Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon, who is also the spokesman for the government’s top advisory Executive Council, has announced that the government has finished drafting a bill that proposes to merge the Financial Intelligence Office (GIF) with the Unitary Police Service (SPU).
Cheong made the announcement during a press conference at Government Headquarters on Friday.
The bill will be submitted to the Legislative Assembly (AL) in due course for debate, review and vote.
According to Cheong, the bill proposes to amend the current law regulating the statutory functions and powers of the Unitary Police Service.
The current Financial Intelligence Office was established in 2006 merely as a “project team”.
Initially, the office was operated under the Secretariat for Economy and Finance portfolio, before it was moved to the Secretariat for Security portfolio in October 2018.
The office is tasked with collecting and assessing information on suspected money laundering and terrorist financing, and passing its findings to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for possible follow-up action.
According to Cheong, the bill proposes that the Unitary Police Service will be additionally tasked with the prevention of, and fight against, money laundering, terrorist financing, and financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The bill proposes to set up a new unit under the Unitary Police Service enabling it to carry out the proposed new functions and duties, Cheong said.
Cheong underlined that the bill aims to ensure that the prevention of, and fight against, the respective financial crimes would become even more efficient.
The local government proposes the bill in compliance with its current policy of streamlining its public administration.
According to the SPU law, the two police forces of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), namely the Public Security Police (PSP) and the Judiciary Police (PJ), operate under the command and leadership of the Unitary Police Service.
Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon (centre), Unitary Police Service (SPU) Commissioner-General Leong Man Cheong (left), and Financial Intelligence Office (GIF) Director Chu Un I address Friday’s Executive Council press conference at Government Headquarters.
– Photo courtesy of TDM
