Africa-Press – Angola. The National Assembly (AN) unanimously approved, Friday, the Bill that will amend the current diploma on Preventing and Combating Money Laundering, Financing of Terrorism and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
The diploma, approved in general, with 160 votes, earned the confidence of the legislators who participated physically and virtually in the debate of the 5th Extraordinary Plenary Meeting of the 2nd Legislative Session of the V Legislature of the National Assembly, with a view to reinforcing the fight against money laundering in the country and in accordance with international standards.
According to the Secretary of State for Human Rights and Citizenship, Ana Celeste Cardoso, the Law Proposal, initiated by the Holder of the Executive Power, earned the confidence of legislators due to the fact that it is a document that will provide the national financial system with a legal instrument to enable the institutional increase of solutions with greater legal certainty in the treatment of practices that constitute crimes of money laundering, financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
With the purpose of adapting the diploma to the country’s new social, economic and financial context, Ana Celeste Cardoso highlighted, the Proposed Law to Prevent and Combat Money Laundering, the Financing of Terrorism and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, initially approved in 2010, it once again merited discussion and voting by the Angolan Parliament.
Ana Celeste Cardoso also highlighted that the proposal, voted unanimously, aims to reinforce the compliance and effectiveness of the national system for preventing and combating Money Laundering, the Financing of Terrorism and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, through the adjustment of the legal framework, enabling the establishment of mechanisms increasingly aligned with internationally recognized good practices.
According to the Secretary of State for Human Rights and Citizenship, the diploma’s mission is also to provide mechanisms for identifying, evaluating and mitigating risk factors recognized by the system, as well as offering solutions for better compliance with measures to prevent and combat underlying crimes..
In this way, the proponent’s representative stressed, the approved bill constitutes another fundamental step in the framework of strengthening the stability and resilience of the Angolan Financial System, constituting a fundamental step in the materialization of the commitments assumed by the Executive in governance policies, in the Plan of National Development (PDN) 2023- 2027 and in the Long-Term Strategy Angola 2050.
According to the founding report, the revision of the current law was due to the growth rates of the Angolan financial system, which was placed on the radar of the international financial system, and that in 2010 the country began a specific march to reinforce the state’s commitment to building of a robust scenario of compliance and effectiveness of the legal framework with regard to the prevention and repression of Money Laundering, the Financing of Terrorism and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
The report also states that taking into account the identified national risk potential and compliance with international reference standards, with emphasis on the Recommendations of the International Financial Action Group (40+11 FATF-FATF Recommendations) and looking at the approval of the first Law to Combat Money Laundering, Law no. 12/10, of 9 July, which began the formation of an entire legal system, there is an urgent need to review the context.
The deputies place confidence in the diploma, Sandra Henriques, representing the UNITA Parliamentary Group, said that the diploma that will amend the current law on Preventing and Combating Money Laundering, Financing of Terrorism and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, it deserved all the attention of legislators as it is of great importance in the national and international context.
The deputy of the UNITA Parliamentary Group also mentioned that the revision of the current law, despite resistance from the “extensible insurance sector such as banking”, which are the main operators in any financial system, UNITA voted in favor.
The vote of the UNITA Parliamentary Group, he continued, was cast on the basis of “patriotic duty”, promising that the Executive will carry out forward-looking management, refraining from practices that could eventually denigrate the image of Angola and Angolans.
Diploma on Preventing and Combating Terrorism
The National Assembly voted, on Thursday afternoon, also unanimously and in general, with 168 votes, the diploma that amends the Law on Prevention and Combat of Terrorism, a diploma that will give the Angolan State greater control over acts that indicate the practice of organized crime by terrorist groups.
According to the Secretary of State for Citizenship and Human Rights, Ana Cardoso, the Proposed Law aims to conform Angolan legislation to international legal instruments for preventing and combating terrorism, taking, above all, into account the imminent risk in the Central and Southern African continent.
The deputy of the UNITA Parliamentary Group, Manganés Calunga, when speaking at the session, said that terrorism is a real threat to peace, security and development, so it makes perfect sense to create mechanisms to prevent and combat this evil that worries everyone.
For deputy Osvaldo Caculo, from the MPLA Parliamentary Group, terrorism has been the path followed by some organizations with the purpose of perpetrating acts of violence that frighten societies and governments, causing significant human and material damage.
According to the proponent’s reasoning, the proposed law aims to reinforce the institutional increase of solutions of greater security and legal certainty in the treatment of practices that can constitute crimes of terrorist financing, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and other forms of support for terrorist activities, reinforce mechanisms for identifying, evaluating and mitigating risk factors identified by the system, as well as offering solutions for better compliance and effectiveness of measures to prevent and combat the crimes in question.
After voting on the two diplomas, in general and unanimously, during the 5th Extraordinary Plenary Meeting of the 2nd Legislative Session of the V Legislature of the National Assembly, the instruments will soon be discussed in the Specialty Committees.
jornaldeangola
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
