2025-08-05
The Federal Republic of Somalia enacted this Act to establish a comprehensive legal framework for preventing money laundering and terrorist financing across financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions. Reporting entities must implement robust customer due diligence, maintain accurate records, and submit suspicious transaction reports to the newly established Financial Reporting Center while benefiting from overridden secrecy obligations. The legislation creates a National AML/CFT Committee to oversee compliance, defines civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance, and mandates international cooperation through mutual legal assistance and asset confiscation.
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF SOMALIA Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act, 2016
2 Table of Contents Table of Contents ...............................................................................................................................2 PART I: DEFINITIONS ...................................................................................................................4 Art. 1: Definitions...................................................................................................................................... 4 PART II: MONEY LAUNDERING AND TERRORISM FINANCING OFFENCES .....8 Art. 2: Money laundering offence ........................................................................................................... 8 Art. 3: Terrorism financing offences....................................................................................................... 9 The intent and knowledge required to prove the offence of financing of terrorism may be inferred from objective factual circumstances ...................................................................................10 PART III: PREVENTION OF MONEY LAUNDERING AND TERRORISM FINANCING ...10 Art. 4: Institutions and professions subject to this Act....................................................................... 10 Art. 5: Customer due diligence .............................................................................................................. 11 Art. 6: Prohibition of anonymous accounts.......................................................................................... 13 Art. 7: Prohibited relationships.............................................................................................................. 13 Art. 8: Documenting the nature and purpose of accounts.................................................................. 13 Art. 9: Obligation to identify and manage money laundering and terrorist financing risks ................. 13 Art. 10: Politically exposed persons...................................................................................................... 14 Art. 11: Special monitoring of transactions ......................................................................................... 15 Art. 12: Correspondent bank due diligence obligations..................................................................... 15 Art. 13: Record-keeping.......................................................................................................................... 16 Art. 14: Reporting obligations ............................................................................................................... 16 Art. 15: Exemption from liability for bona fide reporting of suspicions......................................... 17 Art. 16: Secrecy Obligation Overridden............................................................................................... 17 Art. 17: Anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism program.................... 18 Art. 18: Currency reporting at the border............................................................................................. 18 Art. 19: Wire transfers............................................................................................................................. 20 PART IV: FINANCIAL REPORTING CENTER ............................................................ 21 Art. 20: Establishment............................................................................................................................. 21 Art. 21: Responsibilities, authority and functions............................................................................... 22 Art. 22: Confidentiality and professional standards ........................................................................... 23 Art. 23: Supervisory powers................................................................................................................... 24 PART V: NATIONAL ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING AND COUNTERING THE FINANCING OF TERRORISM COMMITTEE .............................................................. 24 Art. 24: Establishment............................................................................................................................. 24 Art. 25: Functions .................................................................................................................................... 24 Art. 26: Members..................................................................................................................................... 25 PART VI: CIVIL AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES ........................................................... 25 Art. 27: Sanctions and penalties ............................................................................................................ 25 Art. 28: Natural persons.......................................................................................................................... 25 Art. 29: Penalties applicable to legal entities and the management thereof .................................... 26 PART VII: SEIZURE AND CONFISCATION ORDERS ............................................... 27 Art. 30: Scope........................................................................................................................................... 27 Art. 31: Conditions for Seizure.............................................................................................................. 27 Art. 32: Procedure to acquire a Seizure Order..................................................................................... 27
