BY PAUL O’DONOGHUE, Senior Correspondent
INTERPOL has issued its first-ever ‘Silver Notice’, aimed at tracing assets laundered across international borders.
The inaugural Silver Notice, requested by Italy, seeks details about the assets of a senior mafia member.
Silver Notices are the newest addition to INTERPOL’s colour-coded alert system, which enables countries to share information and requests globally. This pilot initiative, involving 52 countries, will run until at least November 2025.
Silver Notices and Diffusions allow member countries to publicly request information on assets tied to criminal activity. These notices can help locate and identify laundered assets—such as properties, vehicles, financial accounts, and businesses. The information gathered can be used for asset seizure or recovery under national laws.
The launch of the new iniatitive comes just a day after the president of the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) warned that international asset recovery efforts are often ineffective.
Elisa de Anda Madrazo said 80% of the world’s countries cannot effectively confiscate criminal assets, which has led to a situation whereby “less than 2%” of the global proceeds of crime are seized.
INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said the sripping criminals of their illegal profits “is one of the most powerful ways to fight organized crime”, adding that the Silver Notice could help with asset recovery.
“By targeting their financial gains, we disrupt networks and reduce their harm to communities.”
Raffaele Grassi, Deputy Director General of Public Security in Italy, added: “This initiative, led by investigators in Palermo, underscores the importance of following the money to tackle organized crime. We believe Silver Notices will boost global asset recovery efforts.”
INTERPOL’s 91st General Assembly in 2023 approved the pilot. The General Secretariat will review each notice to ensure compliance with INTERPOL’s rules, including the prohibition on political misuse.
Participating countries can collectively request up to 500 Silver Notices during the pilot phase.
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