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S.I. No. 367/2026 - Solicitors (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

S.I. No. 367/2026 - Solicitors (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 Skip to content Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Gaeilge Léim go dtí an t-ábhar Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach English Gaeilge English Produced by the Office of the Attorney General Táirgthe ag Oifig an Ard-Aighne Home Legislation Acts of the Oireachtas Statutory Instruments Pre-1922 Legislation Constitution External Resources Bills (Houses of the Oireachtas) Iris Oifigiúil / Official Gazette Revised Acts (LRC) Classified List of Legislation (LRC) Translations (acts.

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  3. s)or rangeBliain nó blianta nó raon TypeCineál All Legislation Acts Statutory Instruments Advanced SearchCuardach Casta HomeBaile Statutory InstrumentsIonstraimí Reachtúla 2026 S.I. No. 367/2026 - Solicitors (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 S.I. No. 367/2026 - Solicitors (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 AmendmentsLeasuithe Download PDF Íoslódáil PDF Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in “Iris Oifigiúil” of 28th July, 2026. THE LAW SOCIETY OF IRELAND, in exercise of the powers conferred on it by sections 5, 66 (as amended by section 182 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 (No. 65 of 2015)) and 71 (as amended by section 4 of the Solicitors (Amendment) Act 2002 (No. 19 of 2002)) of the Solicitors Act 1954 , with the concurrence of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority, hereby makes the following regulations:- Citation 1. These Regulations may be cited as the Solicitors (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. Definition 2. In these Regulations, “Principal Regulations” means the Solicitors (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Regulations 2020 ( S.I. No. 377 of 2020 ). Amendment of Regulation 2 of Principal Regulations 3. Regulation 2 of the Principal Regulations is amended— (
  4. a)by deleting the definition of “Accounts Regulations”, (
  5. b)in paragraph (
  6. d)of the definition of “clients’ moneys”— (
  7. i)by substituting “Regulation 8

