As a way of recognizing her work, the deputy secretary of the Prizes and Betting Secretariat of the Ministry of Treasury (SPA), Carolina Yumi de Souza, received the Diploma of Merit from the Financial Activities Control Council – Coaf. The honoring ceremony took place last Tuesday (11), at the Council’s headquarters, in Brasília.
Created since 2011, the award annually honors individuals and/or institutions that have distinguished themselves in the area of preventing and combating money laundering or the financing of terrorism.
The diploma and its criteria
The main criteria are:
- Carrying out services, work or studies in the prevention and combat of money laundering or the financing of terrorism;
- Carrying out services, work or studies that have benefited or supported Coaf in carrying out its activities;
- Practice of an act, contribution to a fact or exercise of a function that justifies the payment of a special tribute by Coaf.
According to a statement by Coaf president Ricardo Liáo, the agency’s work faces new challenges. This is due to the growth of sectors such as virtual assets, fixed-odds betting and environmental crimes.
He also highlighted the improvement of processes and the “significant increase in the exchange of financial intelligence information”.
Upon receiving the award, SPA deputy secretary Carolina Yumi de Souza said: “We took on a huge challenge (…) and everyone who is part of this community embraced us. That’s why I want to thank you not only for the award, but also for letting me be part of this community,” she concluded.
Professional history
Before her work at SPA, Carolina Yumi de Souza dedicated herself to the area of combating money laundering. Until 2024, she had worked at the Ministry of Justice, heading the Department of Asset Recovery and International Legal Cooperation (DRCI). In addition to her, 11 other people have been awarded by COAF.
The Coaf
The Financial Activities Control Council (Coaf) is a Brazilian administrative body. The agency was created by Law No. 9,613, of March 3, 1998, during the economic reforms carried out by the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
