E AAFAF AND OCIF JOIN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE … · el Comisionado de la Oficina del...
5
GOVERNMENT OF PUERTO RICO Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority Contacto: Iván E. Caraballo • 787.379.8023 • [email protected] PRE SS RELEASE Wednesday, February 13, 2019 AAFAF AND OCIF JOIN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY REJECTING INCLUSION OF U.S. TERRITORIES BY EUROPEAN COMMISION (San Juan, Puerto Rico) – The Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority (AAFAF, by its Spanish acronym), Christian Sobrino Vega, and the Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions (OCIF, by its Spanish acronym), George Joyner, joined the U.S. Department of the Treasury today to reject the European Commission's determination to include several US territories in the list of high risk jurisdictions for money laundering. According to the officials, the Government of Puerto Rico has a robust legal and regulatory scaffolding to prevent, detect and combat said practice. For its part, the U.S. Department of the Treasury expressed through a press release that it has serious doubts about the substance and the methodology used to develop the aforementioned list. In this regard, the Treasury Department indicated that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the entity in charge of developing global standards to combat money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the financing of proliferation. This entity, of which the United States, the European Commission and the 15 member countries, as well as 20 other jurisdictions are members, develops a list of high-risk countries for money laundering following a comprehensive and detailed methodology. On the other hand, the list published by the European Commission is the product of a process that lacks depth, which distances itself from the methodologies developed by the FATF. As a result, this list distances itself from the list of high-risk jurisdictions published by the FATF. According to the Treasury Department, the prevention standards of these practices applicable to the states of the Union are equally applicable to the American territories, including Puerto Rico. The Treasury Department also expressed that it does not expect U.S. financial institutions to take into account the list published by the European Commission. Among the territories
Transcript of E AAFAF AND OCIF JOIN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE … · el Comisionado de la Oficina del...
GOVERNMENT OF PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority
Contacto: Iván E. Caraballo • 787.379.8023 • ivan.caraballo@aafaf .pr.gov
PR
ES
S R
EL
EA
SE
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
AAFAF AND OCIF JOIN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY REJECTING INCLUSION OF U.S. TERRITORIES
BY EUROPEAN COMMISION
(San Juan, Puerto Rico) – The Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Fiscal
Agency and Financial Advisory Authority (AAFAF, by its Spanish acronym),
Christian Sobrino Vega, and the Commissioner of the Office of the
Commissioner of Financial Institutions (OCIF, by its Spanish acronym), George
Joyner, joined the U.S. Department of the Treasury today to reject the
European Commission's determination to include several US territories in the
list of high risk jurisdictions for money laundering. According to the officials,
the Government of Puerto Rico has a robust legal and regulatory scaffolding to
prevent, detect and combat said practice.
For its part, the U.S. Department of the Treasury expressed through a press
release that it has serious doubts about the substance and the methodology
used to develop the aforementioned list. In this regard, the Treasury
Department indicated that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the entity
in charge of developing global standards to combat money laundering, the
financing of terrorism and the financing of proliferation. This entity, of which
the United States, the European Commission and the 15 member countries, as
well as 20 other jurisdictions are members, develops a list of high-risk
countries for money laundering following a comprehensive and detailed
methodology. On the other hand, the list published by the European
Commission is the product of a process that lacks depth, which distances itself
from the methodologies developed by the FATF. As a result, this list distances
itself from the list of high-risk jurisdictions published by the FATF.
According to the Treasury Department, the prevention standards of these
practices applicable to the states of the Union are equally applicable to the
American territories, including Puerto Rico. The Treasury Department also
expressed that it does not expect U.S. financial institutions to take into account
the list published by the European Commission. Among the territories
GOVERNMENT OF PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority
Contacto: Iván E. Caraballo • 787.379.8023 • ivan.caraballo@aafaf .pr.gov
PR
ES
S R
EL
EA
SE
included in the list published by the European Commission are American
Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
For its part, the AAFAF and OCIF expressed that they have been
communicating and collaborating with the Office of Terrorist Financing and
Financial Crimes (TFFC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Both the
Executive Director of the AAFAF and the OCIF Commissioner thanked the
Treasury Department for its commitment and support to the Government of
Puerto Rico in the implementation of national and global standards to prevent,
detect and combat the aforementioned practices.
