[www.inewsguyana.com] – Cabinet has given its no objection to $63.1 million for the establishment and construction of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).
This was announced today, Wednesday, August 27 by Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon at his post cabinet media briefing.
The government recently announced that it will rehabilitate a building immediately south of the Central Immigration Office on Camp Road, Georgetown which is the intended headquarters of SOCU.
Funding for the execution of the rehabilitation works has been approved by Cabinet as well as a five-member investigative staff complement.
In the interim, Cabinet has proposed the temporary assignment of an office space at a site to be determined. This would allow for the immediate entry into operations of the investigative and prosecutory arm against money laundering offenders.
SOCU is a non-parliamentary recommendation that is part of the second round of reviews by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF). It is intended to be Guyana’s response to its treaty obligation to investigate suspicious financial transactions that are related to money laundering.
It will be dedicated to the investigation of suspected financial transactions suggestive of money laundering and financing of terrorism.
