Anti-money laundering policy

The lawyer complies with his legal obligations regarding the identification of the client or the client’s principal. The client and/or principal undertake to provide, on their own initiative, all documents necessary to establish their identity and authorize the lawyer to make copies thereof.

The obligations of both the lawyer and the client arise in particular from the provisions of the Law of 18 September 2017 on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing and on the restriction of the use of cash.

The information to be provided by the client varies depending on whether the client is a natural person, a legal person, or an agent.

The client shall promptly and voluntarily inform the lawyer of any change in their circumstances and shall provide supporting evidence thereof.

Where the nature of the matter (assistance to the client in the preparation or execution of transactions such as the purchase or sale of real estate or business undertakings; the management of funds, securities or other assets belonging to the client or the client’s principal; the opening or management of bank accounts, savings accounts or portfolios; the organization of contributions necessary for the incorporation, management or administration of companies; the formation, management or administration of trusts, companies or similar structures; or acting in the name and on behalf of the client in any financial or real estate transactions), or where the specific situations provided for by the aforementioned Law of 18 September 2017 (country of origin, identification difficulties, unusual relationship between the client and the lawyer or unusual nature of the transactions, politically exposed person or equivalent) require the lawyer to exercise enhanced due diligence, the client undertakes to answer any question from the lawyer enabling the latter to comply with his legal obligations relating to the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing.

Where the lawyer assists the client in the conduct of legal proceedings or provides the client with legal advice (including the assessment of the client’s legal position), the lawyer is bound to the strict observance of professional secrecy.

The law requires the lawyer to inform the President of the Bar as soon as he becomes aware, outside the scope of his mandate to defend in legal proceedings or to provide legal advice, of facts which he suspects to be related to money laundering or the financing of terrorism.

The President of the Bar, as guarantor of professional secrecy, shall, where appropriate, transmit the suspicious transaction report to the Financial Intelligence Processing Unit (CTIF).