How to prevent strongmen from hijacking the fight against dodgy money

CATCHING criminals across borders is hard. Court decisions made in one place may not be enforceable in another. Police powers are usually local, and information-sharing and extradition treaties are rare. To remedy this the world’s major powers have created institutions with mandates that cover much of the globe. The International Criminal Court (icc) investigates suspects for genocide, war crimes and other grave offences. Interpol issues “red notices”, which are akin to international arrest warrants. Perhaps the most obscure is the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which also has the hardest job: stopping globe-trotting villains from moving money around the world.