3 Art. 33: Asset Management during the period of Seizure.................................................................. 28 Art. 34: Conditions for Confiscation..................................................................................................... 29 Art. 35: Procedure to acquire a Confiscation Order ........................................................................... 30 PART VIII: INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ......................................................... 30 Art. 36: General provisions .................................................................................................................... 30 Art. 37: Requests for mutual legal assistance ...................................................................................... 31 Art. 38: Refusal to execute requests...................................................................................................... 32 Art. 39: Requests for investigative measures....................................................................................... 33 Art. 40: Requests for provisional measures ......................................................................................... 33 Art. 41: Requests for confiscation ......................................................................................................... 33 Art. 42: Disposal of confiscated property............................................................................................. 34 Art. 43: Joint investigations.................................................................................................................... 34 Art. 44: Extradition.................................................................................................................................. 34 Art. 45: Processing of mutual legal assistance and extradition requests.......................................... 36 Art. 46: Content of requests ................................................................................................................... 37 Art. 47: Additional information ............................................................................................................. 38 Art. 48: Requirement of confidentiality................................................................................................ 38 Art. 49: Delay in complying with request............................................................................................ 38 Art. 50: Costs............................................................................................................................................ 38 Art. 51: Asset sharing.............................................................................................................................. 38 PART X: MISCELLANEOUS ............................................................................................ 39 Art. 52: Power to issue Regulations...................................................................................................... 39 Art. 53: Supersession over prior laws................................................................................................... 39 Art. 54: Entry into force.......................................................................................................................... 39
4 LAW NUMBER: OF PART I: DEFINITIONS Art. 1: Definitions In this Act, unless defined otherwise, the terms below shall have the following meanings: “Account” includes any facility or arrangement through which a reporting entity does any one or more of the following activities—
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6 Preparation of, or participation in, terrorist acts or the providing or receiving of terrorist training. “Money laundering” means an offence under any of the provisions of Part II of this Act. “Payable through accounts” means correspondent accounts that are used directly by third parties to transact business on their own behalf. “Politically exposed person” or “PEP” means any person who is or has been entrusted with a prominent public function in the Federal Republic of Somalia or in other countries, for example, heads of state or of government, senior politicians, senior government, judicial or military officials, senior executives of state-owned entities, important political party officials, and senior staff of non-governmental organizations. All family members of such persons and close associates who have business or financial relationships with such persons are also included herein. “Predicate offence” means any criminal offence, defined as a crime in the Criminal Code or other relevant laws, that generates illegal proceeds of crime. Predicate offence also includes offences committed outside of the Federal Republic of Somalia if they would have constituted offences within the territory of the Federal Republic of Somalia. “Proceeds of crime” means any funds, property, or any advantage or benefit derived from or obtained directly or indirectly through the commission of an offence. “Reporting entity” means the natural or legal persons referred to in Part III of this Act. “Sanctioned persons or entities” mean persons or entities prohibited from doing business with financial institutions. “Shell bank” means a bank that has no physical presence in the country in which it is incorporated or licensed, and which is not affiliated with a regulated financial services group, that is subject to effective consolidated supervision. Physical presence means having meaningful decision making structures and management located within the jurisdiction, which is responsible for supervising and regulating the company.
7 “Structuring,” means to conduct or to attempt to conduct one or more transactions in any amount at one or more financial institutions on one or more days in any manner for purposes of evading the reporting requirements set in this Act. “Suspicious transaction” means a transaction described in Article 14 of this Act. “Terrorist” means any natural person who:
