Despite stronger anti-money laundering regulations in Latin America, many countries show little evidence of efforts to enforce the law. In some cases, however, enforcement is turning into a new and powerful political tool.
Andrés Schipani explains what’s happening in Bolivia in his story Law, a Large-Caliber Political Weapon in Bolivia’s Fight Against Money Laundering. This is part of a series about money laundering and corruption in Latin America, published in the recently launched Global Integrity Report: 2010.
Image: Miguel Saavedra.
While the Bolivian government may choose to ignore much of the cocaine trade, that does not automatically imply they will also choose to ignore public sector corruption. My impression is that they are quite serious about combatting corruption, and at the same time that they would be likely to use the Quiroga legislation for political ends.