TEHRAN- A senior lawyer acting as advisor in the Iranian parliament said on Monday that withdrawal of the FATF-related bills from the Expediency Council’s agenda is meant confirmation of the Guardian Council’s view, noting that in such cases the bills can take effect by the Leader’s verdict. 

Touching upon the latest situation surrounding the bill on Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) and the UN Convention on Transnational Crime (Palermo), Mir Hossein Mir Mohammad Sadeqi said, “According to the legal trend, withdrawal of the CFT and Palermo bills from the Expediency Council’s agenda is meant confirming the Guardian Council’s view about the bills.”

Mir Mohammad Sadeqi said, “Accordingly, the two bills can be put on the agenda of the heads of the three branches of the government as well as the country’s Supreme National Security Council.” 

“If the Expediency Council does not announce its view about a plan or a bill over which the Majlis and the Guardian Council have had different views, the Guardian Council’s view will dominate (over other views),” he added. 

The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said in October that it gave Iran a final deadline of February 2020 to tighten its laws against money laundering in compliance with the global watchdog’s financial standards. 

“If before February 2020, Iran does not enact the Palermo and Terrorist Financing Conventions in line with the FATF Standards, then the FATF will fully lift the suspension of counter-measures and call on its members and urge all jurisdictions to apply effective counter-measures, in line with recommendation 19,” the FATF said in a statement at the time.

One of the actions Iran is required to take to appease the FATF is to ratify the CFT, the convention combatting the financing of terrorism.

The government is pushing for the approval of the FATF. 

Talking in a cabinet meeting on October 23, President Hassan Rouhani called on the Expediency Council to approve the FATF-related bills.

“It is our pride that we fight terrorists and counter corruption, therefore we should not allow allegations of money laundering against our banking system,” Rouhani stated.

He added, “This hurts our country.”

Mahmoud Vaezi, the presidential chief of staff, said on October 30 that Iran should use the opportunity to join the FATF in order to avoid self-inflicted sanctions.

Vaezi said those who oppose joining the FATF should accept responsibility for their actions. 

MJ/PA