8 “Terrorist property” means:
9 a. Converts, conceals, disguises or transfers the funds or property; b. Conceals or disguises the unlawful origin of the funds or property; or c. Acquires, uses, or takes possession of the funds or property. 2. Participates in, associates with the commission of, or attempts to commit, aids, abets, facilitates or counsels anyone in the commission of any of the above activities. 3. Commits a predicate crime and acquires, possesses, converts, conceals, disguises, uses, or transfers the illegally obtained proceeds or unlawful origin of the funds or property („self-laundering‟). 4. Structure or attempt to structure currency or monetary instruments related to money laundering or terrorist financing, cfr. Article 14.2. 5. The intent and knowledge required to prove the offence of money laundering may be inferred from objective factual circumstances. 6. It is not a condition in itself for committing the offence of money laundering that any person or entity has been convicted for the predicate crime. 7. The statute of limitation for the offence of money laundering is 10 years from the time the offence was committed. The limitation can be disrupted by initiating investigation, including charging the suspected person. Art. 3: Terrorism financing offences
10 b. Organize or direct others to commit an offence within the meaning of subsection (2); or c. Intentionally contribute to the commission of an offence under subsection (2) by a group of persons acting with a common purpose, where the contribution is to further the criminal activity or purpose of the group that includes the commission of an offence under subsection (2) or where the contribution is made knowing the intention of the group is to commit an offence under subsection (2). The intent and knowledge required to prove the offence of financing of terrorism may be inferred from objective factual circumstances. The statute of limitation for the offence of terrorist financing is 10 years from the time the offence was committed. The limitation can be disrupted by initiating investigation, including by charging the suspected person. PART III: PREVENTION OF MONEY LAUNDERING AND TERRORISM FINANCING Art. 4: Institutions and professions subject to this Act The preventive obligations under this Act shall apply to the following persons or entities, hereinafter referred to as “reporting entities,” which shall be subject to the measures and obligations prescribed by this Act:
11 3. Such other entities as may be prescribed in regulations by the Financial Reporting Center. Art. 5: Customer due diligence
12 e. The reporting entity has doubts about the veracity or adequacy of previously obtained customer identification data. 3. In identifying and verifying customer identities, reporting entities shall make all reasonable efforts to obtain and maintain information and/or documentation demonstrating that they are satisfied that the identity of the beneficial owner of the account or funds is known and verified. 4. A natural person‟s identity shall be verified by the presentation of an original national identity card or passport, or other reliable documentation as the Central Bank of Somalia and other supervisory authorities shall prescribe in regulation or guidance, based on the level of risk and in the interest of improving access to financial services. 5. Any regulations issued by an appropriate supervisory authority that, in the interest of improving financial inclusion, reduces general customer due diligence obligations, requires the consent of the Financial Reporting Center, as the national agency responsible for the AML/CFT risk assessment, cfr. Article 21.5, and must be based upon a written finding of lower risk based on the specific circumstances and limitations of the product, service, or client category. 6. Legal persons and other legal arrangements, including trusts, shall be identified by certificate of registration or incorporation, articles of association, identification documents of the senior management, and if applicable, license or permit. 7. Reporting entities shall verify the identity of all persons or entities acting on behalf of other persons or entities. Identity documentation of the representative or agent as well as the principle shall be obtained. 8. Reporting entities shall verify the identity of all beneficial owners of legal persons and other legal arrangements, including trusts, by obtaining sufficient documentation to understand the ownership and control structure of legal persons and other legal arrangements, including trusts, a. Including for legal persons: The identity of the natural persons exercising control of the legal persons. b. Including for trusts: The identity of the settlor, the trustee, the protector, and the beneficiaries for trusts. c. Including for other legal arrangements: The identity of persons equivalent to the settlor, the trustee, the protector, and the beneficiaries for trusts. 9. Regulations issued by the Central Bank of Somalia and other competent authorities shall set forth detailed obligations and procedures within 12 months from the enactment of this law to implement these provisions for various categories of reporting entities.
13 10.If the obligations above and in relevant regulations are not met, the reporting entity shall not open the account, commence or continue business relationships, or perform the transaction. In such case, the reporting entity shall submit a suspicious transaction report to the Financial Reporting Center. Art. 6: Prohibition of anonymous accounts Reporting entities shall not keep anonymous accounts or accounts in obviously fictitious names. Any such accounts in existence prior to enactment of this law shall be closed by a date stipulated by the Central Bank of Somalia, unless all identification requirements in this Act and relevant regulations are fulfilled. Art. 7: Prohibited relationships
