President reviews Sri Lanka’s AML/CFT readiness
COLOMBO – President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday (4) stressed the need for coordinated action by state and private sector institutions to successfully complete Sri Lanka’s third Mutual Evaluation on compliance with international Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) standards.
The President made the remarks during a special discussion held at the Presidential Secretariat to review Sri Lanka’s preparations for the evaluation, which is critical to maintaining the country’s credibility within the global financial system.
The Mutual Evaluation, conducted by the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), will assess Sri Lanka’s technical compliance with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) 40 Recommendations and the effectiveness of their implementation based on 11 Immediate Outcomes.
The evaluation team is scheduled to conduct an on-site assessment this year. President Dissanayake stressed that relevant recommendations must be implemented systematically in the coming months and said the process could be successfully completed through effective coordination among all stakeholders.
Central Bank officials informed the meeting that Sri Lanka had commenced preparations for the evaluation in 2023, with efforts intensified over the past two years through strict timelines and action plans.
The assessment involves around 25 government institutions, with overall coordination handled by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Central Bank. A Presidential Task Force on AML/CFT is also monitoring the implementation of required measures by relevant institutions.
The meeting reviewed progress on institutional action plans, implementation challenges and steps required to address outstanding issues before the evaluation.
President Dissanayake also inquired into measures being taken to curb online gambling and the progress of legislation related to the sector.
Attention was further focused on the establishment of the Authority for the Management of Proceeds of Crime. Officials informed the President that the authority has been established and recruitment of staff is currently underway.
The discussion was attended by Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne, Central Bank Governor Dr Nandalal Weerasinghe, Finance Ministry Secretary Dr Harshana Suriyapperuma, Defence Ministry Secretary retired Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe, Inspector General of Police Priyantha Weerasooriya, Chief of National Intelligence Major General Nalinda Niyangoda, ministry secretaries and heads of relevant institutions including the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and the Legal Draftsman’s Department.
-ENCL
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