Do the country’s new trust laws adhere more closely to international standards against money laundering?
That’s the question that was sent to a regional organisation set up to fight money laundering.
That’s the question that was sent to a regional organisation set up to fight money laundering. But it is refusing to answer questions about its activities – because of a “communications strategy.”
Six questions were sent to the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (A.P.G.) but none were answered. Samoa Observer wanted to independently check a claim by government that its new Trust laws were “more” compliant with provisions set by the group.
However the A.P.G. referred comment back to what it described as the group’s “contact agency” in Samoa, the Central Bank.
“As you might be aware, we have a communications policy available on our website,” said Gordon Hook, Executive Secretary of the A.P.G., attaching a copy of the ‘policy’ to his email answers.
“It contains some restrictions at paragraphs 47 - 51 on what we, in the Secretariat, may discuss with media outlets. Paragraphs 13 through 16 are also relevant,” he said.
“On the basis of our policy, the Secretariat is not in a position to answer your questions.”
One of those questions related to why the group did not send any of its “news” updates to news outlets. This follows a visit by the group to Samoa in late February, which the A.P.G. did not reveal until afterwards, posting an update on its website.
The update refers to talks with officials over an anti-terrorism law, but does not mention this country’s new Trust Bill.
“Without stating whether or not Samoan authorities would answer your questions, Samoa's primary contact agency for A.P.G. issues is the Central Bank of Samoa. You may wish to direct your questions there.”
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Dr. Hook’s refusal to comment about Samoa contrasts with his being quoted earlier in February about a visit to the Maldives, where he warned about “negative consequences” if Parliament there failed to pass amendments on money laundering.
He is quoted by a news site, Financial Crime Asia, as accusing the Maldives of being the only one among 41 A.P.G. members “without a comprehensive A.M.L./C.F.T. framework.”
A.M.L./C.F.T. refers to Anti-Money Laundering, and the Control of Financing for Terrorism. Samoa introduced a terrorism bill at the latest sitting.
Meanwhile, despite the 2010 communications strategy, gaps remain on the A.P.G. website. There is a page for a ‘blog’ and also a page for “implementation issues.”
Both pages are blank. Dr. Hook did not answer a question as to why the group was taking such a low-key approach to its activities.
Dr. Hook’s refusal to comment about their own activities comes despite Section 47 of the 2010 “Information and Communication Strategy”, which states that “In an effort to raise awareness among the general public within the region, the Secretariat may, without members’ consent, answer media enquiries in relation to APG processes and procedures and refer to published reports and other open source material.
The Secretariat may also, in broad terms, discuss regional money laundering and terrorist financing.”
The A.P.G. was set up in 1997, one of seven independent regional groups established in response to the creation of the Financial Action Taskforce (F.A.T.F.) by the G7, the world’s seven largest economies.
“The APG Terms of Reference 2012 provide that the A.P.G is voluntary and co-operative in nature,” states the A.P.G website.
“The A.P.G's mandate is fixed by inter-governmental agreement until 2020 to mirror the current mandate of the Financial Action Task Force.”
The group’s terms of reference recognise 40 recommendations from the F.A.T.F. that were first set in 1990 and then reviewed three times since then, the latest review taking place in 2012.
These recommendations “constitute the international standards for anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism,” states the A.P.G.
The F.A.T.F. was established eight years earlier, in 1989, to counter what the International Monetary Fund now estimates is between two to five per cent of global Gross Domestic Product lost to fraud and corruption.
At current global economic estimates, this represents more than U.S. $3 trillion, some 30 times higher than global aid assistance.
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