(QCostarica) Under the banner of fighting drug trafficking, but more important the country not falling on the “black list” (lista gris in Spanish), Costa Rica’s legislator have approved in first debate reforms against terrorism and money laundering.
With a vote of 39 (of 55) in favour, the reforms criminalize terrorism financing, which covers the trafficking of unauthorized drugs and related activities and money laundering.
Follow the money. “Terrorists need money to carry out their atrocities, money for weapons, for supplies to make explosives, for travel. This money trail will provide valuable information to investigators and often allow them to identify those involved in the terrorist attacks”, says the FATF
The move was necessary for the country not to fall into the black list of countries that do not cooperate with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in the fight against terrorism, as warned by the Costa Rican Drug Institute (Instituto Costarricense sobre Drogas – ICD) earlier this month.
The reforms, which requires approval in second reading in the Legislative Assembly and ratification by Casa Presidencial (the President’s signature), asks the country to present a report on the actions to combat terrorism and money laundering on August 1 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The passing of the reforms was possible after legislators reached a political agreement and the Movimiento Libertario (ML) party withdrew motions against the proposal.
Second debate (and voting) is expected on Thursday.