10 Nov 2020

The Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Unit that was established  in 2019 will deter and detect mechanisms of all forms of money laundering, in order to meet the Financial Action Task Force standards.

Delivering the State-Of-Nation Address, on November 9, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said application of the Profits and Instruments of Crimes Act (PICA) would also strengthen investigations of suspected money laundering.

The President said this in the backdrop of Botswana’s grey listing by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Eastern and Southern African Anti Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG), which he stated was a stain to Botswana’s reputation as it had potential to hinder national economic growth and limit access to international lending institutions.

He said Botswana’s grey listing may also affect governments’ ability to open bank accounts in foreign jurisdictions needed for both diplomatic and economic initiatives. 

President Masisi further noted that the passing of the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Act for purposes of monitoring the interests, income, assets and liabilities of certain categories of persons would go a long way in preventing and detecting corruption, money laundering and the acquisition of property from proceeds of any other offence.

Furthermore, he stated that government had developed several initiatives to address the challenge of money laundering and terrorism financing by conducting a sector risk assessment, sensitisation on Non Profit Organisations and profiling them to guide decision making. 

On other issues, President said Office of the Receiver had since establishment been served with 27 court orders, of which 21 were active, while six had been concluded.

He said Botswana had also ratified the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in July, 2020 to reaffirm her commitment towards global nuclear disarmament.

Dr Masisi also said government had deployed cutting-edge crime fighting geared towards enhancing police capabilities, in particular, the closed circuit television surveillance system to show improvement in crime prevention and detection, regarding smash and grab incidents in the city.

The surveillance, he said, was effective in expediting police investigations and prosecutions and that installation of surveillance cameras at Francistown was at an advanced stage.

The President said government had prioritised the reduction of violent and intrusive crimes such as robberies and break-ins and serious crimes such as murder, rape and threats to kill.

He said strategies in place yielded positive results as the country saw a decline of 4.4 per cent in violent and intrusive rimes from 7 629 to 7 295 and a decline of 4.7 per cent in serious crimes from  5 566 to 5 304 reported cases in 2019 against 2018. Ends