Minister of Finance, Mr. Winston Jordan
Mr. Matthew Langevine, Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit
Other distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Good Morning. It is my pleasure to be here today to announce that the United States Government, through the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, is supporting Guyana’s Financial Intelligent Unit with the purchase of training and support services for the iBase software, an intelligence data management application that enables collaborative teams of analysts to capture, control, and analyze multi-source data in workgroup environments. The training and support will be provided by International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, at a cost of just over US$150,000, and has been contracted after close collaboration and coordination with Guyana’s independent Financial Intelligence Unit, which recently purchased the iBase software. We applaud the unit’s and the government’s commitment to fighting money laundering and other serious international crime.
The U.S. government is pleased to continue its support of the anti-money laundering efforts of the Government of Guyana. In the last year, the Government of Guyana has made great strides in complying with international standards for anti-money laundering, from enacting the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act to completing the country’s first money laundering and terrorist financing National Risk Assessment and developing a risk-based action plan.
The acquisition of the iBase software by the FIU and the training and support services provided by the U.S. Government will enhance all of these efforts. The next step in the process of combatting financial crimes is for FIU analysts to begin using the most up- to- date technology for detecting illegal financial activities, putting them on par with financial Analysts in FIUs across the world. This tool will significantly enhance the capabilities of the FIU in Guyana in its mandate and mission of combatting money laundering and terrorist financing, and protecting the local financial sector from being infiltrated with proceeds of crime.
