El Ciudadano
Original article: Secreto bancario: “el chiste se cuenta solo”, diputada Gazmuri acusa contradicción del gobierno en proyecto contra el crimen organizado
«The joke tells itself,» stated Deputy Ana María Gazmuri as she accused the government led by José Kast of hypocrisy regarding its safety and organized crime measures while resisting the lifting of bank secrecy through administrative means, even as they push for a bill to track the money from money laundering, terrorism financing, and other crimes.
«Wasn’t it said that ‘he who does nothing fears nothing‘? Why resist following the money trail? They can’t seriously talk about safety and fighting organized crime on one hand while refusing to lift bank secrecy on the other,» the parliamentarian expressed in a message shared on her X account.
The controversy erupted on Tuesday during the Senate Public Safety Committee meeting, when the Ministry of Finance rejected the proposal to lift bank secrecy requested by the Financial Analysis Unit (UAF) as part of the draft law creating an Economic Intelligence Subsystem.
Undersecretary Juan Pablo Rodríguez presented the government’s stance against this initiative, which is now in its third legislative process after the Chamber of Deputies approved allowing the UAF to directly request banking information without needing prior judicial authorization.
According to the article passed in the lower house, the agency would be able to access this data to complete analyses of suspicious operations linked to legal entities, public officials, and offenses under the jurisdiction of the UAF, as reported by The Clinic.
Before the committee, Undersecretary Rodríguez firmly outlined La Moneda’s support.
«The Executive’s position, which involves approving the amendments proposed by the reviewing chamber, except for what pertains to Article 11, number 2, literal B, ordinal three, which is known as the lifting of bank secrecy in the administrative sphere, at the request of the Financial Analysis Unit, in three designated cases,» he stated.
«I reiterate the Executive’s position regarding the recommended bill by this committee to the Chamber and the potential formation of a Mixed Committee,» Rodríguez emphasized.
In summary, the government generally supports the bill creating the Economic Intelligence Subsystem but specifically opposes allowing the UAF to lift bank secrecy without a judicial order.
Despite the government’s opposition, the Senate committee approved the measure, allowing the UAF to lift bank secrecy, with 3 votes in favor.
It is worth noting that this bill was submitted for legislative processing in March 2023, with the explicit goal of pursuing the money trail linked to money laundering, terrorism financing, and other crimes associated with organized crime.
To achieve this goal, there is a desire to enhance interoperability between specialized units of the SII, the UAF, and the National Customs Service, integrated into the so-called Economic Intelligence Subsystem, as reminded by The Clinic.
From the outset, one of the most contentious points has been the UAF’s authority to lift bank secrecy without going through a court. During the first Senate process, the Finance Committee had already limited this power to three specific situations, maintaining the general rule that a Court of Appeals minister must authorize the lifting, with a maximum timeframe of three days to resolve.
After being approved by the committee, the initiative will now go before the Senate floor, which is scheduled to review the bill this Wednesday.
La entrada Bank Secrecy Debate: «The Joke Tells Itself,» Claims Deputy Gazmuri Highlights Government Contradictions on Organized Crime Bill se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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