US Advocates for Strong Banking Systems to Counter Money Laundering

The United States has urged Kenya and her East African counterparts to strengthen their financial monitoring regimes in order to counter money laundering, particularly by South Sudanese leaders.

According to US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Heather Merritt, monitoring financial transactions in the banking system remained critical to tackling money laundering.

Speaking to Capital FM, the diplomat advised the banking system to have adequate measures so that bankers are able to report suspicious transactions appropriately to national authorities.

She also urged States in the region to strengthen the capacity of investigative agencies stating that the United States was working closely with Kenyan authorities on capacity building.

“The key is empowered institutions, counter-terror finance laws that meet or exceed international standards, and appropriate training for both investigators and courts,” she explained.



The US has in the recent past slapped sanctions on individuals believed to be profiting from the war in South Sudan.

The latest casualty was ex-Israel military General, Yisrael Ziv, who was last December accused of concealing the selling of arms worth Ksh15 billion to warring factions in Juba. 

In 2018, Washington imposed similar sanctions on fifteen South Sudanese oil operators in a bid to pile pressure on President Salva Kiir to commit to a revitalized peace accord mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). 

The US, under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Sigal Mandelker, announced additional measures stating that Washington would cut off access to its financial system for “those who profit from human rights violations and corruption, preying on the poor and innocent and mothers and children.”



Mandelker warned countries in the region against allowing South Sudan leaders to invest ill-acquired monies in their respective countries while calling for the freezing of assets that are believed to be proceeds of war in Juba.

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