SANTO DOMINGO.– The governor of the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic (BCRD), Héctor Valdez Albizu, led the launch of the document Compilation of regulations on the prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism, prepared by the Comptroller's Office of the institution, through the BCRD Compliance Office.
During an event held in the institution's auditorium, Valdez Albizu reported that the compendium "contains the regulations aimed at combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism; which consists of Law No. 155-17 against Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism; the regulations for the application of the Law; as well as sectoral regulations, which place the obligated financial and non-financial subjects under the supervision of their natural regulator.".
He also said that the specialists in the prevention of money laundering from the Compliance Office of the Central Bank, motivated by aspects of notable importance, complemented this work with opinion articles of their authorship, which are intended to socialize the regulations promulgated by the State for the prevention of money laundering and financing of terrorism, making them easy to handle for the reader.
Valdez Albizu gave a presentation on this topic, outlining the steps that have been taken in the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing since the modification of the FATF's 40 recommendations in February 2012; the enactment of Law 155-17; including the leading role of the National Committee on Money Laundering and the Financial Analysis Unit, as the implementing arm of the policies established by said committee.
The governor noted that "the institution has established measures to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism, always supported by laws and international best practices, which include procedures for hiring employees, ongoing training on related topics, a code of good conduct and a disciplinary regime for staff, and external audits to verify the effectiveness of the money laundering and terrorist financing prevention program."
For his part, the comptroller of the BCRD, José Manuel Taveras Lay, pointed out that the main objective of this compilation is "to contribute to the training and actions of officials, employees and those linked to this Central Bank on this subject, whose importance is known and transcends in our daily work, and reaches even the personal activities that we carry out.".
Taveras Lay referred to the importance of disseminating this work "because we understand that knowledge is the best defense against this scourge, so we consider it appropriate to make a contribution that helps to fully understand this issue.".
The governor reported that the document is available in digital format on the Central Bank's website.
