THE Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) 10th Meeting of the Council of Ministers concluded on a successful note with several agreements being reached under the chairmanship of Guyana’s Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Basil Williams.

At the recently concluded meeting in Miami, the ministers agreed, amongst other decisions, on the election of Antigua and Barbuda as the Deputy Chair of CFATF for the period 2018-2019, the 2019 Budget, the incoming chairman’s work programme for 2019, an amendment of the CFATF’s secretariat organisational structure to allow for enhanced governance and efficient and effective operations, a review of the CFATF’s strategic plan and the addition of two observers to the CFATF.

The CFATF Council of Ministers is the supreme authority within the CFATF and consists of ministerial representatives. It meets annually to decide on issues concerning financial, strategic and institutional matters of the CFATF. This includes the CFATF’s strategic plan, the chairman’s work programme, the election of a deputy chairman, the audited financial statements and the 2019 Budget.

The meeting was also attended by Dale Marshall, Q.C, M.P, Deputy Chairman and Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs of Barbados, as well as attorneys general from Belize– Michael Peyrefitte; Grenada – Dr Lawrence Joseph; Montserrat – Sheree Jemmotte-Rodney; St. Kitts and Nevis – Vincent Byron; Suriname – Roy Baidjnath-Panday and The Bahamas – Carl Bethel; Xiomara Ruiz-Maduro; Aruba and the Hon Fayval Williams, M.P, Jamaica also attended. Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Curacao, St. Maarten, Venezuela and the Virgin Islands were also represented at the meeting(s).

Also in Miami, there was a meeting of the Steering Group, which was also chaired by Minister Williams.

The Steering Group is the advisory committee to the chairman, the Plenary and the Council of Ministers. The Steering Group meeting included discussions on the issues and recommendations for the consideration of the Council of Ministers on the agenda items that were presented. The Steering Group meets monthly.

The CFATF remains a strong and vibrant FATF -styled Regional Body (FSRB) with an effective level of governance through the meetings of its Council of Ministers, Steering Group and Plenary. The CFATF through its secretariat and guidance from the Chairman, the Honourable Basil Williams, continues to assist countries in addressing and enhancing their AML/CFT structures.