How to prevent strongmen from hijacking the fight against dodgy money

Unfortunately these institutions are increasingly abused, and the fatf is no exception. Just as the icc has become a venue for political “lawfare” and Interpol has made it easier for autocrats to have dissidents-in-exile arrested, so the fatf’s mighty powers are being hijacked by strongmen looking for another way to crack down on their opponents, as we report this week. It is a sorry trajectory for an organisation with an important mission. The FATF must be reformed—or the global fight against dirty money will itself be corrupted.