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15 2. A reporting entity shall have appropriate risk management systems to determine whether the customer or beneficial owner is a politically exposed person. 3. A reporting entity will be required to take the following measures where a customer or beneficial owner is a politically exposed person: a. Obtain approval from senior management to transact or establish the relationship with that person; b. Take adequate measures to establish the source of wealth and the source of funds that are involved in the proposed business relationship or transaction; c. Obtain information on the immediate family members or close associates of the person who may be having transaction authority over the account; d. Sufficiently document the purpose and nature of the transaction or account, the expected volumes, frequency, products, and services likely to be used, as well as the nature of account activity, in order to reasonably identify unusual activity; e. Review public sources of information on the politically exposed person; and f. Once the account has been established, conduct enhanced and ongoing monitoring of the relationship. Art. 11: Special monitoring of transactions
16 b. Collect and document information on the institutions, business, and financial activities; c. Evaluate the institution‟s reputation and the nature of the supervision to which it is subject; d. Obtain written approval of senior management before establishing correspondent banking relationships; e. Obtain and evaluate the written anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing controls, policies, and procedures implemented by the correspondent institution, and upon request of the correspondent institution, provide a copy of these same controls to it for evaluation; and f. Establish an agreement on respective responsibilities of each institution. 2. In the case of payable through accounts, financial institution shall ensure that the correspondent institution: a. Has implemented effective and adequate customer due diligence procedures on all customers who have direct access to accounts of the correspondent institution; and b. Agrees in writing to provide relevant customer identification information upon request and in a timely manner. Art. 13: Record-keeping
17 a. Money laundering or proceeds of crime; b. Funds that are linked or related to, or are used or to be used for, or in support of terrorism, terrorist acts, or by terrorist organizations. c. Funds that are linked or related to persons or entities either 1) designated by, or under the authority of, the UN Security Council under Chapter VII of the Charter of the UN, including in accordance with resolution 1267 (1999) and its successor resolutions; 2) designated by Somalia pursuant to resolution 1373 (2001), cfr. Article 7.2 or 3) designated by, or under the authority of, the UN Security Council under chapter VII of the Charter of the UN, including in relation to resolutions relating to the prevention, suppression, and disruption of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their financing. 2. A reporting entity shall expediently report to the Financial Reporting Center any transactions or series of transactions that appear to be linked which exceed the designated threshold of USD $10,000 or the equivalent in any currency. 3. The reporting required of reporting entities under this Act shall be sent to the Financial Reporting Center in such a form and in accordance with procedures as prescribed in regulation by the Center. Art. 15: Exemption from liability for bona fide reporting of suspicions
18 Art. 17: Anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism program
19 equivalent in any currency in cash or bearer instruments shall make a truthful declaration, in writing, to the relevant authority at the border; b. Fails to comply with sub-paragraph (a) of this section shall be guilty of an offence punishable under this Act and other relevant laws. 2. A customs official who suspects a violation of the obligation to declare under subsection (1), may, by use of force that is reasonable and necessary to: a. Examine any article that a person has with him or her or in his or her luggage; and b. Search the person. 3. An official of the same sex shall not search anyone except the suspected person(s). 4. A customs official may stop, board, and search any ship, aircraft, or other type of transportation vehicle in the territory under customs‟ control. 5. Where a customs official has found cash or bearer negotiable instruments that were not declared pursuant to the obligation, the official shall further investigate the reasons and purpose for transporting the cash or bearer negotiable instruments across state lines. The same applies to situations where the cash or bearer negotiable instruments were declared, but where the facts and circumstances for other reasons would require an investigation. 6. If, in view of the facts and circumstances, the official reasonably suspects that money laundering, a predicate offence to money laundering or terrorist financing, may be involved or that a declaration was false, the official shall afford evidence to the customs authority, and in accordance with obligations and procedures set forth in relevant laws and regulations, seize the cash or bearer instruments. 7. Any seized cash or bearer instruments shall be turned over to law enforcement, which shall be responsible and accountable for their safekeeping and documenting the chain of custody. 8. A customs official who has initiated investigation or seized cash or negotiable bearer instruments under sub-paragraph 6 of this article shall report the seizure to the Financial Reporting Center within 48 hours after a seizure. 9. The Financial Reporting Center shall, upon request, have access to information on all declarations of cash and bearer negotiable instruments. 10.Relevant law enforcement authorities shall issue regulations setting forth procedures for further collection of evidence for the pursuit of criminal investigations. 11. Following two years after a determination by competent authorities that the seized cash or bearer instruments are not connected to any criminal action or investigation, and are not confiscated by the state and remain unclaimed by the
