In a statement to the Legislative Assembly delivered Wednesday, just before Financial Services Minister Tara Rivers began presenting almost a dozen new bills, he revealed that over 100 new jobs in the public sector have been created to meet the latest recommendations from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) review.

McLaughlin said that the new legislation was not the only thing that the government was doing to comply with the various supra-national bodies and respond to the ever-evolving regulatory landscape. He explained that, for the first time, the effectiveness of legislation had also been considered by the CFATF in its March 2019 report.

“We certainly understand the rationale for ensuring that not only do we as a jurisdiction have the required regulatory framework, but that we also have the mechanisms and people to ensure that the framework is effective and can be proven to be so,” he told the members.

He said that government was determined to respond positively to the recommendations about effectiveness as well as passing the necessary laws, but he said it required a response from across government and partner agencies, including the police. McLaughlin said he was chairing a committee to oversee the work of all the agencies involved, and a Financial Crime Focus Group had been created to ensure coordination and cooperation at the operational level between law enforcement agencies.

“That group will make recommendations to enhance the quality of work related to the use of financial intelligence and the investigation and prosecution of financial crime,” the premier said. “Together we are working through the detailed action plan that we published at the end of April and which responds to all 63 of the CFATF’s recommendations. We have appointed a national coordinator to assist with the coordination between agencies, committees and all stakeholders involved in the implementation of the action plan.”

He said the government had provided funding for over 100 new positions, which demonstrated the jurisdiction’s commitment to the process. He explained that the jobs had been created across various agencies, including in a new dedicated Anti-Money Laundering Unit at the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority and a dedicated cross-border Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Task Force within the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, where an interim team was put in place in April.

“All told, we will be investing several million dollars more to further strengthen our regulatory regime. It is important to note that this will not
be a one-off expenditure,” McLaughlin stated, noting that operational resources and ongoing personnel costs would be needed. “We are now monitoring the results of the actions that we have put in place and we remain committed to taking any further action that may be necessary as we ensure we rise to the challenge that the CFATF has given us.”

The premier said it would take time before Cayman could demonstrate that the measures were working but he expected to be able to show some progress as part of the CFATF Enhanced Follow Up Process when submissions are made in September.

He said the government would take the action necessary to ensure that the legislation is robust and effectively implemented.

“Cayman does not want or need to deal with those who would seek to hide money or use it for illegitimate purposes,” McLaughlin said. “Our efforts in improving the effectiveness of the implementation of our world-leading legislation to protect the integrity of our financial services will mean that we can demonstrate to the world that anyone attempting to use Cayman for such illegitimate purposes will be caught and dealt with to the fullest extent possible under the law,” the premier added.

Following his statement, Minister Rivers began outlining the legislation needed to be implemented to meet the CFATF recommendations. Each bill deals with some aspect of the regimes to counter money laundering and terrorism financing and are designed to support compliance while creating space for creativity and innovation, the premier stated.