The Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, the Hon. Anil Nandlall, SC, MP, is leading Guyana’s delegation to the 60th Plenary of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), taking place in Trinidad and Tobago from May 25–30, 2025.
The CFATF Plenary, held biannually, brings together member states to discuss key issues related to anti-money laundering, countering the financing of terrorism, and counter-proliferation financing (AML/CFT/CPF). The sessions include both Working Group and Plenary Meetings and are aimed at fostering international cooperation and compliance with global financial standards. The current Chair of the CFATF is the Hon. Fayval Williams, Minister of Finance and Public Service of Jamaica.
Guyana’s delegation includes:
● Dr. Gobind Ganga, Governor of the Bank of Guyana
● Mr. Matthew Langevine, Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit
● Mr. Navindra Datt Prashad, Deputy Commissioner, Guyana Revenue Authority
● Deputy Commissioner of Police Fazil Karimbaksh, Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit
● Mr. Rommel St. Hill, AML/CFT Officer, Ministry of Legal Affairs
● Mr. Jimmy Reece, Deputy Commissioner, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission
● Mrs. Diana O’Brien and Ms. Natasha Backer, Assistant Directors of Public Prosecutions
● Ms. Alanna Lall, General Counsel, Guyana Securities Council
● Mr. Victor Herbert, Compliance Officer, Gaming Authority and
● Mr. Visal Satram, Legal Officer, Ministry of Natural Resources
In his address to the Plenary, the Hon. Attorney General emphasized the importance of enhancing training for the main stakeholders in the AML/CFT/CPF framework.
In particular, he highlighted that judicial training is key for there to be strong legislative enforcement and high conviction rates. He stressed that the legislation is sui generis, and by its nature, invasive and even draconian when compared with ordinary criminal legislation.
‘This legislative reality is not yet fully appreciated by those charged with the responsibility of interpreting and applying it. Not surprisingly, almost every country in the Caribbean suffers from the identified deficiency of a low conviction rate coupled with grave difficulty in securing appropriate orders under the legislation. So one may have strong investigations and robust prosecutions, but fail to secure the desired results, because of a tribunal’s approach, interpretation and application of the relevant legislation.
One way to address this problem, is a structured and centrally orchestrated training programme across the Caribbean, that involves perhaps the guidance of judges from jurisdictions that have high frequency of convictions, such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States,’ the Attorney General said.
A highlight of the 60th Plenary is the discussion of mutual evaluations for Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Notably, Mrs. Diana O’Brien, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Guyana, was appointed by the CFATF to serve as a Legal Assessor for the mutual evaluation of Curaçao. This marks a significant milestone, as these are the final two jurisdictions to be evaluated under the Fourth Round of Assessments. The Plenary will also review follow-up reports from Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Guyana is slated to report on its progress at the 61st CFATF Plenary, scheduled to be held in Barbados in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Additionally, Guyana was formally recognized at the recent CFATF Risk Trends and Methods Group (CRTMG) for its contributions to the project on “Money Laundering Vulnerabilities in the Financial Arrangements of Non-Traditional Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs).”
The initiative, on behalf of Guyana, was led by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), represented by Mrs. Rajni Boodhoo Moore. The final report from this project will be published on the CFATF website.
The Fifth Round of Mutual Evaluations will begin in 2026, with Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica scheduled for assessment.
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