Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Environment ministry trains officials to spot laundered loot

Environment ministry trains officials to spot laundered loot

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Environment ministry trains officials on the guidelines and procedures for investigating cases of money laundering on December 6 to strengthen the capacity of officials. ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY

Environment ministry trains officials to spot laundered loot

A Ministry of Environment training session on the guidelines and procedures for investigating cases of money laundering continued on December 6 to strengthen the capacity of officials.

The training was presided over by Neth Pheaktra, ministry secretary of state and permanent deputy chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Task Force, and attended by some 100 judicial police and law enforcement officials.

Pheaktra said all judicial police officials have the role of enforcing the Law on “Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism” and the Law on “Combating the Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) stemming from natural resource crime.

“[We] have actively cooperated with the relevant ministries and institutions to strengthen the environment ministry’s mechanisms and permanent systems in combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and to increase the effectiveness of crime prevention,” he said.

The environment ministry said its Anti-Money Laundering Task Force had made presentations related to the Law on Protected Areas, the Law on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism, and the standard operating procedures to be implemented in the fight against money laundering.

“While large-scale natural resources crimes are currently no longer occurring, there are still small offences we have to prevent and crack down on,” Pheaktra said.

He urged officials to remain vigilant and continue fully implementing the law responsibly and professionally to preserve natural resources, and to especially crack down on money laundering and the financing of terrorism resulting from natural resource crime.

He also noted that said that thanks to peace, political stability and strengthened natural resource preservation, Cambodia had sold carbon credits, which is an important development as the Kingdom is receiving revenue from its conservation efforts.

“The view that only deforestation can earn income has been discredited, and we are now operating under the slogan of ‘keep the trees standing for the benefit of the economy and society’.

“As Cambodia successfully sells carbon credits, it raises the Kingdom’s prestige on the international stage. It also rebuts any idea that Cambodia has the most forest crime in the world,” Pheaktra said.

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Famed US collector family return artefacts to Cambodia

    In the latest repatriation of ancient artefacts from the US, a total of 33 pieces of Khmer cultural heritage will soon return home, according to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. In a September 12 press statement, it said the US Attorney’s Office for the

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • Kampot curfew imposed to curb ‘gang’ violence

    Kampot provincial police have announced measures to contain a recent spike in antisocial behaviour by “unruly’ youth. Officials say the province has been plagued by recent violence among so-called “gang members”, who often fight with weapons such as knives and machetes. Several social observers have

  • PM outlines plans to discuss trade, policy during US visit

    Prime Minister Hun Manet is set to meet with senior US officials and business leaders during his upcoming visit to the US for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), scheduled for September 20. While addressing nearly 20,000 workers in Kampong Speu province, Manet said he aims to affirm

  • Manet touches down in Beijing for high-level meetings

    Prime Minister Hun Manet arrived in Beijing on September 14 for his first official visit to China, where he is slated to attend the 20th China-ASEAN Expo and meet other leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping. Upon his arrival, Manet laid a wreath at the Monument