Latest update February 20th, 2025 12:39 PM
Anti Money Laundering Legislation…Chief Parliamentary Counsel completes APNU amendments
…Govt. tables counter amendments to Committee
Chief Parliamentary Counsel (CPC), Cecil Dhurjon, has completed drafting the amendments proposed by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). The draft has been submitted to the Special Select Committee tasked with addressing the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill (AML/CFT).
Joseph Harmon
This was confirmed by APNU’s Executive Member, Joseph Harmon, who following last evening’s meeting, said that the CPC has done a very good job drafting the amendments.
He said that the Committee has begun deliberations on the three amendments and discussions on one have almost been complete.
APNU had requested amendments to the Principal Act to the effect that the composition and appointments of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) be determined by Parliament; police and customs officers be allowed to make search and seizures of money above $10M for which persons could not explain; the establishment of a Anti Money Laundering Authority.
Harmon noted, however, that Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, has submitted counter amendments to the amendments submitted by the CPC.
Interestingly the CPC’s Office is located within the Office of the Attorney General.
Harmon said that the Committee will meet again on March 26. He also spoke to the consultation being held by the President today at the International Conference Centre and said he is unsure as to why the President would want to go ahead with this when the work is progressing at the level of the Committee.
Harmon suggested that what the President should be engaging is the conditionality attached to the opposition’s support for the Bill when it reaches the House for the vote.
Opposition Leader, Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, is on record as saying that while they will support the Bill in the Committee, once they get their amendments support in the Full House is conditional on the President addressing outstanding issues such as the non assent of the President by a number of Bills passed by the Opposition and the commencement order for the holding of Local Government Elections among others.
The Alliance for Change (AFC) has called for the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) and more recently said that it would also support APNU’s demands.
Meanwhile Attorney General, Nandlall, in providing an update to the media following last evening’s meeting, corroborated Harmon’s report but added that Government still believes the APNU proposal to be problematic.
He said too that the committee will now have to examine the impact that the APNU’s amendments will have on the Principal Act and the current Bill before the Committee, a task he opined would be time consuming.
Anil Nandlall
When this aspect is completed according to Nandlall, the Committee will then have to address the counter proposals made by Government.
He did point out that Government maintains that what is transpiring with regards to the additional amendments is unnecessary “because we have a Bill that is CFATF (Caribbean Financial Action Taskforce) compliant.”
According to Nandlall, “The changes being made now are structural changes to very composition of the legislation.”
The Attorney General further noted that even if the Committee were to approve the additional amendments, then Government is of the opinion that they need to be sent to CFATF, “for their imprimatur because at the end of the day we can pass whatever bill we want unless it receives the approval of CFATF we would have been engaged in a self defeating exercise.”
He lamented that all that will have to now take place in order to get the Bill back to the House for a vote, will continue to put Guyana at risk because the time for making a report has long gone.
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