FE Report

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=107818&date=2010-08-02

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) formed Sunday a 12-member National Coordination Committee (NCC) to finalise an action plan to prevent the money laundering and terrorist financing in accordance with the recommendations made by international anti-money laundering institutions.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith has been made convener of the NCC. Other members of the committee include the Bangladesh Bank governor, the attorney general, and the secretaries of finance division, banking division and ministries of home, foreign and law, official sources said.

The first meeting of the newly formed NCC will be held shortly to identify the loopholes in the existing laws to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing, a top MoF official said.

The NCC will complete their job within the next two to three months, he said.

The move has been taken in the backdrop of a report, submitted recently by Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The FATF in its report said Bangladesh has not yet attained the international standard in containing money laundering and terrorist financing activities.

The FATF, an inter-governmental body formed to develop and promote national and international policies to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, in its report said Bangladesh is still non-compliant in at least 10 key areas in attaining international standard, an official said.

Besides the FATF, Asia Pacific Group (APG) on Money Laundering, in their recently concluded Mutual Evaluation Report also expressed dissatisfaction over the poor level of legislation to curb money laundering crimes in the Bangladesh, he said further.

The international watchdog groups, including FATF, have asked the government to attain the international standard in combating financial crimes by October this year or at least submit the government's action plan to them before its plenary secession due in October this year, an official in the BB said.