.

“Evidence was not sufficient to sustain eventual charges,” an RCIPS spokesperson stated. “However, authorities in the UK and the US have been alerted of their activities while here.”