The Ad-Hoc Sub-Committee for the Implementation of Action Plans of the Joint Group of Asia/Pacific Group on International Cooperation (SIP) is pleased to make a public announcement that the Second Working Group in charge of the implementation of actions in 11th Immediate Income (IO.11) concerning financial sanctions on proliferation financing has organized two workshops and one roundtable to further and broaden the dissemination and training on Law on Combating the Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction for the supervisory ministries/institutions, persons or entities other than reporting entities, and the general public.

1- Workshops for the Dissemination and Training on Law on Combating the Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: To further disseminate and train on Law on Combating the Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, which was promulgated by Royal Kram No.NS/RKM/0620/019 dated June 27,2020, the Second Working Group has organized two additional online workshops via Zoom. The workshops were chaired by H.E. CHIV Songhak, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Justice, H.E. NGY Chanphal, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Interior, and H.E. SAY Sam-Ath, Head of the Cambodia Financial Intelligence Unit who are the co-chair of the Second Working Group.

The first workshop was conducted on February 26, 2022 from 14:00 with the participation of 100 participants who are members of the Second Working Group and officers/staff of seven supervisory ministries/institutions: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (3 participants), the Ministry of Commerce (2 participants), the General Commissariat of National Police (1 participant), Non-Bank Financial Services Authority (47 participants), the Committee for the Management of Commercial Gambling of Cambodia (36 participants), the Cambodia Financial Intelligence Unit (3 participants), and members of the Second Working Group (8 participants). Whereas, the second workshop was conducted on February 28, 2022 from 9:00 with the participation of 146 participants who are members of the Second Working Group and officers/staff of seven supervisory ministries/institutions: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (5 participants), the Ministry of Commerce (39 participants), the National Bank of Cambodia (4 participants), the General Commissariat of National Police (1 participant), the Committee for the Management of Commercial Gambling of Cambodia (11 participants), the Trust Regulator (16 participants), the Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia (15 participants), the Accounting and Auditing Regulator (8 participants), the Social Security Regulator (8 participants), Real Estate Business and Pawnshop Regulator (11 participants), the Insurance Regulator of Cambodia (5 participants), the Cambodia Financial Intelligence Unit (6 participants), and members of the Second Working Group (17 participants).

The two workshops were conducted to disseminate, train, raise the level of knowledge and share experiences from the implementation of Law on Combating the Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction with officers/staff of supervisory ministries/institutions who are mandated to supervise the reporting entities under their respective jurisdiction with the aim to strengthen the effective enforcement of this law and to meet the recommendations of the Asia/Pacific Group (APG).The 2 main trainers of these workshops are H.E. PEN Pichsaly, General Director of Prosecution and Criminal Affairs of the Ministry of Justice, and H.E. Major General PHAN Sopheak, Head of Secretariat of the Central Department of Security of the General Commissariat of National Police.

They delivered the presentations to explain to the supervisory ministries/institutions in order to broaden and deepen their knowledge on: (1)-the roles of the supervisory ministries/institutions in the implementation of Resolutions of the United Nations Security Council; (2)-the obligations of the reporting entities and of the persons or entities other than reporting entities pursuant to Law on Combating the Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and the prohibition of the use of such assets; (3)-the asset freezing procedures (enlisting by the United Nations Security Council, enlisting by the courts, and freezing of the assets) and the confiscation of the frozen assets; (4)-the sanctions to be imposed on the reporting entities and on persons or entities other than reporting entities concerning the violation of the asset freezing decision, the crime of handing over the assets, and the crime of breaching the reporting obligation as stipulated in the penalty provisions of Law on Combating the Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction; and (5)-the form of the reports for the reporting entities and for persons or entities other than reporting entities. The 2 workshops also explained the contents of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s orders on Assets Freezing No. 11 and No. 12 dated November 02, 2002 freezing the assets of persons or entities listed by the Resolutions of the United Nations Security Council which imposed sanctions on North Korea and Iran. The 2 assets freezing orders are “Standing Orders” which have perpetual validity, except otherwise revoked by the court.

In addition to the presentations by the 2 speakers, the representatives of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Cambodia Financial Intelligence Unit have also participated in sharing comments, information, and experiences on the enforcement of the Law on Combating the Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

2- The organization of the roundtable for the dissemination of Law on Combating the Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Second Working Group with collaboration from the National Television of Cambodia (TVK) has organized a roundtable program on March 07, 2022 from 9:00 with the participation of 7 speakers representing 5 ministries/institutions namely: H.E. CHIV Songhak, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Justice, H.E. KIM Meas Sok Seiha, Under Secretary of State of the Ministry of Commerce, H.E. PEN Pichsaly, General Director of Prosecution and Criminal Affairs of the Ministry of Justice, Mr. NGETH Sovannarith, Deputy Head of Cambodia Financial Intelligence Unit, H.E. Major General PHAN Sopheak, Head of Secretariat of the Central Department of Security of the General Commissariat of National Police, and Mr. SENG Menghong, Deputy Head of the Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

This roundtable was organized to disseminate and raise the level of knowledge on Law on Combating the Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction for persons or entities other than reporting entities and the general public.

This roundtable has discussed important topics such as:(1)-the procedures for requesting to freeze an asset (enlisting by the United Nations Security Council, enlisting by the courts, and freezing of assets), and confiscation of frozen assets; (2)-the procedures for requesting to delist a name and authorization for using the frozen asset (a request to the United Nations Security Council, a request to the court for delisting a name from the list of the United Nations Security Council and for the revocation of a freezing order and authorization for using the frozen asset), (3)-the prohibition on the use of a frozen asset and obligations of persons other than reporting entities (prohibition on the use of a frozen asset, reporting entities and reporting obligations of reporting entities, reporting obligations of persons or entities other than reporting entities); (4)-the confiscation of the frozen asset; (5)-the management mechanisms (National Coordination Committee, monitoring and review, disclosure of information, and regulations for the implementation of the laws); and (6)-the penalty provisions concerning individuals and legal entities (the violation of the freezing decision, crime of handing over of an asset, and crime of breach of reporting obligations and responsibility of a legal entity).

This roundtable was broadcasted by the TVK on March 09, 2022.

The supervisory ministries/institutions, reporting entities, persons or entities other than reporting entities, and relevant actors as well as the general public may access to the video record of the roundtable and the materials of the 2 workshops on the official homepage of the Ministry of Justice and of the Cambodia Financial Intelligence Unit.

As per the above announcement, please the general public be informed.

Phnom Penh, March 14, 2022