Who must comply?
- Central authorities for mutual legal assistance
- Prosecutors and judicial authorities handling MLA requests
- Foreign ministries coordinating diplomatic channels
Key requirements
- 1
Sound legal basis for MLA
MLA must be available based on conventions, multilateral or bilateral treaties, or domestic legislation enabling MLA in the absence of treaty (reciprocity).
- 2
Designate a central authority
A central authority must be designated to receive MLA requests, transmit them to relevant domestic agencies, monitor execution and ensure timely response.
- 3
Range of measures available
MLA must be available for: production of records, witness statements, on-site searches, freezing and seizing of property, identifying and locating persons, and other coercive and non-coercive measures.
- 4
Limited refusal grounds
Refusal must be limited to specific, narrow grounds (e.g., political-offence exception). Bank secrecy, fiscal-offence-only refusal, and absence of dual criminality for non-coercive measures must NOT be grounds.
- 5
Confidentiality protection
MLA requests must be kept confidential to protect investigations — disclosure to the subject of the investigation is prohibited.
- 6
Timely execution
Requests must be executed in a timely manner. Tracking systems and case-management procedures should ensure that delays are minimised and reported.
- 7
Coordination with parallel investigations
MLA must be coordinated with parallel domestic investigations under R.30 — supporting asset recovery and ensuring consistent evidentiary chains.
Practical example
Example: MLA between Mexico and Spain
A Spanish court investigating a Mexican former governor for embezzlement requests MLA from Mexico to: produce 5 years of bank records, identify properties owned by the suspect, and freeze assets pending criminal proceedings. Under R.37, Mexico's central authority (the FGR's International Affairs Office) cannot refuse on the grounds that bank secrecy applies, that the offence is partly fiscal, or that there is no dual criminality for the document-production part of the request. The request is processed through Mexico-Spain MLA treaty channels and executed by the FGR with cooperation of CNBV and Indep.
How Mexico implements it
Country-specific section in Spanish — Mexican regulatory references (LFPIORPI, CNBV, SAT, UIF).
México opera ALM a través de tratados bilaterales y la Convención de Mérida:
FGR — Autoridad central
La Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales de la FGR es la autoridad central mexicana para ALM en materia penal. Recibe solicitudes, las distribuye a unidades especializadas y monitorea ejecución.
Tratados ALM bilaterales
México tiene tratados bilaterales de ALM con países clave: EUA, España, Francia, Reino Unido, Argentina, Brasil, Colombia, Chile, entre otros. Para países sin tratado, aplica la Convención de Palermo o la Convención de Mérida como base.
Excepciones limitadas
México no rechaza solicitudes ALM por secreto bancario (Art. 117 LIC tiene excepciones expresas), por delito puramente fiscal (cuando hay LD subyacente), ni por ausencia de doble incriminación en medidas no coercitivas.
Coordinación con UIF y Indep
Cuando la solicitud ALM involucra inteligencia financiera, la FGR coopera con la UIF (vía Egmont). Cuando involucra activos, coopera con el Indep (administración de bienes asegurados).
Milestones
-
1990
Original Recommendation 36 on MLA
-
2001
Special Recommendation V extends MLA explicitly to TF
-
2012
Consolidated as Recommendation 37
-
2025
October 2025 update emphasises timeliness and proactive cooperation
Related Recommendations
Other Recommendations in Group G — International Cooperation
Official citation
FATF (2012-2025), International Standards on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism & Proliferation, Recommendation 37, FATF, Paris, France. Last updated October 2025.
Read the official text on fatf-gafi.org