ABOUT FIPU

ABOUT THE CTRF

Missions:

The Algerian Financial Intelligence Processing Unit (FIPU) was created by executive decree no. 02 -127, of April 7, 2002. An independent administrative authority, enjoying legal personality and financial autonomy, placed under the minister responsible for finances and whose cell headquarters are located in Algiers.

 The FIPU is responsible for combating money laundering and terrorist financing and more particularly for processing suspicious transaction reports sent to it by reporting entities.

Organization:

Comprising a workforce of fifty-two (52) people. The FIPU is headed by a president, assisted by a Council made up of members representing financial, legal and security institutions. The Unit is managed by a general secretary who manages the administrative affairs of the unit, structured into four technical departments:

  • The president

 The president is appointed by presidential decree on the proposal of the minister responsible for finance, for a renewable five (5) year term.

  • The Council

The FIPU's council is made up of nine (9) members chosen because of their proven skills in judicial, financial and security matters.

  • The general secretariat

The FIPU has a general secretariat placed under the authority of a secretary general who ensures administrative, financial and IT management, under the supervision of the president of the FIPU.

  • Departments and services

The FIPU is organized into 4 departments structured into Services for its operational activities:

  • Department of investigations and operational and strategic analyzes

Responsible for intelligence collection, relations with correspondents, operational analysis of suspicious transaction reports and management of investigations, as well as strategic analysis and trends.

  • Intelligence collection and relations with correspondent’s department
  • Operational analysis department
  • Strategic analysis and trends department

 

  • Department of Documentation and Information Systems

Responsible for centralizing information and establishing the data banks necessary for the operation of the unit

  • Documentation and archives service
  • Information system service
  • IT security department

 

  • Legal Department

Responsible for relations with the competent judicial authorities and for judicial monitoring and legal analyzes

  • Department of relations with the competent judicial authorities and monitoring of legal issues
  • Legal analysis department

 

  • Department of Cooperation, Public Relations and Communication

Responsible for bilateral and multilateral relations with foreign authorities or institutions working in the same field of activity of the unit and popularization operations towards those subject to it and the public, as well as public relations and with the media.

  • Relations with homologous cells department
  • Relations department with regional and international organizations
  • Extension, public relations and communication department

Prerogatives:
The FIPU's missions consist of processing financial information collected through suspicious transaction reports from financial institutions as well as non-financial professions (notaries, lawyers, bailiffs, auctioneers, chartered accountants, auditors, commission agents). customs, stock exchange intermediaries, real estate agents, car dealerships, etc.), concerning doubtful transactions or operations.

Other Administrations also participate in the fight against money laundering by sending a report to the FIPU as soon as they discover, during their verification and control missions, the existence of capital or operations appearing to come from 'an offense or appearance intended for money laundering or terrorist financing, notably the Bank of Algeria and the Tax, Customs, Land, Treasury and General Inspectorate of Finance services.

The FIPU acknowledges receipt of the suspicious transaction report and proceeds to collect all information and clues enabling it to establish the origin of the funds or the real nature of the transactions covered by the report. The form and content of suspicious transaction reports are defined by Executive Decree No. 06-05 of January 9, 2006 establishing the form, model, content as well as the acknowledgment of receipt of the suspicious transaction report.

The Unit then proceeds to analyze the declarations and carry out an investigation, during which it carries out financial cross-checks and resorts, where necessary, to exchanges of information, including internationally.

Finally, it ensures the transmission of the file to the competent public prosecutor in accordance with the law, each time the facts declared are likely to constitute the offense of money laundering or terrorist financing. The information communicated to the FIPU is confidential. Professional secrecy or banking secrecy cannot be enforced against the FIPU.