Luanda – Angolan government is committed to complying with the recommendations of organizations regarding money laundering, terrorism financing and related crimes, the secretary of State for the Interior, José Paulino da Silva, reaffirmed on Thursday, in Luanda Province.
Speaking at the opening of the “Workshop on Money Laundering Associated with Migratory Movements”, aimed at magistrates and employees of the Migration and Foreigners Service (SME), he disclosed that Angola has been adopting political, legislative, economic, financial and administrative measures to prevent and combat such practices.
“It is on this basis that the Ministry of the Interior, through the National Police, the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC), the Migration and Foreigners Service and other related bodies, has been participating in various training activities to provide its employees with skills and tools allow us to deal efficiently and effectively with the phenomenon,” he stressed.
He went on to say that the Ministry of the Interior has carried out operational and investigation actions to prevent and combat the aforementioned crimes, in partnership with the Attorney General's Office, as well as the Courts and other bodies.
In turn, the head of the European Union (EU) Political Delegation, Paulo Simões, defended more adequate preparation to reinforce the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing crimes and connections in Angola.
He stressed that the mutual evaluation report of the International Financial Action Group (FATF) highlighted some of Angola's structural deficiencies in these areas.
“The AU has been working in a coordinated effort to overcome the deficiencies that the country presents and make Angola a worthy reference in the region”, he guaranteed.
To him, the asset recovery system allowed the collection of many millions, already in the possession of the State, but much more improvement and recovery still needs to be done, both in the national territory and abroad.
He mentioned that Angola has been improving data collection and processing, but it needs to deepen statistics, as a fundamental element of the justice review, as well as an essential work tool.
The official also revealed that “the new program financed by the EU will bring additional resources to reinforce this fight”.
In turn, the resident coordinator of the United Nations System in Angola, Zahira Virani, highlighted that the fight against money laundering in the context of migration is not limited to protecting financial systems, but protecting people and ensuring that migrants, who often make dangerous journeys in search of safety and opportunity, avoiding being exploited by criminals looking to profit from their vulnerability.
He reiterated his thanks to the Angolan government, particularly, to the Migration and Foreigners System, the Attorney General's Office and the Supreme Court, for their partnership in this initiative, and for their efforts to combat money laundering.
The ““Workshop on Money Laundering Associated with Migratory Movements”, aims to improve the competences of the relevant institutions in the investigation of money laundering associated with migration-related crimes.
The event, to be held until Friday, is organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (ONUDC) in partnership with the Angolan Migration and Foreigners Service and the Attorney General's Office (PGR).
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