Anti Money Laundering Bill…Finance Minister continues to deceive public- Granger

Mar 10, 2014 News

Leader of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) David Granger says that while the amendments proposed by the coalition will not guarantee enforcement, it will most certainly increase the possibility of that happening.
The APNU Leader also says that recent comments by the Minister of Finance are very deceptive as it regards the passage of the APNU amendments.

David Granger, Leader of the APNU

This assertion was made on Friday last at the APNU’s Headquarters on Hadfield Street.
In a recent television interview, Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh had stated that the APNU does not need the support of the government to pass its amendments. He stressed that the amendments require much study, consultation and reformation to make it workable.
“Were they to pass the Bill they can come back, next week and even the week after that and pass it. They have the majority and they can take it to the House. They don’t need the support of government anyhow.”
Granger in light of these comments stressed that the Finance Minister is being misleading.
“He is misleading the public because the process is stalled at the level of drafting amendments to craft them into law so we can’t go ahead because the Chief Parliamentary Council is located in the office of the Minister of legal affairs and he is the one that is stalling the process. Not the APNU.
“We cannot go ahead because the actual text has not been inserted into the amendments so I think it is very misleading for him to make those remarks.”
He noted that the parliamentary opposition is still awaiting word from the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Mr. Cecil Dhurjon.
“We are unhappy with the attitude of Dhurjon, the executive branch and even the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill.”
As it relates to the APNU’s amendments, Granger said that the amendments go to the heart of the problems as it relates to anti money laundering.

Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh4

Granger said that “implementation has always been the great flaw and the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force has said they are interested in legislation but the Financial Advisor, Roger Hernandez also insisted on enforcement. We have not seen that for the last 14 years, but we feel that it is better to build those four strong institutions in order to create a greater possibility that enforcement will follow but we cannot guarantee enforcement.
“What we know is that under the present circumstances, enforcement will be quite difficulty.”
“Enforcement lies in hands of the Financial Intelligence Unit, the Bank of Guyana, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Special Organized Crime Unit.”