20 Rightful owner, the Attorney General may make an application to a competent court that such cash or negotiable instrument be forfeited to the Federal Republic of Somalia. The rightful owner should be notified before the court decision and should be given an opportunity to object to the forfeiture by the state. 12.Competent authorities shall issue further procedures necessary to implement these provisions. Art. 19: Wire transfers
21 b. With respect to cross-border transfers where individual transfers from a single originator are bundled in a batch file, as long as the regulations provide for the originator‟s account number or unique reference number to be included, and that the batch file contains full originator information that is fully traceable in the recipient country. 5. Subsections (1) and (2) shall not apply to transfers executed as a result of credit card or debit card transactions, provided that the credit card or debit card number accompanies the transfer resulting from the transaction, nor shall they apply to transfers between financial institutions acting for their own account. 6. If financial institutions receive wire transfers that do not contain the complete originator information required under that paragraph, they shall take measures to obtain and verify the missing information from the ordering institution or the beneficiary. Should they not obtain the missing information, they shall refuse acceptance of the transfer. PART IV: FINANCIAL REPORTING CENTER Art. 20: Establishment
22 a. Has no criminal record or has not been disqualified from holding a public office for reason; and b. Has relevant professional experience. 9. The Director may only be discharged from this position before the end of his or her term by a unanimous vote, excluding the Director himself or herself, of the Committee on these grounds: a. If any of the criteria listed above has been violated; b. If the director is convicted of a criminal offence; c. If the director has become incompetent for the job on grounds of: i. Serious misconduct, or ii. Permanent physical or mental disability. 10. Disqualification shall not be effected until the Director or his or her legal representative has been given a fair hearing before the Committee. Art. 21: Responsibilities, authority, and functions The Financial Reporting Center shall carry out all activities necessary to fulfill the following responsibilities and functions:
23 relates to security issues or suspicions of criminal activities. Information may be shared with foreign financial intelligence units on an FIU-to-FIU basis without having a specific Memorandum of Understanding. 6. Establish and maintain a secured and confidential database on cash transactions and suspicious transactions on the basis of reports received from reporting entities. 7. Monitor, research, and identify money laundering and terrorism financing trends, typologies, risks, and developments, as well as disseminate this information as appropriate. 8. Submit annual reports to the Committee, by no later than a date determined by the Committee, that identify results and achievements of the Center‟s Strategic Plan, budget accounting report, deficiencies and weaknesses in the national anti- money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism regime, as well as recommendations to effectively remedy them. The annual reports shall be submitted in a form determined by the Committee. 9. Issue regulations, provide guidance and feedback to relevant ministries and agencies, as well as reporting entities, on national risks, indicators, specific reporting obligations, and other matters to improve the effectiveness of the national anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism regime. 10. Design and implement compliance monitoring and enforcement systems for sectors that lack designated supervisory authorities. 11.The Center has the authority to impose proportionate, dissuasive and effective administrative sanctions and penalties upon reporting entities under its supervisory authority for non-compliance with anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing obligations. 12.Represent the country in national, regional, and global meetings, forums, and organizations that focus on money laundering and terrorist financing. 13. Sign and implement Memoranda of Understanding and other agreements with foreign financial intelligence units to support and improve the effectiveness and implementation of the national anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism regime. Art. 22: Confidentiality and professional standards
24 scope of their duties, even after the cessation of such duties, except as provided for in this Act. 2. Such information shall not be used for any purposes other than those provided for by this Act and shall only be disclosed or shared with appropriate authorities on a need-to-know basis for the purpose of detecting and preventing money laundering, terrorist financing, and related predicate offences. 3. The Center shall adopt internal operating handbooks and procedures, including a Code of Ethics to ensure high standards of ethics, integrity, and professionalism. The operating handbooks and procedures shall address prohibition and mitigation of conflicts of interest and corruption. Art. 23: Supervisory powers
25 2. To support and coordinate the building of member institutions‟ capacities to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. 3. To assess the national anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism regime and develop and coordinate the implementation of a national antimoney laundering and countering the financing of terrorism strategy. 4. Coordinate anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism evaluations. 5. To set strategic priorities for the Financial Reporting Center. Art. 26: Members The Committee shall be made up of the following or their chosen representatives:
