Cuba and U.S. Exchange on Fighting Money Laundering

Cuba and U.S. Exchange on Fighting Money LaunderingHAVANA, Feb 13 (PL) Authorities of Cuba and the United States met today in Washington for their second technical meeting to prevent and fight money laundering, informed today a note of the island”s Foreign Ministry.

The meeting took place in a climate of respect and professionality, is inscribed in the dialogue on application and compliance with the law between both countries.

The encounter allowed to analyze the trends of this scourge at regional level, the main experiences in the fight against asset laundering and the next steps to go forward in the bilateral collaboration on this issue.

Representatives of Cuba emphasized the need to increase cooperation between authorities of both countries

to guarantee an effective confrontation to that crime.

Both parts agreed that it is required to act with determination against this type of crime and those who commit it, while there was consensus that impunity must not be allowed.

The Havana delegation also expressed to the other part that for a comprehensive analysis of these issues, Cuba favors exchange in diverse for a, fundamentally the system of the United Nations.

On the other hand, the Cuban government actively collaborates with the Group of Financial Action for Latin America (Gafilat), intergovernmental regional organization

to prevent and fight money laundering, financing terrorism and proliferation of massive destruction weapons.

In their reports of Mutual Evaluation, Gafilat recognizes the general risk for asset laundering and financing of terrorism in Cuba is reduced and the coordination and interinstitutional cooperation existing at all levels in this Caribbean nation to combat those scourges, as well as the updated legal framework available.

The Cuban delegation was formed by representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, the Central Bank of Cuba, the General Prosecution of the Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

For the U.S. attended officials of the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, State, Health and Human Services as well as the Treasury.

The parts agreed to continue the technical meeting son the topic in the future and coordinate actions which contribute to the effective confrontation to this scourge, concluded the official note.