Georgetown :, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon said that, the United Nations Counter Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) team spent Monday and Tuesday with senior government officials to examine preparatory measures locally in its review of Guyana’s counter terrorism organs and principles.
The high level UN team met with representatives of local law enforcement and counter terrorism entities such as the Guyana Police Force, “principally the law enforcement, national security, because of the countering finances aspect, the FIU and with the money laundering supervisory bodies”.
The focus was on Guyana’s counter terrorism architecture, according to Dr. Luncheon, such as those set up within the scope of international treaties and the UN Security Council’s resolutions on countering terrorism.
The definitions of actions which constitute terrorism were examined along with the roles of law enforcement, national security bodies and legislative instruments used to counter terrorism. The team was updated on the status of government’s principal strategic counter terrorism intervention which included the enactment of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill and the establishment of Serious Organised Crime Unit (SOCU): a unit which will be based in the office of the Police Commissioner to investigate anti money laundering and counter terrorism.
The UN team also took the opportunity to voice some of their concerns and Dr. Luncheon noted that, “Quite a bit of it had to do with the legislative architecture. Although terrorism is an offence, the enactment of the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism bill certainly prevents Guyana from being accorded recognition of abiding and implementing United Nations Security Council’s resolutions.”
Government had tabled the bill during a recent parliamentary sitting but the political opposition has refused to vote on the important piece of legislation. Guyana stands to be affected by various sanctions if the bill does not pass before November 2013.
The UN delegation included representatives from CTED, International Maritime Organisation (IMO), INTERPOL and the 1540 Committee.
