Definitions #
An individual who holds or has held a prominent public position, making them a higher risk for corruption or bribery.
Technical An individual entrusted with a prominent public function (e.g., head of state, minister, judge), whose financial activities require enhanced due diligence under AML/CFT regimes (e.g., FATF Recommendation 12).
Example The bank must apply enhanced due diligence for any politically exposed person customer.
A person whose political role may make them a target for money laundering, so banks and financial institutions must scrutinize their transactions.
Technical Under the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive, a PEP is any individual holding senior political office, including family members and known associates, subject to enhanced monitoring.
Example The compliance officer flagged the transaction because the client was a foreign PEP.
Etymology #
The term was formalized by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in the 2000s to address corruption risks in anti-money laundering frameworks.
Collocations #
- foreign PEP 外国政治人物，通常指非本国政府高级官员
- enhanced due diligence 强化尽职调查（EDD），对 PEP 必须执行
- family member of a PEP 政治人物的直系亲属，也被视为 PEP
Real Business Examples #
- The bank's customer onboarding process includes screening for politically exposed persons.
- According to the EDD policy, transactions involving a PEP must be escalated to senior management.
Register & Variants #
- Register: formal
- BrE/AmE: 全球通用，主要用于 AML/CFT 监管语境
Synonyms & Antonyms #
- Synonyms: PEP, public official
Common Errors #
- 仅将现任官员视为 PEP，忽略前任官员 PEP 定义包括现任和前任官员（通常 12-24 个月内），具体按司法辖区规定。
- 未对 PEP 的家族成员和密切关系人进行额外审查 应对 PEP 的直系亲属、配偶、子女以及已知亲密合作伙伴进行同等级别的尽职调查。
Confusable Terms #
- foreign official vs Politically Exposed Person
- foreign official 仅指外国政府官员，而 PEP 更广泛，包括本国官员和重要公共职务者。
Frequently Asked Questions
哪些人会被视为 PEP？?
国家元首、政府高级官员、法官、军队高级军官，以及国有企业的领导人等。
处理 PEP 客户时有什么要求？?
需要识别和核实身份，执行强化尽职调查，并持续监控交易，必要时报备可疑活动。
Published: 2026-09-23 Category: Accounting