Under a new Bill amending Singapore's anti-money laundering (AML) regime, prosecutors will no longer have to prove that monies allegedly laundered in Singapore have a direct link with underlying criminal conduct.

The Bill was introduced to parliament on 2 July 2024. It seeks to address the difficulties associated with obtaining evidence from foreign victims, entities and authorities and proving the complete trail of monies, especially where it has passed through multiple foreign jurisdictions. The amendment will mean the prosecution can establish an AML offence merely by showing that the alleged launderers knew or had reasonable grounds to believe they were dealing with criminal proceeds.

Other amendments will designate certain foreign environmental crimes as predicate AML offences, even though they do not have direct domestic equivalents under Singaporean law and so cannot satisfy the dual criminality test. This will allow Singapore's law enforcement agencies to investigate suspected money laundering arising from illegal mining, waste trafficking or logging in foreign countries.