Carl Greenidge.The committee met on Wednesday last

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The Special Select Parliamentary Committee, tasked with addressing the amendments to Guyana’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Laws, will meet again on July 3. This was confirmed by the body’s Chairman, Carl Greenidge.The committee met on Wednesday last, and according to Greenidge, it was agreed at the time to await further submissions from stakeholders.Notifications were published by the committee, calling on stakeholders to make presentations and submit recommendations that would serve to inform the decision-making process on the amendments.Greenidge told this publication that at the last meeting, two of the three parties in the committee had asked that the time be extended for the stakeholders to make submissions.While there has not been any significant level of submissions, Greendige said that the opposition was looking to ensure that adequate time is provided for all sections of society, inclusive of the Bar Association, to consider the matter fully. `“In light of that, there was some discussion, and it was agreed to give them a little more time.”Members of the public, organisations, and individuals were initially provided with a May 17 deadline to make their submissions.The legislative amendments were pursued following recommendations made by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force which had threatened to blacklist Guyana, had the amendments not be approved by May 27 last.The combined opposition had refused to approve the amendments as had been presented by government, voting instead to have the matter addressed by a Special Select Committee.President Donald Ramotar,had subsequently dispatched Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, to the plenary sessions of the Task Force’s review of Guyana.Guyana managed to secure a November deadline for the passage of the legislative amendments.The Alliance for Change (AFC), which holds the balance of power in the National Assembly, has since demanded that the president establish the Public Procurement Commission, as well re-consider assenting to two Bills which were brought to the House by the opposition and passed, before it lends its support to the amendments.