The official statements of the U.S. Department of the Treasury are available at
the following link: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm610
###
GOBIERNO DE PUERTO RICO
Autoridad de Asesoría Financiera y Agencia Fiscal de Puerto Rico
Contacto: Iván Caraballo • Tel : (787) 379-8023 • email : [email protected]
CO
MU
NIC
AD
O D
E P
RE
NS
A
miércoles, 13 de febrero de 2019
AAFAF Y OCIF SE UNEN AL TESORO FEDERAL PARA RECHAZAR DETERMINACIÓN DE LA COMISIÓN
EUROPEA
(San Juan, Puerto Rico) – El Director Ejecutivo de la Autoridad de Asesoría Financiera y Agencia Fiscal de Puerto Rico (AAFAF), Christian Sobrino Vega, y el Comisionado de la Oficina del Comisionado de Instituciones Financieras (OCIF), George Joyner, se unieron hoy al Departamento del Tesoro federal para rechazar la determinación de la Comisión Europea de incluir a varios territorios estadounidenses en la lista de jurisdicciones de alto riesgo para el lavado de dinero. Según indicaron los funcionarios, el Gobierno de Puerto Rico cuenta con un andamiaje legal y regulatorio robusto para prevenir, detectar y combatir dicha práctica. Por su parte, el Departamento del Tesoro federal expresó mediante comunicado de prensa que tiene serias dudas en cuanto a la sustancia y a la metodología utilizada para desarrollar la referida lista. En ese sentido, el Tesoro federal indicó que el Financial Action Task Force (FATF) es la entidad encargada de desarrollar los estándares mundiales para combatir el lavado de dinero, el financiamiento del terrorismo y la financiación de la proliferación. Dicha entidad, de la cual tanto Estados Unidos, la Comisión Europea y los 15 países miembros, así como otras veinte jurisdicciones son miembros, desarrolla un listado de países de alto riesgo para el lavado de dinero siguiendo una metodología comprensiva y detallada. En cambio, el listado publicado por la Comisión Europea es producto de un proceso que carece de profundidad, el cual se distancia de las metodologías desarrolladas por la FATF. Como resultado de ello, dicho listado se distancia de la lista de jurisdicciones de alto riesgo publicada por la FATF. De acuerdo al Departamento del Tesoro federal, los estándares de prevención de estas prácticas aplicables a los estados de la Unión son de igual aplicación a los territorios americanos, incluyendo a Puerto Rico. El Departamento del Tesoro federal, expresó además que entiende que las instituciones financieras estadounidenses no necesitan tomar en cuenta el listado publicado por la Comisión Europea. Entre los territorios incluidos en la lista publicada por la Comisión Europea se encuentran Samoa Americana, Guam, Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes Americanas.
GOBIERNO DE PUERTO RICO
Autoridad de Asesoría Financiera y Agencia Fiscal de Puerto Rico
Contacto: Iván Caraballo • Tel : (787) 379-8023 • email : [email protected]
CO
MU
NIC
AD
O D
E P
RE
NS
A
Por su parte, la AAFAF y OCIF expresaron que han estado comunicándose y colaborando con el Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes (TFFC) del Departamento del Tesoro Federal. Tanto el Director Ejecutivo de la AAFAF como el Comisionado de OCIF agradecieron al Tesoro federal por su compromiso y apoyo al Gobierno de Puerto Rico en la implementación de los estándares nacionales y mundiales para prevenir, detectar y combatir las prácticas antes mencionadas. Las declaraciones oficiales del Departamento del Tesoro federal se encuentran disponibles en su portal electrónico en el siguiente enlace: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm610
###
