Kuwait steps up fight against cross-border dirty money; from sea to sky customs tighten screws

The General Administration of Customs convened a high-level coordination meeting aimed at reinforcing oversight of cross-border cash movements through land, sea, and air ports.

The meeting was chaired by the Vice President for Ports, Research, and Customs Investigation Affairs, Saleh Al-Omar, and brought together officials from the Financial Investigations Department responsible for combating money laundering and terrorist financing.

In a statement issued Thursday, the Customs Authority said discussions focused on formulating a comprehensive strategic action plan that introduces advanced monitoring procedures, strengthens information exchange mechanisms, and enhances operational readiness to prevent any attempts to exploit ports for illicit financial activities, reports Al-Rai daily.

Participants in the meeting also reviewed mechanisms to further develop operational workflows at customs outlets and examined key field challenges faced by customs officers during inspections and enforcement duties.

Emphasis was placed on unifying procedures and integrating institutional roles among relevant agencies to ensure the highest levels of compliance, coordination, and regulatory control.

The Authority noted that the meeting forms part of its broader efforts to modernize customs operations, reinforce transparency, and align practices with national and international standards.

These steps aim to deepen institutional integration while improving the efficiency and effectiveness of supervisory and inspection systems across all ports.

The meeting was attended by directors of documentation, risk management, information exchange, research, and investigation departments.