Mozambican President unveils revision of anti-terrorism law

The President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi, promulgated this Wednesday the revised law against terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, approved five days ago in parliament, according to a statement by the President of the Republic.

“The above-mentioned Law was recently approved by the Assembly of the Republic and submitted to the President of the Republic for promulgation, and the head of state checked whether it does not contradict the Basic Law,” the statement said.

This is a revision of the law establishing the legal regime for repression, combating terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, approved by consensus in parliament on March 15 and aimed at “promoting transparency, efficiency and security in the national financial system.” sector”.

The changes, approved in general and in particular by the three parts of the Assembly of the Republic, are part of the efforts that Mozambique is making to exit the gray list of the International Financial Action Task Force (FATF), said the Minister of Economy and Finance, Max Tonela, who presented the document in Parliament .

Tonela said it was “another step to protect national interests and the integrity of the international financial system.”

“The purpose of this review is to make the device more understandable and easier to use, and to ensure its effective implementation,” Tonela said.

During the debate on the proposal, MP João Chacuama of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), the ruling party, defended the urgency of revising the law, justifying it by saying that the state had tightened its tools to combat money laundering and terrorism.

“The fight against these disasters is not done individually, but through collective action with other countries,” Chakuama said.

For his part, Arnaldo Chalaua, a deputy of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), the main opposition party, defended the importance of fulfilling the country’s obligations, pointing out that the approval of legal instruments is not enough.

“This is a hugely important law because Mozambique is not on an island, but the other component has to do with what happens in practice in terms of law enforcement,” he said.

The specific review focused on issues of form rather than substance of the Prevention and Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act, approved by Parliament last August in line with FATF recommendations.

The text approved in August advocates simplified measures to identify and verify the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing by financial and non-financial actors.

The amendments also introduce specific financial sanctions for terrorism.

As part of the fight against this type of crime, Mozambique will begin to force companies to declare their owners, which is considered an important step in removing the country from the international money laundering gray list.

“It now obliges companies to declare their owners, which was not the case before. In public limited liability companies, the owner did not appear, the owner was silent,” the national coordinator for removals from Mozambique told Lusa in September. from the gray list Louis Abel Ceserilo.

“The owner could create several companies and never appear, and from the point of view of liability he did not appear. It does not appear in international money transfers of established companies and in other illegal or legal acts (…). Now he will demand a declaration from this person,” explained Luis Abel Ceserilo.