LAHORE: The federal government has initiated steps to designate Provincial Anti-Corruption Establishments (ACEs) as investigating and prosecuting agencies under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AML Act) 2010, a key reform commitment under Pakistan’s programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to official documents.
The move forms part of an action item contained in the Staff-Level Agreement reached under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which seeks to strengthen Pakistan’s legal and institutional framework to combat corruption-linked financial crimes and improve transparency in financial investigations.
The Ministry of Finance conveyed the reform requirement in a letter informing relevant authorities that provincial anti-corruption bodies would be formally empowered to investigate money laundering offences linked to corruption within their jurisdictions.
According to the text of the IMF agreement, the Provincial Anti-Corruption Establishments will be authorised under the law to investigate money laundering connected with corruption offences falling within their jurisdiction. They will also be able to request and receive financial intelligence from the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) as recognised investigating agencies under the AML Act and will be provided with sufficient resources and specialised training to conduct parallel financial investigations alongside corruption probes.
rts (STRs), strengthening the capacity of law enforcement agencies to conduct financial investigations and improving inter-agency cooperation in asset recovery cases.
Officials said the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Financing of Terrorism Authority and the Financial Monitoring Unit have held numerous meetings since Jan 3, 2026 to deliberate on proposed amendments to the AML Act 2010 and to devise mechanisms for the effective inclusion of provincial ACEs as investigating and prosecuting agencies.
