Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07LAPAZ500
2007-02-23 20:06:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy La Paz
Cable title:
TERRORISM FINANCE: FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHLP #0500 0542006 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 232006Z FEB 07 FM AMEMBASSY LA PAZ TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2589 INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 6573 RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 3891 RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 7779 RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 5023 RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 2258 RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 2359 RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 3334 RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 4431 RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 4903 RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 9490 RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL RUMIAAA/USCINCSO MIAMI FL RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0165 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000500
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/AND
TREASURY FOR SGOOCH
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2017
TAGS: ECON EFIN KTFN PREL PTER SNAR BL
SUBJECT: TERRORISM FINANCE: FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT
UPDATE
REF: A. STATE 5631
B. STATE 10275
C. 2006 LA PAZ 1391
Classified By: Ecopol Counselor Andrew Erickson for reason 1.4 (e).
C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000500
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/AND
TREASURY FOR SGOOCH
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2017
TAGS: ECON EFIN KTFN PREL PTER SNAR BL
SUBJECT: TERRORISM FINANCE: FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT
UPDATE
REF: A. STATE 5631
B. STATE 10275
C. 2006 LA PAZ 1391
Classified By: Ecopol Counselor Andrew Erickson for reason 1.4 (e).
1. (C) Post delivered reftel demarches to Bolivia's Financial
Intelligence Unit (UIF) on February 1. The UIF conducted a
search of its database and told Econoff on February 23 that
it had discovered no information on the names and
organizations mentioned in refs A and B. (Note: The UIF's
database only contains information regarding suspicious
transactions submitted by formal financial institutions. The
UIF does not have access to general bank records, unless
under the auspices of a formal legal proceeding, due to legal
provisions that provide for banking secrecy. End note.)
2. (C) Interim UIF President Roxana Rojas told Emboffs that
the UIF's mandate, set to expire on January 8 by government
decree 28713 (ref C),had been extended indefinitely by
another decree, 28956, on November 29. Decree 28713 sought
to replace the UIF with the UIFP, Financial and Property
Intelligence Unit, which has yet to be legally created, but
is outlined in an anti-corruption bill currently under
consideration by congress. The UIFP, as currently outlined,
would lack the capacity to effectively combat money
laundering or terrorism finance. It is unclear if the GOB
will eliminate the UIF once the UIFP is created. Meanwhile,
the UIF staff has been reduced from around twenty people to
five and the Unit is doing little work due to uncertainty
about its future. Rojas added that she had not been paid
during the past two months. Because Bolivia lacks a
terrorism finance law, the Unit is only able to freeze assets
for a maximum of 48 hours. Post has been working with the
GOB for more than a year to promote the passage of an
effective money laundering law that would include terrorism
finance, but the government has not been extremely receptive
to the idea, particularly terrorism finance, which is
politically sensitive, as some members of the government have
been accused of terrorist acts in the past.
URS
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/AND
TREASURY FOR SGOOCH
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2017
TAGS: ECON EFIN KTFN PREL PTER SNAR BL
SUBJECT: TERRORISM FINANCE: FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT
UPDATE
REF: A. STATE 5631
B. STATE 10275
C. 2006 LA PAZ 1391
Classified By: Ecopol Counselor Andrew Erickson for reason 1.4 (e).
1. (C) Post delivered reftel demarches to Bolivia's Financial
Intelligence Unit (UIF) on February 1. The UIF conducted a
search of its database and told Econoff on February 23 that
it had discovered no information on the names and
organizations mentioned in refs A and B. (Note: The UIF's
database only contains information regarding suspicious
transactions submitted by formal financial institutions. The
UIF does not have access to general bank records, unless
under the auspices of a formal legal proceeding, due to legal
provisions that provide for banking secrecy. End note.)
2. (C) Interim UIF President Roxana Rojas told Emboffs that
the UIF's mandate, set to expire on January 8 by government
decree 28713 (ref C),had been extended indefinitely by
another decree, 28956, on November 29. Decree 28713 sought
to replace the UIF with the UIFP, Financial and Property
Intelligence Unit, which has yet to be legally created, but
is outlined in an anti-corruption bill currently under
consideration by congress. The UIFP, as currently outlined,
would lack the capacity to effectively combat money
laundering or terrorism finance. It is unclear if the GOB
will eliminate the UIF once the UIFP is created. Meanwhile,
the UIF staff has been reduced from around twenty people to
five and the Unit is doing little work due to uncertainty
about its future. Rojas added that she had not been paid
during the past two months. Because Bolivia lacks a
terrorism finance law, the Unit is only able to freeze assets
for a maximum of 48 hours. Post has been working with the
GOB for more than a year to promote the passage of an
effective money laundering law that would include terrorism
finance, but the government has not been extremely receptive
to the idea, particularly terrorism finance, which is
politically sensitive, as some members of the government have
been accused of terrorist acts in the past.
URS