The Minister of Internal Affairs, Major General (RTD) David T. O. Taluva, Deputy Minister of Finance II Mr. Bockarie Kalokoh and Deputy Minister of Justice, Mr. Alpha Sesay on Saturday June1 2024 attended the 28th Ministerial Committee meeting (GMC) of the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) that took place in Point Sarène, M’bour outside of Dakar, Senegal.
The GMC is the highest political decision-making body of GIABA that brings together the Ministers of Economy and Finance, Justice, Interior/Security of each Member States to review and approve policy orientations and examine issues related to the overall functions of GIABA.
GIABA is mandated to ensure that member countries fully implement the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Standards and evaluate member states on AML/CFT Standards. FATF is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog.
In Pointe Sarène, the line ministers also examined and adopted, among other things, the activity report from November 2023 to May 2024 of the Director General of GIABA; the report of the 41st Meeting of the Technical Commission/Plenary. In the Technical/plenary sessions was Mr., David N. Bobor, Director Financial Intelligence Unit(FIU).
The presentation on the status of Member States under the International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) process and the Mutual Evaluation Process; the approval of the Mutual Evaluation Report of the 2nd Round of the Union of the Comoros; the approval of the Mutual Evaluation Processes and Procedures of the 3rd Round of GIABA, were also items discussed during the Ministerial Meeting.
From May 26th to June 1st was the 41st Technical Commission/Plenary sessions during which Member States technicians discussed the threats and challenges related to money laundering and the financing of terrorism (ML/FT) in the sub-region.
At the end of the conference, the organizers and development partners urged Ministers to influence their various Governments to give their FIUs all the necessary financial and political support to enable them implement and meet all FATF and AML/CFT standards.
At the margins of the meeting, the Internal Affairs Minister and the two Deputy Ministers held bilateral engagements with the ECOWAS Representative, GIABA Director General, World Bank and FATF. They spoke for more technical and financial support to the security sector in Sierra Leone to enhance its internal security and also support to the Financial Intelligence Unit to enable them implement FATF/GIABA standards in addressing all issues relating to AML/CFT.
Credit: Ishmael Bayoh
Information Attached- Sierra LeoneEmbassy Dakar, Senegal
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