By PAUL O’DONOGHUE, Senior Correspondent
JOHN Berrigan, Europe’s most senior public servant in financial services, received the top award today at the ‘European Anti-Financial Crime Summit (EAFCS) 2025’.
Mr Berrigan, Director General at DG FISMA at the European Commission was the recipient of the ‘AML Champion 2025’ accolade.
Mr Berrigan said he was “deeply honoured” to receive the award which was presented by Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe, who is also Ireland’s Minister for Finance. The presentation took place at EAFCS2025 which was held in Dublin’s RDS.
In his role as Director General at DG FISMA, Mr Berrigan played a pivotal role in guiding the EU’S new AML laws, including the AML Authority (AMLA) from concept to operation.
“I want to acknowledge the work of a fantastic team that I have in Brussels,” he said at the award presentation.
“I am not an AML expert, but I was the person who thought that we needed to address a problem, a problem of a system that was too fragmented and too decentralized. So what we did was to tighten the rules and to set up a centralized body.”
Mr Berrigan added: “I remain confident that the little contribution I made is going to help the EU address the problem of money laundering and financing of terrorism.”
He added that the key issues in financial crime are “constantly evolving”. He said AMLA will put the EU in a much stronger position to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
“Again, I am deeply honoured to receive this award,” he said.
At the same event, Europol chief Catherine de Bolle was presented with the inaugural ‘John O’Driscoll Award for International Co-Operation’ by Ireland’s Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan.
The award is in memory of the late former Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll, who successfully spearheaded the international police investigation targeting the Kinihan transnational organized crime group.
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