Government may soon take steps to ensure that Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) is completely separated from the Guyana Police Force, as is expected under the anti-money laundering legislation, according to Attorney-General Basil Williams.
Speaking to reporters yesterday during a press conference at his ministry, Williams noted that since SOCU was set up under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) legislation as is required, it is important for Guyana that it performs its core functions related to the legislation “and that it is not burdened with other police work.”
He pointed out that Guyana has to ensure that the organisation is not burdened with other police work such as murders, as it would stymie the operations of the organisation and retard progress under the AML/CFT regime.
“So SOCU is a specialised agency and we have to work out—nothing has come to Cabinet yet—to determine its core. Being in the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) world, CFATF world, the impression I have is that SOCU really is to be independent, just like in the manner of CANU. Right now, it is imbedded in the police force and we have to look at that entire arrangement,” Williams said.
He added that from the international meetings he has attended, it is expected that such agencies are independent and they conduct their investigations when reports are received “without any real interference.” When asked if there is interference, Williams pointed out that SOCU is imbedded in the police force and this arrangement means that the reporting arrangements would be with the Commissioner of Police.
“But like I said, Cabinet hasn’t really dealt with this issue. We need to deal and address that issue but the important thing is that we cannot remove SOCU from its core functions and that is to investigate crimes under the AML/CFT regime,” the minister said.
When further questioned, he pointed out that certain allegations were made earlier and stressed that SOCU should not get mixed up with general police work, “so that people could accuse us of trying to divert them from their core functions.”
The allegations the minister would have been referring to had to do with the bungled SOCU surveillance operation which left three persons dead and PPP/C MP Charles Ramson’s wife and her brother traumatised.
An army intelligence officer mistakenly pursued Ramson’s wife, Alana, and her brother in a high speed car chase, which ended in a horrific crash on Carifesta Avenue on December 30, 2015. Army intelligence officer Robert Pyle, his wife, Stacy Pyle, and truck driver Linden Eastman died in the accident. Since then Ramson and the PPP have been calling for a Commission of Inquiry to be conducted into the incident and have questioned whether SOCU is “doing police work.”
‘Nothing left’
Meanwhile, Williams said that there is nothing left for Guyana to do ahead of the third round of FATF mutual evaluations, which is expected to be conducted when a five- member team visits the country between September 14th and September 15th.
“Nothing is left to be done. When they come and they inspect, once they are satisfied, then at the next October meeting a motion will be moved on the floor for Guyana to exit the process,” the minister said.
He said that the purpose of the visit is to verify whether Guyana has introduced and is implementing reforms recommended in the Action Plan agreed between FATF and Guyana. “The visit will also confirm whether there is political commitment to sustain the reforms,” he said.
According to the Attorney-General, the country prepared for the visit by having its AML/CFT compliance team, led by him, conduct meetings with key agencies, including the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), SOCU and the Bank of Guyana, to sensitise them on their AML/CFT obligations.
During next month’s visit, the mission will meet with Williams and his team, the Minister of Finance, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and other supervisory authorities, such as the Bank of Guyana and the Securities Exchange Council, and reporting entities, such as Republic Bank, GBTI, Western Union operators and cambios.
Williams said that the onsite visit will be on the agenda at the next FATF plenary meeting, scheduled to take place in Paris in October.
After Guyana has exited the third round, it will have to work to exit the fourth and Williams said a national assessment has started to identify risks.
Williams also expects to attend two important Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) Ministerial Meetings in Miami, Florida between September 6th and September 9th. According to him, Guyana has done something unprecedented in the “FATF world and that is within a year of a new government we are poised to exit both FATF and CFATF.”
