PENDING BILLS ON ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING: Government revs up efforts to enact laws

KATHMANDU, JUN 15 -

The government continues to persuade opposition parties to bring the three crucial bills on anti-money laundering through ordinance to avoid the country being blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global anti-money laundering body.

On Thursday, the finance minister held a meeting with three former finance ministers representing the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Rastriya Janashkati Party and a leader of ruling Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum (Loktantrik) to discuss the matter.

In the meeting, the opposition leaders acknowledged the need for bringing the acts—Mutual Legal Assistance Act, Organised Crime and Extradition Treaty—but at the same time, they were also reluctant to allow a caretaker government to bring the acts.

Given the FATF plenary inching closer (scheduled for June 18 to 22) and chances of Nepal being blacklisted by the meet are high, the government is seeking consensus among parties to bring the acts through ordinance in the absence of a parliament.

Former Finance Minister and NC leader Ram Sharan Mahat said although they support the endorsement of the bills, they are opposed to the idea of bringing the acts through ordinance by a caretaker government. “We don’t want to give this government legitimacy by allowing it to bring ordinances,” said Mahat. “We made our stance clear during today’s discussion.”

Mahat held the Maoists responsible for the delay in the endorsement of the bills, saying that NC had whole-heartedly supported the idea of passing the bills through the parliament.

The former finance ministers have asked two days’ time to discuss the issue with their parties, according to Ram Janam Chaudhary of MJF, a participant of the meeting. “They first wanted to know their party’s official view on the issue,” said Chauhary.

After the meeting, Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun told the press that opposition parties feared that the government might bring the annual budget through the same process if it is allowed to bring the acts through ordinance. “This is, however, a separate issue and we need to act urgently,” Pun said,

The ministry is scheduled to hold discussions on the matter with major political parties on Friday.

With political polarisation at its height, opposition parties have protested any attempt of the government to bring any ordinance. They have also reached to president Ram Baran Yadav urging him not to endorse any ordinance presented by the government. They are of the view that a caretaker government doesn’t have the right to bring ordinance.

Pun said possibilities of the diplomatic community supporting Nepal were slim. Foreign diplomatic offices have already told that they could no longer lobby in favour of Nepal, according to government officials. FATF’s Regional Review Group meeting in New Delhi in May had warned Nepal of possible blacklisting.

Bin unfeasible projects, bring in new ones, says Pun

Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun on Thursday said the government has directed all the ministries to replace their regular, but ‘unfeasible’ programmes with new ones in the new budget. It is better to launch new programmes in place of the programmes that are not yielding desired results, he said. On the low SLC pass percentage, the finance minister said the education sector has not been performing well despite hefty budget injected into the sector. 

Source: The Kathmandu Post