After learning that President Gustavo Petro, first lady Verónica Alcocer, his eldest son Nicolás Petro Burgos, and Minister of the Interior Armando Benedetti were included in the Clinton List of the United States Department of the Treasury, The Association of Banking and Financial Entities of Colombia (Asobancaria) issued a statement in which it ratified the commitment of the national financial system to transparency and the fight against money laundering.
Also read: (US officially includes President Gustavo Petro on Clinton List)
The inclusion in the so-called Clinton List, a registry of people and entities sanctioned for alleged links to drug trafficking or illicit activitiesinvolves international financial restrictions, such as the blocking of accounts, the impossibility of carrying out transactions with US banks and the closure of relationships with correspondent entities.
In his statementAsobancaria recalled that the Colombian financial system has been a global benchmark in the prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism for more than three decades. He highlighted that Colombia was the first country in America to adopt a formal anti-laundering system through the Interbank Agreement for the Detection, Prevention and Repression of Illicit Capital Movements, signed in 1992.
“Since then, the country has maintained strict compliance with international standards, thanks to permanent collaboration with North American authorities and correspondent banking.“said the union.
Faced with the decision of the United States Government, Asobancaria reiterated its commitment to compliance with international standards and assured that The financial system will continue to act in accordance with the rights of the financial consumer, local regulations and the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court.
Finally, the union emphasized that the Colombian financial sector will continue to work in an articulated manner with thenational and international authorities to preserve the stability and integrity of the system and maintain the trust of citizens.
JOHANA LORDUY
PORTFOLIO journalist
