Money Laundering & AML Compliance

Money laundering (lavado de activos) is one of the most aggressively prosecuted crimes in Colombia, carrying penalties of 10 to 30 years imprisonment and fines of 1,000 to 50,000 minimum monthly wages. Colombia's anti-money laundering framework is overseen by the UIAF (Unidad de Información y Análisis Financiero), which receives suspicious transaction reports from over 23,000 obligated entities and works closely with the Fiscalía to investigate potential violations.

For businesses operating in Colombia, compliance with SAGRILAFT (System of Self-Control and Risk Management for Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing, and Proliferation Financing) or SARLAFT (for financial institutions supervised by the Superintendencia Financiera) is mandatory above certain revenue thresholds. Companies with revenues or assets equal to or greater than 40,000 times the current monthly minimum wage must implement SAGRILAFT, including appointment of compliance officers, customer due diligence, and suspicious activity reporting.

At Legal Diligence Medellín, we provide both criminal defense for money laundering investigations and preventive compliance advisory. Our team designs and implements SAGRILAFT programs, trains compliance officers, and represents clients before the Fiscalía, the Superintendencia de Sociedades, and criminal courts. For businesses dealing in virtual assets or cryptocurrency, we address the specific AML requirements established for exchanges and custodians operating in Colombia.