Hon Mohadi Kembo
Herald Reporter
Government has gazetted the Suppression of Foreign and International Terrorism Act that blacklists and freezes funds and assets of individuals and organisations associated with international terror. Gazetting of the Act by Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi is in compliance with a Security Council Resolution requiring all UN members to apply financial sanctions on individuals and entities associated with al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.
Al-Qaeda is a militant Islamist organisation founded by the late bin Laden with assistance from the US government to fight the former USSR in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
The Bank Use Promotion and Suppression of Money Laundering Unit will be Zimbabwe’s national agency for implementation of the regulations.
A Statutory Instrument to this effect was published in a Government Gazette on Friday.
“These regulations extend to any person or entity listed under Subsection (1), notwithstanding any rights granted to or obligations imposed under any existing international agreement or contract made prior to date of coming into force of these regulations,” reads the Statutory Instrument.
Clause 5 provides for the role of the Bank Use Promotion and Suppression of Money Laundering Unit.
The regulations prevent the entry into or transit through Zimbabwe’s borders by specified individuals; and also bar direct and indirect supply, sale and transfer of arms and military equipment by such people.
“Where the unit proposes an individual to be added to the United Nations Consolidated List, the President shall on the recommendation of the minister declare a person or entity to be a suspected international terrorist or international terrorist group respectively,” read the regulations.
“Upon such a declaration, the minister through the ministry responsible for Foreign Affairs shall forward the list of proposed designated persons or entities to the relevant UN Sanctions Committee stating the reasons for the designation.”