๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ
โข ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒโ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐๐/๐๐
๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ๐ฌ.
โข ๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ: ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ง ๐๐
๐๐-๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐ข๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ค.
โข ๐๐ฎ๐ฒ๐๐ง๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ: ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ฎ๐ฒ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฒ-๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐
๐๐๐
๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ง-๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐, ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ .
โข ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฌ: ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ง๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐๐ก ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฒ๐๐ง๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ฒ.
โข ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐ญ: ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅโ๐ฌ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐จ.
As long as you are on a political partyโs list of candidates, you have automatically subjected yourself to the highest category of compliance risk under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act (AML/CFT). This classification designates you as a Politically Exposed Person (PEP).
The AML/CFT Act defines a PEP to include not only the individual but also their family members and close associates. This risk is further heightened if you are affiliated with a political party whose principal founder is the subject of one of the most severe international financial sanctionsโnamely, by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). A simple Google search reveals that only about 17,000 individuals and entities out of over 7 billion people globally have been sanctioned by OFAC. Clearly, such a designation carries serious and far-reaching consequences.
๐๐ฎ๐ฒ๐๐ง๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐๐/๐๐
๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ
Guyana was already on the brink of being blacklisted. In 2014, the country was grey-listed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) due to national-level breaches in updating the AML legislative framework in line with FATF recommendations. We came dangerously close to being blacklisted. See FATF reference here: https://www.fatf-gafi.org/en/countries/detail/Guyana.html….
This situation arose under a minority government, where the opposition refused to cooperate in passing the necessary amendments. This legislative deadlock was one of the main reasons for the 2015 snap electionsโto avoid blacklisting. Had we been blacklisted, Guyana could have faced a fate similar to Venezuelaโs: complete exclusion from the international financial system. This would have crippled our ability to pay for imports or export local goods.
๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
The claim that the government is victimizing the sanctioned party and its affiliates is entirely unfounded. In fact, the government refrained from exercising its full authority under the AML/CFT Act. They could have frozen all financial assets of the sanctioned individual immediately upon the OFAC ruling. Instead, they allowed him to close his accounts and withdraw his funds.
I urge everyone to read the AML/CFT Actโparticularly Part IV, Sections 38โ66โto understand the legal framework and the governmentโs measured response in respect of the freezing of assets of a sanctioned entity or individual for breaches thereunder.