The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, wrote to the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, asking him to promote "
dialogue
" between the French Banking Federation (FBF) and the Muslim associations, after mosques in the Rhône denounced account closures.
Read alsoThe Council of Mosques of the Rhône denounces a “banking apartheid”
SEE ALSO
- The rector of the Cannes mosque denounces an "unfair and unjustified" closure of his place of prayer
In a press release published earlier this week, the Council of Mosques of the Rhône (CMR) regrets the closure of the accounts of dozens of Muslim institutions in the department and their "
benefactors
", evoking a "
banking apartheid
" which, according to him, has lasted for several years.
“
Dozens of mosques under construction (or extension) have had their bank accounts closed
,” said Kamel Kabtane, president of the CMR, citing in particular the cases of those of Croix-Rousse in Lyon, Villeurbanne or even of Décines-Charpieu, in the metropolis.
"
This situation, which persists, creates a real misunderstanding of the leaders of Muslim religious associations and therefore requires to engage in a reinforced dialogue with the profession
", writes Gérald Darmanin, in a letter dated June 8, revealed by
La Croix
Thursday and that AFP has obtained.
This situation had been noted during the first meeting, on February 5, of the Forum de l'islam de France (Forif), a new forum for discussion with the State, and had resulted in the creation of a working group on the topic.
A "
dialogue
" has been initiated between the Ministries of the Interior and Finance and the stakeholders to "
call on the banks to find amicable solutions with the associations concerned
“, assured Bercy on Wednesday, questioned by AFP.
Read alsoJustice orders the “provisional reopening” of the Beauvais mosque
In his letter, manually annotated with "
I am counting on you for this important intervention
", Gérald Darmanin indicates that the Forif working group proposes to "
write a guide in partnership with the FBF for associations practicing the Muslim faith
" .
.
He recalls that “
the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism are obviously part of the due diligence obligations that banks must respect.
On the other hand, these obligations in no way impose the closing of a bank account, a fortiori without prior information, including when this account shows suspicious movements
”.
In the latter case, "
the only obligation relates to sending a substantiated suspicious transaction report to Tracfin
", the government agency whose mission is to fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism or banditry.
Account closures are "
at the initiative of banks as part of their vigilance in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism
", the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday.
SEE ALSO
- "I have never heard of problematic comments": worshipers react to the closure of the Beauvais mosque
