Dirty money starts from dirty minds
Friday, September 20, 2019
The new Financial Intelligence Act, which kicked in on September 4, is indeed a comprehensive endeavour to lift the country to international best practice in terms of Anti-Money Laundering/Combatting Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT).
The new Act replaces its loophole-ridden predecessor, which was demonstrably ineffective as seen in the fact that almost no money laundering cases ever reached the courts or were successfully prosecuted in the years since its enactment in 2009.
Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...