PARLIAMENT RECONVENES; PASSES ANTI MONEY LAUNDERING BILL

UNCLAS ACCRA 002374 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KWMN GH SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT RECONVENES; PASSES ANTI MONEY LAUNDERING BILL ¶1. (U) After reconvening on October 23, Ghana's Parliament passed the Anti-Money Laundering Bill on November 2. This bill, which had been under consideration for nearly a year, will strengthen Ghanaian law enforcement authorities' arsenal by criminalizing money laundering for crimes that go beyond narcotics trafficking, and establish a Financial Intelligence Unit. In July, the Finance Committee spent several weeks debating and revising the bill after receiving input from civil society and the banking community. President Kufuor now has 21 days to sign the bill into law and he is expected to do so. ¶2. (U) Other noteworthy bills under consideration this session include: -- Geneva Convention Bill - This bill would incorporate into Ghanaian law the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Protocols of ¶1977. Under the Conventions and Protocols, states are required to enact legislation and take administrative measures to ensure the implementation and respect for international humanitarian law. Ghana ratified the 1949 Conventions in 1958 and was the first country to sign the 1977 Protocols. -- The Chieftaincy Bill - This bill seeks to amend the Chieftaincy Act of 1971 by including new mechanisms to resolve chieftaincy disputes as well as consolidating eight other amendments to the 1971 Act, thereby bringing the 1971 Act into conformity with the 1992 Constitution. -- The Human Trafficking (Amendment) Act - This amendment will add key language concerning exploitation into Ghana's current human trafficking legislation. This language, which was mistakenly left out of the 2005 Human Trafficking Act, will bring the law into conformity with international standards. ¶3. (U) Parliament is also reviewing Ghana's Audit Service Regulations in an attempt to strengthen the Audit Service. The Audit Service is a key GOG institution in investigating corruption, and these revisions could allow it to play a greater role. During this session, Parliament will also consider an Anti-terrorism bill and a bill on the protection of personal information and privacy. ¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: The long awaited passage of the Anti-Money Laundering Bill is an important step, and will provide the GOG with an additional tool to combat the increasing financial-related criminal activities in Ghana. The amendments to the human trafficking law reflect an effort to bring the law up to international standards. While Ghanaians have been increasingly sensitized to this problem through GOG and USG efforts, it bears watching how effectively the law will be implemented by Ghana's law enforcement authorities. The attempts to strengthen the Audit Service are also attracting public interest, and may help enable the Audit Service to play a more effective role. BRIDGEWATER