An estimated 182 citizens of T&T are suspected of being involved in terrorist activities and there has been a significant increase in what appears to be financing for the insurgents.
This is according to the 2015/16 report of the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Ministry of Finance.
Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister and the Office of the Attorney General Stuart Young revealed during yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair.
He said the report would be laid in Parliament on January 6, when sittings resume following the Christmas break.
According to the report there were some 739 suspicious transaction reports/suspicious activity reports (STRs/SARs) over the last year.
He said the document showed that 670 of the 739 reports related to suspected money laundering while 69 related to suspected financing of terrorism.
According to the FIU completed analysis on 533 of the STR’s/SARs “490 were related to suspected money laundering activities and 43 related to the financing of terrorism.”
The minister also said the analysis of these STRs/SARs “generated 209 intelligence reports — of which 178 related to suspected money laundering and 31 related to suspected financing of terrorism.”
According to Young, the total monetary value of the 739 STRs/SARs submitted to the FIU was $805.5 million for 2016, which was a 127 per cent increase over 2015.
He said of 209 intelligence reports generated, 150 were sent to local law enforcement agencies and 59 were spontaneous disclosures which were disseminated to foreign law enforcement agencies, foreign FIUs and local competent authorities. He said the figure increased from 16 in 2015 to 69 in 2016.
“And at the end of the 2016 reporting period the FIU’s intelligence has revealed 182 citizens of T&T being suspected of being involved in terrorist activities. Approximately 182 T&T citizens may be involved in the financing of terrorist activities,” he said.
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