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.
In a press release published earlier this week, the Council of Mosques of the Rhne (CMR) regrets the closure of the accounts of dozens of Muslim institutions in the department and their benefactors, citing 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 Lyon, Villeurbanne or Dcines- Charpieu, in the metropolis.
This situation, which continues, creates a real incomprehension of the leaders of Muslim religious associations and therefore requires to engage in a reinforced dialogue with the profession, writes Mr. Darmanin, in a letter dated June 8, revealed by La Croix Thursday and that AFP got hold of it.
Find amicable solutions
This situation had been raised 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 led to the creation of a working group on the subject. .
A dialogue has been started between the Ministers of the Interior and Finance and the stakeholders to call on the banks to find amicable solutions with the associations concerned, Bercy assured Wednesday, questioned by AFP.
In his letter, manually annotated with an I am counting on you for this important intervention, Grald Darmanin indicates that the Forif working group proposes to write a guide in partnership with the FBF for associations practicing the Muslim faith.
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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 the sending of a declaration of suspicion taye Tracfin, the government agency whose mission is to fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism or banditry.
Account closures are initiated by banks as part of their vigilance in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism, the Minister of Finance said on Wednesday.