Presidential Adviser on Governance Gail Teixeira said government is cautiously optimistic that the combined opposition, the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) will see the importance of passing the amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Financing Terrorism Act (CFT) before the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force’s (CFTAF) November meeting.
During a post-Cabinet news conference last Thursday, Teixeira said she will be convening a meeting at the end of Parliament’s recess to see if the parties can come to a tripartite agreement on the matter.
“We would just have to taste the pudding and see what happens, or as they say, test the waters,” Teixeira said.
“Bogus deadlines”
But APNU’s leader David Granger on Friday during his coalition’s weekly press briefing said they will not be moved by government’s “bogus deadlines”. He said APNU has already stated its position and the party will continue to strive to ensure that the AML/ CFT is properly scrutinised before clearing the House.
“APNU has already stated that it is not bound by bogus deadlines, but by the precepts of good governance and we want to ensure that the errors in the existing Financial Intelligence Unit and the existing act do not repeat in the future,” Granger maintained.
He argued that his party has an obligation to the people of Guyana to ensure that amendments are made, all loopholes are plugged and a water proof is drawn up.
“The current act is porous and that is why we are taking our time and listening to civil society so that we could get the best advice and incorporate best practices,” Granger said.
Meanwhile, Teixeira recalled that even after missing the deadline given by the CFATF for the second time, Guyana still submitted its report. But the taskforce deemed it as incomplete, to which end, the country will be faced with a series of financial challenges from the international community.
Sanctions
“Despite being aware of Guyana’s position with regards to sanctions and submission of the final report to CFATF, the Parliamentary Select Committee went ahead and postponed deliberations until October. Yet CFATF still insisted on a definitive date of enactment by the time officials again meet in November,” she said.
However, the taskforce commended Guyana for the implementation of the non-legislative interventions by the government, and urged further progress in this regard.
