Attorney General, Dale Marshall, in discussion with the Attorneys General of Guyana and the Turks and Caicos Islands respectively, Basil Williams and Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles at the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) Plenary at the Hilton Barbados Resort today. (C.Pitt/BGIS)

A call has been made for changes in the way a range of issues, including money laundering and terrorist financing, are dealt with by countries across the region and internationally.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Dale Marshall, issued the appeal today during the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) Plenary at Hilton Barbados Resort.

Speaking in his capacity as incoming Chairman of the Task Force, Mr. Marshall charged that responses to issues of corruption, money laundering, beneficial ownership, tax havens, tax evasion, drug trafficking, human trafficking and terrorist financing, were often fragmented and occasionally insular.

He added that Barbados’ Fourth Round Mutual Evaluation Report showed that he was not the only one asking questions about effectiveness and response.

“We need to adopt and develop holistic responses to the web of issues.… Part of this might mean that our regional organizations work more closely together, not only to provide much needed data but to shape our common approaches and responses,” he suggested.

The Attorney General noted that “time and time again” there were calls for research papers on indices of regional performance and emerging issues. “Today, I am reiterating that call. We need to develop typologies based on our regional experiences which can inform and strengthen our frameworks, while serving as a herald for success stories,” he said.

Mr. Marshall further suggested that the time had come for specific delegations to take the lead on particular issues, similar to what is being done at the CARICOM level. “We must be proactive in our leadership and in our thinking. Dare to connect the dots differently,” the Minister urged.

Meanwhile, Immediate Past Chairman of the CFATF, Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles, also emphasized the need for greater membership participation in a number of areas.

She explained that there was a regional commitment to ensuring that money laundering, financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons did not take root in the Caribbean. Therefore, she stressed, the need for national, regional and international dialogue was key.

julia.rawlins-bentham@barbados.gov.bb

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