Section 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 This Guidance is issued by the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA) pursuant to s. 20(d) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2013. 1.2 The Anti- Money Laundering Act, 2013 (the "AMLA") identifies Legal Professionals1 as accountable persons and therefore imposes duties and responsibilities on them to prevent and detect money laundering and the financing of terrorism. 1.3 The purpose of this Guidance is to provide specific guidance for Legal Professionals on their legal obligations for measures to deter and detect money laundering and the financing of terrorism activities. It provides clarity and an interpretation of the issues arising out of the AMLA and the AML regulations. This Guidance explains the most common situations under the specific laws and related regulations which impose Anti-Money Laundering/Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) requirements. It is provided as general information only. It is not legal advice, and is not intended to replace the Act and the Regulations. 1.4 Legal Professionals and other reporting entities should always refer directly to legislation when considering their statutory obligations. Legal Professionals are responsible for continuously monitoring developments in the law and, where applicable, keeping their own internal procedures effective and up to date. 1 This refers to Lawyers, Advocates as defined in the Advocates Act, and Notaries licensed and certified in the Notaries Public Act. It refers to sole practitioners, partners or employed professionals within professional firms. It does not include internal professionals that are employees of other types of business nor to professionals working for government agencies.