President Chandrikapersad Santokhi recently notified the National Assembly of the 55th plenary meeting of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF). A deadline was set during this conference for Suriname to implement the essential counter-money laundering and counter-terrorist funding measures.
The Mutual Evaluation Report (MER) was examined and accepted at the CFATF’s 55th plenary meeting, which took place in the Cayman Islands from November 27 to December 1. The National Anti-Money Laundering Commission (NAMLAC), members of the Project Implementation Unit Anti-Money Laundering, Minister Amoksi of Justice and Police, Minister Ramdin of Foreign Affairs, International Business, and International Cooperation, and representatives of the Central Bank of Suriname were all present. Regarding the financing of terrorism, there was still some confusion. It was determined to include the nation in the Enhanced Follow-Up Procedure of the Financial Action Task Force – International Cooperation Review Group based on the report’s conclusions (FATF-ICRG). Suriname must bolster its legal framework under the direction of this organization in order to comply with international norms.
The head of state mentions that there would be strong oversight in the upcoming term to make sure everything is in line. We must work together because the stakes are too great and too heavy for our country. The country will rise to the task of avoiding it, he continued, so Suriname should rest certain that it has not been placed in the danger zone. This is mostly because the FATF, the global umbrella organization, now oversees the review instead of the CFATF.