Assistance to the Commission will be provided by the appropriate authorities of the member states.

In the heart of Brandenburg, Germany, the Financial Investigation Group (GFG) has been a key player in the fight against money laundering and financial crimes since its establishment in 1999. This joint venture between the Customs Investigation Office Berlin-Brandenburg and the Landeskriminalamt Brandenburg is headquartered at the Landeskriminalamt Brandenburg.

The GFG was formed in response to overlapping legal responsibilities and the need for centralized combat against money laundering. Prior to the introduction of the offense of money laundering into the Criminal Code in 1992, investigations were conducted independently in both authorities.

The GFG works closely with the Specialist Prosecutor's Office for Combating Money Laundering in the State of Brandenburg. Six officials from the LKA Brandenburg and six officials from the Customs Investigation Office Berlin-Brandenburg work together in the GFG to optimize cross-functional processes and centralize the combat against money laundering.

The Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) obliges banks, insurers, financial service providers, casinos, real estate agents, and goods dealers to file suspicious activity reports if they have doubts about the legitimacy of transactions. The GFG processes all proceedings related to cash seizures at Berlin Brandenburg Airport and at the border with the Republic of Poland. As of 2023, the GFG has processed over 2,000 cases and received nearly 1,500 money laundering suspicion reports from the Central Office for Financial Transactions Analysis (FIU) and 200 cash seizures from Berlin Brandenburg Airport and the border region with the Republic of Poland.

The FIU, Germany's national center for receiving, collecting, and analyzing suspicious activity reports related to money laundering, predicate offenses, or terrorism financing, plays a crucial role in the GFG's activities. The FIU deploys FIU liaison officers in the state criminal police offices, including those in Berlin and Brandenburg, to foster close and trusting cooperation between the FIU and law enforcement agencies and to optimize cross-functional processes.

The processing of cases based on suspicious activity reports is an important area of activity for the FIU. If the suspicion is confirmed, the funds and assets can be seized and the perpetrators held accountable. The FIU's activities are based on the regulations of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, which was amended in 2021 to allow money laundering investigations for lower-level offenses than serious crimes.

The GFG cooperates with various supervisory authorities, partner agencies, and financial authorities across Germany. This includes the FIU, with which the GFG works closely to combat money laundering and financial crimes. The head of the Zollfahndungsamt Berlin-Brandenburg since 2023 is Olaf Wietschorke.

Six-figure sums are regularly secured and confiscated after the conclusion of investigations by the judiciary in cases related to cash seizures at Berlin Brandenburg Airport and the border region with the Republic of Poland. The GFG's efforts in the fight against money laundering and financial crimes are a testament to its commitment to maintaining the integrity of Germany's financial system.