Observer/Concepts/Politically Exposed Person (PEP) screening
Kquick switch[email protected]
CONCEPT

Politically Exposed Person (PEP) screening
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What's on this page?The full concept entry as stored in Postgres. Definition, regulatory origin, risk consequence, and any per-jurisdiction overrides and role guidance authored for it. Sources at the bottom are the only citations the AI Generator is allowed to use when producing content about this field.

pep-screening · domain compliance-aml-kyc · v1

risk · criticalpublished

Definition

FATF Recommendation 12 + AMLD5 Article 20

A check against PEP databases to determine if a customer, UBO, or related party holds (or has held) a prominent public function. PEP status mandates enhanced due diligence (EDD) for the duration of the relationship plus a cooling-off period.

Risk consequence

what goes wrong if the user gets this wrong

Onboarding a PEP without applying EDD is a significant regulatory breach. PEP exposure has been the primary driver of enforcement actions in EU AML cases since 2019.

Jurisdiction variants

2 overrides
JurisdictionOverrideNote
LU— uses base definitionCSSF requires PEP screening at onboarding AND on every material change to the customer relationship (e.g. new beneficial owner, jurisdiction change). Screening must cover at least one year after the PEP leaves office.
EU— uses base definition

Role guidance

2 roles
RoleGuidancePermission note
kyc-analystRun the PEP screening provider against the customer, every UBO ≥25%, and known close associates. A positive match must be confirmed by a compliance officer before onboarding proceeds.
compliance-officerConfirm or dismiss positive PEP matches. For confirmed PEPs, document the EDD scope: source of wealth, source of funds, expected transaction profile, and ongoing-monitoring frequency.

Workflow hints

per app · per module
App / moduleCurrent stepNext stepBlockers / deadline
elyxen
kyc / onboarding
PEP screeningEnhanced due diligence (if positive)Cannot proceed without screening result

Sources

grounding allow-list for AI output
AMLD5 Art. 30
Directive (EU) 2018/843 — 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directive, Article 30 (Beneficial Ownership Information)
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32018L0843
EUv2018
FATF R.12
FATF Recommendation 12 — Politically Exposed Persons
https://www.fatf-gafi.org/en/publications/Fatfrecommendations/Fatf-recommendations.html
globalv2023-update
CSSF 12/552
CSSF Circular 12/552 on central administration, internal governance and risk management
https://www.cssf.lu/en/Document/circular-cssf-12-552/
LUv2020-revision

Audit

Status
published
Version
1
Reviewed by
DEMO-ONLY (sample content, awaiting domain expert per KE-Q3)
Last reviewed
5/12/2026
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