26 b. Fines of not less than USD $1,000 or the equivalent in any currency and up to three times the amount of the money laundered; c. Either or both of the above. 2. Civil and/or administrative penalties appropriate to and in proportion to the seriousness of the violation: a. Fines of not less than USD $1,000 or the equivalent in any currency and up to three times the amount laundered; b. Temporary or permanent suspension from position or office if employed by or doing business as an independent reporting entity or as a professional for an amount of time, including for life; c. Compliance with any remedial orders issued by the Center, the Central Bank of Somalia, or other competent authority; d. Temporary or permanent suspension of license or authorization to operate based on registration requirements, or limitation of authorized activities pursuant to licensing or registration; e. All or any combination of the above. Art. 29: Penalties applicable to legal entities and the management thereof
27 PART VII: SEIZURE AND CONFISCATION ORDERS Art. 30: Scope
28 b. Instrumentalities of such offence; or c. Such terrorist property. 2. Upon application by the Attorney General, an application for an order under this section shall be heard ex parte and in camera, unless to do so would clearly not be in the interests of justice. 3. An application for a seizure order under subsection (2) shall be in writing and shall be supported by an affidavit of a law enforcement official indicating what the official suspects and the grounds for his or her suspicion, that: a. The property which is the subject of the application is proceeds of an offence; or b. The property is an instrumentality of an offence; or c. The property is derived or intended for use in an act of terrorism. 4. Where an application under subsection (1) is made prior to the conviction of a person for an offence, the affidavit shall state the official‟s grounds for suspicion, and the grounds for suspecting that the relevant person committed the offence(s), and is the subject of an investigation for the offence(s), including the necessary documentation on which the suspicion is based. 5. If property which is the subject of an application for an order under this section is in the possession of a third party, the affidavit shall indicate that the law enforcement official suspects, and the grounds for his suspicion, that the property formally and in reality is owned by the relevant person or, if this is not the case, given to the third party as a present or acquired by the third party in male fide, which are reasons for which the property could still be seized. Art. 33: Asset Management during the period of Seizure
29 c. Realizing or otherwise dealing with the property if it is perishable, subject to wasting or other forms of loss, its value is volatile, or the cost of its storage or maintenance is likely to exceed its value. Such a realization requires a prior approval of the court, unless: I. Persons having an interest in the property consent to the realization or other dealing with the property; or II. The delay involved in obtaining such approval is likely to result in a significant diminution in the value of the property; or III. The cost of obtaining such approval would be disproportionate to the value of the property concerned. d. If the property consists, wholly or partly, of a business: I. Employing, or terminating the employment of, persons in the business; II. Doing anything that is necessary or convenient for carrying on the business on a sound and lawful commercial basis; III. Selling, liquidating, or winding up the business if it is not a viable, going concern, subject to obtaining the prior approval of the court; and IV. If the property includes shares in a company, exercising rights attaching to the shares as if he or she was the registered holder of the shares. Art. 34: Conditions for Confiscation
30 Art. 35: Procedure to acquire a Confiscation Order
31 legal assistance in connection with criminal investigations and proceedings related to money laundering, associated predicate offences, and the financing of terrorism. 2. In the event that the requesting state asks for coercive measures to be carried out on their behalf, the condition of dual criminality will have to be fulfilled. Coercive measures include but are not limited to arrest, search, seizure, and interception of communication. 3. Dual criminality shall be deemed fulfilled irrespective of whether the laws of the requesting state places the offence within the same category of offence or denominate the offence by the same terminology as in The Federal Republic of Somalia, provided the conduct underlying the offence for which assistance is sought is a criminal offence under the laws of the states concerned. 4. The Ministry of Justice, in conjunction with the Financial Reporting Center, shall a. Issue regulations that specify systematic procedures, forms, and deadlines to ensure requests for mutual legal assistance are efficiently and effectively processed and responded to; b. Collect data to monitor and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of requesting and responding to mutual legal assistance requests; and c. Improve systems and procedures aimed at removing bureaucratic and other barriers, as well as impediments to information exchange and mutual legal assistance. Art. 37: Requests for mutual legal assistance Upon application by a foreign state, requests for mutual legal assistance in connection with money laundering or terrorist financing shall be executed in accordance with the principles set out in this part. Mutual legal assistance may include in particular:
32 7. Providing originals or certified copies of relevant documents and records, including government, bank, financial, corporate or business records; 8. Identifying or tracing the proceeds of crime, funds, or property or instrumentalities, or other things for evidentiary or confiscation purposes; 9. Confiscating of assets; 10.Executing freezing and other provisional measures; 11.Providing any other form of mutual legal assistance not contrary to the domestic laws of The Federal Republic of Somalia. Art. 38: Refusal to execute requests
33 5. A decision of a court in relation to a request for mutual legal assistance may be subject to appeal. 6. The competent authority shall promptly inform the foreign competent authority of the grounds for refusal to execute the request. Art. 39: Requests for investigative measures
