Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) are a critical tool for law enforcement agencies. They are primarily
used to develop intelligence on potential new criminal targets and to confirm or expand information
about existing investigations. SARs do not serve as direct evidence of money laundering in court but
provide leads and context that enable law enforcement to build cases.
The DFSA’s thematic reviews and AML guidance clarify that SARs assist in identifying emerging crime
patterns and help intelligence units track suspicious transactions over time. They also allow law
enforcement to corroborate data from other sources.
SARs help:
Develop intelligence on new targets (C) by revealing previously unknown suspicious behavior.
Confirm or develop information on existing targets (D) by adding transactional data and context.
Identifying regulatory failings (A) is primarily a supervisory function, and SARs themselves are not
evidence for prosecution (B) but intelligence inputs.
Therefore, options C and D are correct.
