Empower Judiciary to hold the corrupt accountable – SG

AML/CFT

Speaking of discussions for a continental free trade area in Africa that African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states can benefit from, Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Patricia Scotland is calling on Guyana and other regional states to build their capacity.
She was at the time addressing a press conference at the National Communications Network (NCN) studios on Friday. According to Scotland, her discussions with African leaders have revealed the potential for increased benefits

to the Region.
But in order to benefit from this trade, she made it clear that systems in the Region must be made robust and the corrupt must be rooted out. Scotland noted the loss of revenue from public officials siphoning it off has serious implications.
According to the former Attorney General in the United Kingdom, a conspiracy of organised crime threatens countries around the world. Debunking the myth that money laundering is a victimless crime, she noted the importance therefore of prosecutors building their capacity and holding the corrupt accountable.
“If we are to take advantage of that trade, we have to have fair and robust systems, but we also have to make sure that the corrupt do not take advantage of this new delivery. And that’s part of what we’re doing here in this conference.”
“Because in the Sustainable Development Goals, if you look at the money we have and the money we need, it’s the same equivalent to that which is siphoned off around the world to corruption.”
Scotland acknowledged that while Judges and prosecutors try to discharge their duties without fear and favour, they are being pressured by the corrupt. She said that in order to boost anti-corruption efforts, the likelihood of crooks being caught and illicitly obtained assets being recovered must be increased.
“So what we have done, in the meetings we are having with the Judges and the prosecutors, is to give them a platform to come together. All the Judges and the prosecutors are independent law officers and they discharge their duties without fear or favour. But we know they are being challenged. All of us are being challenged by the crooks,” she stressed.

The CFTA
In March, the leaders of 44 African countries had signed a deal in Rwanda to create the African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA). Among some of the much-touted benefits of this agreement is the removal of barriers such as tariffs and import quotas.
As part of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and a signatory to the Cotonou Agreement, Guyana has a seat at the table when it comes to discussions about regional trade. And according to Scotland, big countries have an obligation to work in tandem with the smaller states.
As part of its mandate as chair of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), Guyana had hosted a two-day workshop, which addressed pressing issues in the Region, including violent extremism and the financing of terrorism.
The seminar was held on May 3 and 4 at the Pegasus Hotel and was a collaborative effort of the Guyana Government, the Commonwealth Secretariat, Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The financing of the event will be covered by these bodies.
Scotland had sounded a strong warning during her address at the opening of the CFTAF workshop for Judges and prosecutors on Thursday. She had noted that financial institutions of almost every country around the world are under threat of being exploited for criminal and terrorist purposes.