The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) said it remains firm on its position, not to support the passage of Guyana’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill. This was disclosed by APNU’s leader David Granger during a media conference last Friday.
Granger confirmed that come later this week, his party will not be supporting the amendments to the bill, due to their absence in the entire process and the need for it to be properly done.
He said that the coalition has no-confidence in the amendments made to the bill and its readiness for final reading set for November 7.
The opposition leader reiterated that government had the bill for four years and was looking to have it passed through the National Assembly in a mere four months. He noted that it is 21 days since Parliament reconvened on October 10 and there has not been a single sitting, while accusing the government of wasting time.
“I do not think that the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force or the other financial institutions are going to be moved simply by the passage of a law, they look at enforcement and they have crticised Guyana over the last four years,” he asserted. The opposition leader also noted that the taskforce has even moved to send a team to Guyana and has noted that the Financial Intelligence Unit has failed to provide a report or moved to prosecute persons found in breach of the law.
Granger noted that the government should return the bill to the parliamentary select committee, where it spent the last few months so that the amendments can be completed. He also expressed a belief that it will be difficult to make amendments to the bill, on the floor. He also stated that the Alliance For Change’s (AFC) support for the bill, is not a concern for APNU.
