Africa-Press – Mauritius. A Regional Workshop on Compliance with International and EU requirements concerning the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendation 8 was launched, this morning, by the Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mr. Mahen Kumar Seeruttun, at Le Meridien Hotel, Pointe-aux-Piments.
Other eminent personalities, including the Ambassador of the Republic of France to Mauritius, Mrs Florence Caussé-Tissier and the Ambassador and Head of Delegation, European Union (EU) to Mauritius, Mr Vincent Degert, were present on the occasion.
The Workshop is jointly organised by the EU anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) Global Facility and the Ministry of Financial Services and Good Governance. It is designed for non-profit organisations and representatives of Financial Intelligence Units and Law Enforcement Agencies. The objective of the event, that will span over three days, is to allow the exchange of best practices and sharing on challenges faced by participants from different States to ensure compliance with legislation as well as FATF recommendations.
In his address, Minister Seeruttun extended his gratitude and appreciation to the EU AML/CFT Global Facility for its continuous support in strengthening the AML/CFT framework of Mauritius. The Minister dwelt on the strong and strategic collaboration that Mauritius shared with the EU, and recalled that the EU AML/CFT Global Facility acceded promptly to the request for technical assistance when Mauritius was placed on the EU List of High-Risk Third Countries.
We were provided with high calibre international experts for both onsite and offsite capacity building programmes that were instrumental in addressing the strategic deficiencies identified under Recommendation 8 and Immediate Outcome 10, he said. This enabled Mauritius to be upgraded on FATF Recommendation 8 from Non-Compliant to Largely Compliant, he added.
According to Mr. Seeruttun, these unique actions together with the strong political will of the Government, as well as the hard work and determination of authorities, led to the delisting from the FATF Grey List well ahead of the agreed timeline. This regional workshop, he stressed, is yet another testimony of the strong will of the Government to reinforce ongoing collaborative effort with the EU AML/CFT Global Facility in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.
The Minister further informed that as part of the post International Country Risk Guide (ICRG) strategy, Government’s efforts were now geared towards sustaining the reforms and ensuring the effectiveness of the measures undertaken. He added that Mauritius committed to continue working with Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) to improve further its AML/CFT system.
While recalling that the Government had intensified its efforts and deployed a series of remarkable measures to bring the jurisdiction in conformity with international norms, Minister Seeruttun asserted his determination to put in more resources, both human and financial, to further strengthen the level of effectiveness of the systems.
For his part, Mr Vincent Degert underlined that the Workshop marked the special partnership of EU and Mauritius that helped Mauritius to win the battle through the mobilisation of assistance. He congratulated the Government of Mauritius for its full engagement and commitment to address each FATF recommendation and improve its scores so that it became a role model for other countries.
The EU Ambassador also lauded Mauritius’ intention to use its expertise as peer and support to other countries facing similar difficulties in finding exit strategies. He urged the local authorities to make this achievement sustainable and far-reaching by building on the tools developed and by continuing capacity-building.
In addition, he asserted that the EU AML/CFT Global Facility was committed to provide other support and assistance and was looking forward for an increased number of collaborations with different authorities and for cross-functional activities to achieve further results. We will work with Mauritius to enhance its reputation as a financial hub and investment platform for Africa, Asia and the rest of the world, he emphasised.
As for the Team Leader, EU AML/CFT Global Facility, Mr. David Hotte, he thanked the Government of Mauritius for welcoming and trusting the EU AML/CFT Global Facility over the last two years which, he emphasised, were intense and critical in the deployment of efforts for the eventual delisting of Mauritius from the FATF grey list. He underlined the contribution of other international partners in this endeavour, and reiterated his continued support to Mauritius. He moreover commended Mauritius’ initiative to use its local resources and expertise to in turn provide help and assistance to other countries, which according to him would contribute to the development of the country.
The Director of the Peace, Stability, Security Department, Expertise France, Mr Jerome Heitz, expressed his pride in having contributed, with international partners, to the delisting of Mauritius. He said that the fight against terrorism was a common goal for all partners, and had thus set up a Technical Assistance Coordination Committee in Mauritius to tap into the joint efforts of all partners to provide the best support possible. He underlined that an excellent coordination was established and enabled his institution to define a work strategy based on what was undertaken in Mauritius.
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