(1)(a) and
(2)(b) of the Solicitors Accounts Regulations 2023 ( S.I. No. 118 of 2023 )” for “Regulation 8
(2)(a) and
(3)(
  1. b)of the Accounts Regulations”, and (
  2. ii)by substituting “Regulation 2
(1)of those Regulations” for “Regulation 8
(1)of the Accounts Regulations”, and (c) by inserting after the definition of “documents” the following definition: “‘Electronic Identification Regulation’ means Regulation (EU) No. 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 20141 ;”. Amendment of Regulation 4 of Principal Regulations 4. Regulation 4 of the Principal Regulations is amended by inserting after paragraph
(8)the following paragraph: “
(9)In carrying out its functions under this Regulation, the Society shall have regard to guidelines issued by the Minister under section 37
(12)or
(13)(as inserted by section 10(c) of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Act 2021 (No. 3 of 2021)) of the Act of 2010.”. Amendment of Regulation 8 of Principal Regulations 5. Regulation 8
(2)of the Principal Regulations is amended by inserting “(including information from relevant trust services as set out in the Electronic Identification Regulation)” after “clients”. Amendment of Regulation 10 of Principal Regulations 6. Regulation 10
(2)of the Principal Regulations is amended— (
  1. a)in subparagraph (b)— (
  2. i)in clause (i), by deleting “and”, (
  3. ii)in clause (ii), by substituting “concerned, and” for “concerned.”, and (iii) by inserting after clause (
  4. ii)the following clause: “(iii) where the beneficial owner is the senior managing official referred to in Article 3
(6)(a)(
  1. ii)of the Fourth Money Laundering Directive, a solicitor shall take the necessary measures to verify the identity of that person and shall keep records of the actions taken to verify the person’s identity including any difficulties encountered in the verification process;”, and (
  2. b)by inserting after subparagraph (
  3. b)the following subparagraphs: “(
  4. c)in the case of a client to which the European Union (Anti-Money Laundering: Beneficial Ownership of Trusts) Regulations 2021 ( S.I. No. 194 of 2021 ) apply, ascertaining that information concerning the beneficial ownership of the client is entered in the relevant trust’s beneficial ownership register and in the Central Register of Beneficial Ownership of trusts,; and (
  5. d)in the case of a client to which the European Union (Anti-Money Laundering: Beneficial Ownership of Corporate Entities) Regulations 2019 ( S.I. No. 110 of 2019 ) (modified by the European Union (Modifications of Statutory Instrument No. 110 of 2019) (Registration of Beneficial Ownership of Certain Financial Vehicles Regulations 2020) ( S.I. No. 233 of 2020 ) apply, ascertaining that information concerning the beneficial ownership of the client is entered in the Central Register of Beneficial Ownership of Companies and Industrial Provident Societies or, as the case may be, the Central Register of Beneficial Ownership of Irish Collective Asset-management Vehicles, Credit Unions and Unit Trusts.”. Amendment of Regulation 14 of Principal Regulations 7. Regulation 14 of the Principal Regulations is amended by substituting for paragraph
(1)the following: “
(1)A solicitor shall, as far as possible, in accordance with policies and procedures adopted in accordance with Regulation 5, examine the background and purpose of all transactions that— (
  1. a)are complex, (
  2. b)are unusually large, (
  3. c)are conducted in an unusual pattern, or (
  4. d)do not have an apparent economic or lawful purpose.”. Amendment of Regulation 15 of Principal Regulations 8. Regulation 15 of the Principal Regulations is amended— (
  5. a)by inserting after paragraph
(4)the following paragraph: “(4A) A solicitor shall continue to apply the measures referred to in paragraph
(4)to a politically exposed person for as long as is reasonably required to take into account the continuing risk posed by that person and until such time as that person is deemed to pose no further risk specific to politically exposed persons.”, and (b) in paragraph
(8), in the definition of “politically exposed person”— (
  1. i)by substituting “any of the following individuals” for “either of the following individuals”, and (
  2. ii)by inserting after subparagraph (
  3. b)the following subparagraph: “(
  4. c)any individual performing a function prescribed by the Minister under the Act of 2010;”. Amendment of Regulation 16 of Principal Regulations 9. Regulation 16 of the Principal Regulations is amended by substituting for paragraph
(1)the following: “
(1)Subject to paragraph
(2), a solicitor shall apply the following measures to manage and mitigate the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing additional to those specified in this Part, when dealing with a client established or residing in a high-risk third country: (
  1. a)obtaining additional information on the client and on the beneficial owner; (
  2. b)obtaining additional information on the intended nature of the business relationship; (
  3. c)obtaining information on the source of funds and source of wealth of the client and of the beneficial owner; (
  4. d)obtaining information on the reasons for the intended or performed transactions; (
  5. e)obtaining the approval of senior management for establishing or continuing the business relationship; (
  6. f)conducting enhanced monitoring of the business relationship by increasing the number and timing of controls applied and selecting patterns of transaction that need further examination.”. Amendment of Regulation 17 of Principal Regulations 10. Regulation 17
(5)(
  1. b)of the Principal Regulations is amended by inserting “(including any information from relevant trust services as set out in the Electronic Identification Regulation)” after “client”. Amendment of Schedule 1 to Principal Regulations 11. Paragraph 3 of Schedule 1 to the Principal Regulations is amended by substituting “Geographical risk factors - registration, establishment, residence in:” for “Geographic risk factors:”. Amendment of Schedule 2 to Principal Regulations 12. Schedule 2 to the Principal Regulations is amended— (
  2. a)in paragraph
(1)— (
  1. i)in subparagraph (g), by substituting “business;” for “business.”, and (
  2. ii)by inserting after subparagraph (
  3. g)the following subparagraph: “(
  4. h)the client is a third country national who applies for residence rights or citizenship in the State in exchange for capital transfers, purchase of property or government bonds or investment in corporate entities in the State.”, and (
  5. b)in paragraph
(2)— (
  1. i)by substituting for subparagraph (
  2. c)the following: “(
  3. c)non face-to-face business relationships or transactions, without certain safeguards, such as electronic identification means, relevant trust services as defined in the Electronic Identification Regulation or any other secure, remote or electronic, identification process regulated, recognised, approved or accepted by the relevant national authorities;”, (
  4. ii)in subparagraph (e), by substituting “products;” for “products.”, and (iii) by inserting after subparagraph (
  5. e)the following subparagraph: “(
  6. f)transactions related to oil, arms, precious metals, tobacco products, cultural artefacts and other items of archaeological, historical, cultural and religious importance, or of rare or scientific value, as well as ivory and protected species.”. Signed on behalf of the Law Society of Ireland pursuant to section 79 of the Solicitors Act 1954 . Dated this 23rd day of July 2026 ROSEMARIE LOFTUS President of the Law Society of Ireland. The Legal Services Regulatory Authority concurs, pursuant to section 66
(1)(as amended by section 182 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 ) of the Solicitors Act 1954 ), in the making of the foregoing Regulations. On behalf of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority Dated this 23rd day of July 2026 NIAMH MULDOON CEO of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority. EXPLANATORY NOTE (This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation). These Regulations amend the Solicitors (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Regulations 2020 to reflect changes made to the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 by the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Act 2021 . These Regulations may be cited as the Solicitors (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. 1 OJ No. L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 73. Privacy Statement Accessibility European Legislation Identifier (PDF) Open Data License Ráiteas Príobháideachais Inrochtaineacht Aitheantóir Eorpach Reachtaíochta (ELI) Ceadúnas Sonraí Oscailte Liosta Fianán © Government of Ireland. Oireachtas Copyright Material is reproduced with the permission of the Houses of the Oireachtas © Rialtas na hÉireann. Atáirgtear ábhar faoi Chóipcheart le cead ó Thithe an Oireachtais

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