Director of the Belize Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Mr. Kent Clare delivered the opening remarks at CFATF’s Pre-Assessment Training for Belize which was held from 11th to 13th January 2023. Participants represented key public sector agencies such as Belize FIU, Police, Customs, Immigration, AML/CFT Supervisors, and Company and Shipping Registries. Private sector representatives from several banks, insurance, trust and corporate service providers were also in attendance.

CFATF’s Law Enforcement Advisor, Mr. Pedro Harry together with Legal Advisor, Mr. Hector Sevilla, conducted the training which was supported by the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) via the Project ‘Implementation of the Mutual Evaluation Programme’ aimed at building capacity during the region’s Fourth Round of Mutual Evaluations. This training is intended to assist Belize in preparation for its upcoming mutual evaluation, which determines the country’s level of compliance with the implementation of the FATF Standards and eleven Immediate Outcomes. Topics included an overview of the mutual evaluation process, risk and context, technical compliance and effectiveness assessments, information to demonstrate effectiveness, preparation for the onsite visit and the onsite visit, finalization of the mutual evaluation, and the role of the lead agency.