Pakistan expands money laundering crackdown to include cybercrime offences

Pakistan has broadened its anti-money laundering framework by bringing cybercrime-related offences under the scope of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) 2010, in a move aimed at tackling the growing nexus between digital crime and illicit financial flows.

According to an official notification, the government has designated the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) as an investigating and prosecuting authority under AMLA. This authorization enables the agency to pursue money laundering cases linked to cybercrime, reflecting the state’s effort to adapt financial crime enforcement to evolving technological threats.

In addition, the government has amended Schedule-I of AMLA to insert a new Section XV, incorporating a range of offences from the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 into money laundering investigations.

The included offences span serious digital crimes such as cyber terrorism (Section 10), electronic fraud (Section 14), unauthorized use of identity information (Section 16), issuance of unauthorized SIM cards (Section 17), child pornography (Section 22), online grooming and cyber enticement (Section 22A), commercial sexual exploitation of children (Section 22B), use of information systems for kidnapping or trafficking of minors (Section 22C), and dissemination of false or fake information (Section 26A).

These amendments, made under Section 42 of AMLA, mark a significant tightening of Pakistan’s legal framework to counter organized crime, especially the exploitation of digital channels for laundering illicit funds and targeting vulnerable populations.

The NCCIA itself was established on May 3, 2024, to investigate cybercrime nationwide, replacing the Cybercrime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Its enhanced mandate under AMLA positions it as a central player in Pakistan’s evolving financial crime enforcement landscape.