GOVERNMENT PROPOSES BILL ON PREVENTION OF MONEY-LAUNDERING

ZAGREB, 30 Sept (Hina) - With last week's adoption of a bill on the prevention of money-laundering, Croatia joined other European Union countries in the fight against international organised crime, aide to Croatian Finance Minister, Ivica Smiljan, told a press conference in Zagreb Monday. According to the bill, the Finance Ministry and Financial police are to gather, register and analyze data on suspicious transactions. Banks, financial institutions, Croatian Privatization Fund insurance companies, exchange offices and gambling houses are to send data on all transactions reaching the value of 75,000 kunas (DM 21,000) or more. They are also to send all data on frequent smaller transactions of different currencies and on irregularities. The proposing of the bill did not come too late, because Hungary and Austria had adopted such laws only couple of years ago, Smiljan said. (hina) rm jn 301536 MET sep 96