And while Godfrey presumes to speak on "journalistic professional ethical guidelines" - the FIU does not take such a haughty tone. In a far more conciliatory release today, the body that investigates money laundering and other financial crimes says, quote "we place on record our appreciation for the value that investigative journalism brings to the process. While it often cannot provide all the answers to the questions raised, it assists the work of law enforcement and regulatory authorities by providing useful information from, at times, unconventional sources."
The statement adds "The...Pandora Papers, raise(s) issues of integrity, propriety in the provision of international financial and other types of services in several jurisdictions. Some of these reports have linked Belize registered entities to the matters raised in the press reports.
While no actual law-breaking by the mere act of accessing and providing these services is alleged in the reports, they suggest extremely poor due diligence and oversight in the conducting of business by corporate service providers." End quote.
That says a whole lot - and, in its defence, the FIU says, quote, "A tremendous amount of collaborative work has been undertaken since 2015 to ensure domestic coordination to combat financial crimes…the FIU will continue to liaise with the appropriate competent authorities and identified parties to establish realties, both past and present... It is our expectation that any deficiency in diligence that would not rise to the current standards promulgated by the Financial Action Task Force…should our investigations demonstrate otherwise, then effective, proportionate, and dissuasive sanctions will be applied…including corporate service providers." End quote.
