Guardian Council Refers Bill on Iran’s Accession to CFT to Parliament

The Guardian Council’s spokesman, Abbasali Kadkhodaei, said on Sunday that the council has examined the bill and decided it has some problems and ambiguities.

The council has sent the bill back to the parliament, according to the spokesman.

He said the council has found some 20 issues with the bill, including incompatibility with the country’s general policies.

Kadkhodaei noted that finding ambiguities and problems does not mean the bill has been rejected but that if the parliament insists on its previous approval of the bill, it will be referred to the Expediency Council for final decision. 

Back on October 7, the Iranian Parliament approved the bill on the country’s accession to the CFT treaty.

According to the Financial Action Task Force, Iran had until October to complete reforms that would “bring it into line with global norms or face consequences” that could further deter investors from the country.

To fulfill FATF requirements, President Hassan Rouhani’s administration has proposed four bills to the parliament for approval, two of which are still undecided, including the Palermo Convention.

On June 10, the Iranian parliament passed a law allowing the country to join the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), but has decided to put on hold debates on accession to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for two months.

Iran’s parliament had in May adopted new amendments proposed by the government to the country’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) law as part of efforts to improve connections to the international banking and trade system.

Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) involves investigating, analyzing, deterring and preventing sources of funding for activities intended to achieve political, religious or ideological goals through violence and the threat of violence against civilians.