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Government Work To Get Off FATF’s Grey List

Government is continuing to work diligently to get off the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list. And, Attorney General Dale Marshall is optimistic the removal should occur after the on-site assessment with the FATF’s representatives in Barbados, in January 2024.

Mr. Marshall gave this update today as he addressed the website launch of the Compliance Unit of the Anti-Money Laundering Authority, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

The Attorney General told his audience: “We’ve had to devote all of our resources to get to this point, and I’m optimistic that in January we shall have reason to celebrate. But the bad news is that as soon as we get out of this round there’s another one coming, so the Compliance Unit is going to be around for a long, long time.”

After the launch, he explained to the media that the purpose of the on-site meeting was to make sure that all of the measures put in place by Government were effective and sustainable.

He continued: “We’ve spent the last three years working our way through all of the requirements of the FATF. We have now advanced to the final stage where the FATF actually sends out assessors…for an on-site meeting….

“Once we satisfy them, …then they will make a recommendation to the plenary meeting in February, and the plenary will hopefully accept that recommendation that Barbados be removed from the grey list. So we’re very optimistic that the assessors, in January, will be fully satisfied that we have covered…all of the things that we have to cover.”

Mr. Marshall explained that removal from the EU’s blacklist did not automatically follow deletion from the FATF’s grey list. However, he pointed out that Barbados’ expectation, based on the bilateral meetings with EU representatives, is that once it is removed from the grey list, then removal from the blacklist will follow.

“Removal from the blacklist is key, because a lot of our businesses – reinsurance and others – have major clients in Europe, and therefore they have to transact financial business with them. The problem with being on these lists is that it affects… correspondent banking….

“It is especially important for Barbados that we get off of these lists so that the countries with whom we have to do business are comfortable that we are not sending tainted money to their jurisdiction,” he stated.

During the website launch, the Attorney General underscored the importance of the Compliance Unit and told the Designated Non-Financial Business entities or Professionals (DNFBPs) its work “is invaluable”.

“The Compliance Unit is not your enemy; the Compliance Unit has not been set up to be the bane of your existence. The Compliance Unit has been set up to provide you with the necessary know how and resources to be able to so structure your business that you meet the minimum standards, and when you meet the minimum standards, then you’re good to go.

“But if one of you fall, then it imperils the entire standing of Barbados. So I want to urge you to accept the entreaties of the Compliance Unit…. The work of the Compliance Unit is invaluable. It is a new unit; we’re going to… make a few missteps along the way; but never with malice…,” Mr. Marshall stated.

To access the website, persons should log on to https://complianceunit.gov.bb. They will be able to view training materials and video recordings, including a step-by-step guide on the filing of a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR); and international sanctions lists which will allow the DNFBPs to screen potential and existing clients to ensure that criminals do not penetrate financial institutions.

In addition, they will have access to questionnaires, which the Unit uses to determine whether an entity can be classified as a DNFBP; a direct link to the Financial Intelligence Unit for the submission of STRs; and information on upcoming training sessions. (PR/GIS)

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SPECIAL POLLING DAY NOTICE

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FundAccess To Host Legal Clinic Workshop from May 13th

Entrepreneurs will soon get another opportunity to learn about critical legal matters that are key to the operation of their businesses.

FundAccess will be hosting The Legal Clinic Workshop, which will commence on Tuesday, May 13, and continue each Tuesday, until May 27, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The workshop will be facilitated by Attorney-at-law Ondene Kirton and participants will discuss Understanding Business Legal Structures; Contracts & Agreements; Employment Law & Compliance; and Examination of the Various Laws Relating to Small Business.

During those sessions, the participants will be exposed to sole proprietorship, partnerships, corporations – pro and cons; how to choose the right legal structure for a business; the importance of contracts in business operations; avoiding common contract pitfalls; and employee rights & employer responsibilities, among others. Some of the pieces of legislation to be examined include the Employment Rights Act and National Insurance and Social Security Act.

Interested persons may attend the workshop in person at FundAccess’ Pinfold Street, Bridgetown location, or online via the Zoom Platform. To register, click on the following link: https://bit.ly/3Fu09Jv.

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Centenarian Built On Firm Foundation Set By Grandmother

“Trust God first” is the mantra of one of Barbados’ newest centenarians, Athelstan Browne, who celebrated his 100th birthday on April 29, 2025, at his home in Montrose, Christ Church, surrounded by family and friends.

One of his specially invited guests was President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.

Mr. Browne shared that he grew up “not knowing a mummy” as his mother passed away at age 23, when he was two years old, and his brother was only one year old.

Crediting his grandmother for his upbringing, Mr. Brown remarked: “I had a real good, good grandmother that raised two of us, and everything we learn before we went to school, she taught us.”

Pointing to a humble yet deeply religious upbringing, Mr. Browne said: “I and my brother slept on the floor. Our grandmother spread things down there, and she just put the pillow under our head.”

He recalled that they had to sing the hymn “Under the Blood” before going to bed, and first thing in the morning before they had breakfast, which usually consisted of “a cup of tea and two biscuits”. Adding that the hymn was “our song”, Mr. Browne sang the hymn from memory.

Stressing that his grandmother was a great provider, he noted: “My grandmother had land, and she would work the land…. We would eat raw potato, raw okras, (green) peas, cucumbers…. The only thing we did not eat was raw yams and eddoes.”

Mr. Browne continues to enjoy his ground provisions “with a little rice”, as he likes his rice with green peas, and if available, chicken boiled with the rice. “I am a fish man,” he remarked, eating it either fried or with a “stew sauce”.

Continuing to nurture his Christian beliefs, he joined the Mount Ararat United Holy Church (currently in Dayrell’s Road, Christ Church) in 1967, at age 33, and has continued there ever since.

Once the Superintendent of the Sunday School at the church, Mr. Browne is still instrumental in providing leadership to the youth there. “I have a crowd of young people at church that love me…especially when I have to talk to them…. It is what they should hear and what they should have,” he said.

The centenarian was raised in Montrose, Christ Church, and attended the Christ Church Boys’ School (now Milton Lynch Primary School). After leaving school, Mr. Browne initially took to agriculture but then worked cutting soft stone in two quarries in Christ Church.

In 1947, at the age of 22, he decided to join the US Farm Labour Programme and took the first Pan American Airlines flight out of Barbados. Over 10 years later, Mr. Browne returned to Barbados and married Monica Browne (deceased). Together, they built the house where he currently resides.

Returning to his roots in agriculture, the centenarian worked at the Ridge Plantation, Christ Church, until retirement. He also planted and reaped ground produce at home, as well as planted and cut canes.

Mr. Browne, who is generally in good health and has a sharp memory, still works around the home and enjoys reading, which he does without glasses. He also keeps in touch with his family in New York and North Carolina, and will do some travelling, but he is always ready to return home.

After toasting the centenarian, Her Excellency remarked: “You are in the midst of a lot of love, and I am sure you are going to enjoy the rest of your birthday. I am really happy to have met you. I am grateful for the work that you still continue to do with our young people because a lot of them lack direction, and we, nowadays, don’t take enough time to sit down and speak with them…. We don’t remind them that they are important, that they are somebody.”

Mr. Browne responded: “You got to make them understand what … the Lord expects of them… We have to acknowledge the Lord.”

Mr. Browne has two children, 10 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. (PR/GIS)

Caption: President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason, and Barbados’ newest centenarian Athelstan Browne take a walk outside during his birthday celebrations in Montrose, Christ Church