Guyana will for the first time be represented by a noteworthy nine-member delegation at the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) XLV Plenary Meetings which will be held under the Chairmanship of the Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles, Attorney-General Turks and Caicos.
This, move according to information out of the Attorney General’s office, is a demonstration of Guyana’s commitment to one of the key objectives of the CFATF Chair’s Work Programme 2016/2017. Guyana’s attendance will in essence help to strengthen its preparedness for the Fourth Round of Mutual Evaluations.
These Plenary meetings will be held in Trinidad and Tobago, during May 2017 and allow for discussion of various matters of interest to members as well as members’ Mutual Evaluation Reports.
The Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, will be accompanied by his Special Adviser Tessa Oudkerk, the Director Matthew Langevine, Senior Legal Adviser Alicia Williams and Legal Adviser Yonette Scarville of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) Sydney James, the Governor Gobind Ganga and Director of Bank Supervision Department Ramnarine Lal of the Bank of Guyana, and Assistant Director of Public prosecutions Teshanna Lake.
In recognition globally of the complexity of the Fourth Round Mutual Evaluations, and in order to achieve the level of compliance set by the CFATF, a Compliance Team was established by the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs to ensure that Guyana is adequately prepared for the 4th Round and its challenges.
The Attorney General, sought to have corresponding counterparts from Guyana attend the meeting so that Guyana’s public sector officials may meet and interact with their colleagues from across the region and establish networks where possible for future collaboration, sharing experiences and assisting each other in being better prepared for the challenges of the Fourth Round Mutual Evaluations. The members of the delegation comprise not only members of the CFATF Working Groups, but also members of the newly established Compliance Team.