Definition of a politically exposed person


Definitions of politically exposed person, family members and close associates. Quote from DIRECTIVE (EU) 2015/849, article 3:

(9) 

‘politically exposed person’ means a natural person who is or who has been entrusted with prominent public functions and includes the following:

(a) 

heads of State, heads of government, ministers and deputy or assistant ministers;

(b) 

members of parliament or of similar legislative bodies;

(c) 

members of the governing bodies of political parties;

(d) 

members of supreme courts, of constitutional courts or of other high-level judicial bodies, the decisions of which are not subject to further appeal, except in exceptional circumstances;

(e) 

members of courts of auditors or of the boards of central banks;

(f) 

ambassadors, chargés d'affaires and high-ranking officers in the armed forces;

(g) 

members of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of State-owned enterprises;

(h) 

directors, deputy directors and members of the board or equivalent function of an international organisation.

No public function referred to in points (a) to (h) shall be understood as covering middle-ranking or more junior officials;

(10) 

‘family members’ includes the following:

(a) 

the spouse, or a person considered to be equivalent to a spouse, of a politically exposed person;

(b) 

the children and their spouses, or persons considered to be equivalent to a spouse, of a politically exposed person;

(c) 

the parents of a politically exposed person;

(11) 

‘persons known to be close associates’ means:

(a) 

natural persons who are known to have joint beneficial ownership of legal entities or legal arrangements, or any other close business relations, with a politically exposed person;

(b) 

natural persons who have sole beneficial ownership of a legal entity or legal arrangement which is known to have been set up for the de facto benefit of a politically exposed person.