Foreign experts to address antimoney laundering meet

Two world-renowned experts on antimoney laundering are coming to Manila later this month to speak at the 5th Global Conference of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (Gopac) at the Philippine International Convention Center.

Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, assistant secretary general for the United Nations Economic and Social Affairs, and Roy Cullen, chairman of Gopac Global Task Force Anti-Money Laundering, will share their expertise with over 500 participants at the event.

More than 300 delegates from 80 countries, together with 200 Filipino lawmakers and other stakeholders, will gather from Jan. 30 to Feb. 3 to share their knowledge and experience in fighting corruption, and push for lasting initiatives against the scourge.

The experts are expected to dwell on these questions: How do we trace the evidence, if the dirty money is reused for legal businesses? How do we balance the rights of citizens protected by bank secrecy laws and the need to curb money laundering?

Akhtar obtained her postdoctorate degree as a United States Fulbright Fellow at Harvard University. She also holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Scotland’s Paisley College of Technology and a master’s degree in Development Economics from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.

She has had a long career with multilateral development banks, such as the World Bank, where she was vice president for the Middle East and North Africa, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) where she served as director general for East Asia.

Cullen, a former member of the Canadian parliament, has played an active role in implementing Canada’s antimoney laundering program. He has worked in several countries around the world.

He has published two books, The Poverty of Corrupt Nations and Beyond Question Period or What Really Goes on in Ottawa. Cullen writes that eliminating corruption will involve a mass collective effort involving all institutions and individuals around the world.

Organizers of the conference said the two experts belong to a roster of selected speakers who will grace the conference. President Aquino, whose administration has made it its main thrust to eliminate corruption, will be the keynote speaker. Cynthia D. Balana