Dear Editor,
The recent information shared by the Attorney General on the cases pending for money laundering should be put in context so as to help clarify the progress being made in this area. He had stated that 187 cases are pending. It would be helpful to know what percentage this represents of the total cases. Were there 400 cases with less than 50% pending or does it represent almost 90 plus percent of the total money laundering cases? Also knowing the approximate time it will take for the cases to be processed would help inform members of the judiciary as to how efficient their system is working. Will it take a year, 5 years, or more?
Setting clear goals and expectations for the processing of these cases is necessary for the authorities that are scrutinizing our financial system to have confidence in our ability to prevent the risk of money laundering within our financial system. The continued lack of prosecution will raise eyebrows among officials and create the impression that our judicial system is deliberately dragging its feet. The Attorney General can help prevent such an impression by providing the added clarity needed around the percentage of cases pending and the estimated timeline for the processing of the pending cases. If the estimated timeline is unacceptable then a recovery plan should also be presented.
Sincerely,
Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana
