On Thursday November 7, the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) endorsed the bill requiring amendments to the country’s penal code.

Speaking at the session, MP Tourakhon Samadov noted that the bill, in particular, provided for instituting criminal proceedings against officials of other countries and international organizations involved in corruption and money laundering in Tajikistan.

According to him, the amendments are proposed to the penal code upon the recommendation of the Financial Action Task Force (on Money Laundering) (FATF).

The FATF is an intergovernmental organization and its purpose is to develop policies to combat money laundering and terrorism financing.

In response to mounting concern over money laundering, the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering was established by the G-7 Summit that was held in Paris in 1989.  The Task Force was given the responsibility of examining money laundering techniques and trends, reviewing the action which had already been taken at a national or international level, and setting out the measures that still needed to be taken to combat money laundering.  The FATF Secretariat is housed at the headquarters of the OECD in Paris.

The FATF membership is currently made up of thirty-four member jurisdictions and two regional organizations. The FATF also works in close co-operation with a number of international and regional bodies involved in combating money laundering and terrorism financing