34 2. Where the competent authorities recognize and enforce a confiscation order issued abroad, they shall be bound by the findings of fact on which the order is based. Art. 42: Disposal of confiscated property The Federal Republic of Somalia shall have power of disposal of property confiscated on its territory at the request of foreign authorities unless provided otherwise under an agreement concluded with the requesting state, without prejudice to the return of the assets to their legitimate owner in good faith. Art. 43: Joint investigations Competent authorities may enter into bilateral or multilateral agreements or arrangements, in relation to matters that are the subject of investigations or proceedings in one or more states, to set up joint investigative teams and conduct joint investigations. Such agreements or arrangements should describe mandates, competences, information sharing, costs, and other related matters. In the absence of such agreement or arrangement, joint investigations may be undertaken on a case- bycase basis. Art. 44: Extradition
35 b. If a final judgment has been rendered in the Federal Republic of Somalia in respect of the offence for which extradition isrequested; c. If the person whose extradition is requested has, under the legislation of either country, become immune from prosecution or punishment for any reason, including statute of limitations or amnesty; d. If there are substantial grounds to conclude the person whose extradition is requested has been or would be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, or if that person has not received or would not receive the minimum guarantees in criminal proceedings, as contained in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 5. Extradition shall not be refused on the sole ground that the offence is considered also to entail fiscal matters. 6. Extradition may be refused if: a. A prosecution in respect of the offence for which extradition is requested is pending in the Federal Republic of Somalia against the person whose extradition is requested; b. The offence for which extradition is requested has been committed outside the territory of either country and the legislation of the Federal Republic of Somalia does not provide for jurisdiction over offences committed outside its territory in comparable circumstances; c. The person whose extradition is requested has been sentenced for the conduct which gives rise to the request or would be liable to be tried or sentenced in the requesting state by an irregular or fundamentally unfair extraordinary or ad hoc court or tribunal; d. The Federal Republic of Somalia, while also taking into account the nature of the offence and the interests of the requesting state, considers that, in the circumstances of the case, the extradition of the person in question would be incompatible with humanitarian considerations in view of the age, health or other personal circumstances of that person; e. The extradition is requested pursuant to a final judgment rendered in the absence of the convicted person who, for reasons beyond his or her control, has not had sufficient notice of the trial or the opportunity to arrange for his or her defense and he or she has not had or will not have the opportunity to have the case retried in his or her presence; f. The Federal Republic of Somalia has assumed jurisdiction over the offence;
36 g. The person whose extradition is requested would be subject to the death penalty in respect of the crime of which that person is accused in the requesting country, unless that country gives sufficient assurances that the penalty will not be carried out. 7. If extradition is refused on grounds stated in this Part, the case shall be referred to the competent authorities in order that proceedings may be instituted against the person concerned in respect of the offence that gave rise to the request. With regard to money laundering and financing of terrorism, the Federal Republic of Somalia may grant extradition after receipt of a request for provisional arrest, provided that the person whose extradition is requested explicitly consents before a competent authority. Art. 45: Processing of mutual legal assistance and extradition requests
37 Art. 46: Content of requests
iii. An indication of the extent to which the order is to be enforced and, where applicable, the amount for which recovery is to be sought in the item or items of property; iv. Where necessary and if possible, any information concerning third-party rights of claim on the instrumentalities, proceeds, property, or other things in question. 3. In the case of requests for extradition, if the person has been convicted of an offence, the original or a certified copy of the judgment or any other document setting out the conviction and the sentence imposed, the fact that the sentence is enforceable, and the extent to which the sentence remains to be served. Art. 47: Additional information The Ministry of Justice or the competent authority handling the matter may request additional information from the competent foreign authority if it appears necessary to execute or facilitate the execution of the request. Art. 48: Requirement of confidentiality Where a request requires that its existence and substance be kept confidential, such requirements shall be observed. If that is not possible, the requesting authorities shall be promptly informed thereof. Art. 49: Delay in complying with request The Ministry of Justice may delay the referral of requests to the competent authorities responsible for the execution of the request if the measure or order sought is likely to substantially interfere with an ongoing investigation or proceeding. It shall immediately so advise the requesting authority. Art. 50: Costs Costs incurred in complying with requests provided for under this part shall be borne by the requesting state unless both states agree otherwise. Art. 51: Asset sharing Property which has been obtained from the execution of a confiscation order shall be
disposed of as follows, unless otherwise agreed: If the amount obtained from the execution of the confiscation order is below USD $5,000, or the equivalent to that amount, the amount shall accrue to the State of Somalia. Where the amount is more than USD $5,000 the parties shall agree on asset sharing proportions.
PART X: MISCELLANEOUS Art. 52: Power to issue Regulations The Minister responsible for financial matters: