EAC urged to enforce money laundering lawsEarly this week experts met in Kigali to explore ways of addressing money laundering and terrorist financing in the region calling on the East African Community (EAC) partner countries to enforce the laws on money laundering. The meeting brought together key stakeholders from governments, law enforcement agencies, financial institutions and security experts from the region. The three-day forum, under the theme "Combating financial crimes in East Africa”, was organised by Cyber Security Africa, a technology security solutions company based in Nairobi, Kenya. Speaking at the forum, the Director of Financial Stability at the National Bank of Rwanda, Joy Ntare, said that money laundering cases in Rwanda were very rare and minimal. The rare cases of money laundering are attributed to measures that include, among others, tight governance by the central bank, very small market and lesser population. In a bid to enforce the law curbing money laundering, the government established the Financial Intelligence Unit, an agency mandated to share information on suspicious transactions across borders.Lawmakers strategise for final year in office Members of the Lower Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday went on a one day retreat on the shores of Lake Muhazi for a self-assessment exercise.The retreat also aimed at strategising for their forthcoming session as the countdown towards the expiry of their four-year term comes to an end in July next year. The MPs resolved to have all committee rooms equipped with necessary logistics to enable members make use of IT and reduce on paper work to enhance operational efficiency. Another resolution according to a statement from parliament is that the legislators want their per diem increased to an amount they did not specify. Currently, an MP is entitled to a daily stipend of Rwf18, 000 while on duty in the countryside, accommodation is catered for by the parliamentary commission. Other civil servants are appropriated between Rwf5,000 to 8,000 depending on their grades.During the retreat, Speaker Rose Mukantabana, urged the MPs to be courageous enough to assess themselves and own up to failures and take credit for work well done where it is due. 120 Genocide convicts petition court over reparations Dozens of Genocide convicts early this week  packed the High Court trial chamber in Kigali to hear an appeal in which they challenge a lower court ruling which ordered them to pay a combined Rwf2 billion in reparations for their crimes committed in the 1994 Genocide.They were found guilty of charges ranging from looting to destroying property, but for some of the defendants, the charges will be dropped in case the court confirms reports that they died.One hundred and twenty one genocide convicts were ordered to pay the reparations. The case was filed and won by 392 Genocide survivors from Bugesera district.About 40 defendants appeared before Judge Antoine Muhima on Tuesday. But the trial was adjourned until December 24 due to certain missing documents in the dossier concerning the case. The prosecutor in the case, Eric Gakwaya, requested the judge to relocate the court to a convenient place so that all concerned people can attend – a request that the judge granted. It is not clear what penalties most defendants who are financially unable to clear the reparation will face since the law that determines how victims should be compensated in that case is not clear.Of the 121 convicts, nine of them were initially sentenced to death before the death sentence was abolished in the country’s law books, while 30 are serving life sentences.Senate passes anti-smoking billIn a unanimous vote, the Senate on Wednesday passed the tobacco control bill which has lingered at the Parliamentary Buildings for more than two years as it made rounds between the lower and upper chambers. The bill was first tabled in parliament on June10, 2010, by Dr. Richard Sezibera, the then Health Minister, seeking to restrict smoking in public places, among other things. The legislation is in response to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which Rwanda ratified in 2005.The restrictive law on tobacco has been passed when Rwanda’s tax receipts from tobacco products have sharply dwindled. Tax revenues from imported tobacco shrunk by 63 per cent to Rwf 110.3 million in the first six months of this year, down from Rwf 298.4 million at the same period last year.Industry players attribute the trend to the growing influence of the born again movement and stigma to public smoking. The draft legislation calls for the enlightenment of the public on the dangers of smoking, discourages smoking and protects non-smokers from persuasion or inducements that may encourage them to take up the habit. The bill prohibits smoking in public areas like; office buildings, court premises, factories, cinema halls, theatres, hospitals, clinics, restaurants, hotels and bars, among other places.Liberian gov’t officials on study tourA delegation of nine officials from Liberia is in the country to share knowledge on the implementation process of the decentralisation policy.The team has visited various public parastatals and ministries they were briefed on their operations. On Thursday, the team visited the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources where they were briefed about the ministry’s structures and implementation of programmes. Addressing the delegation, the Director of General, Planning and Programme Coordination, Raphael Rurangwa, highlighted the mechanisms the ministry has put in place to achieve its targets.In an interview with The New Times, the head of the delegation, Tiah J. Nagbe, who is the Deputy Minister in charge of Research and Development Planning in the Liberian Ministry of Internal Affairs, said that their visit was aimed at getting ideas that will help them implement the decentralization policy.The delegation, which arrived in the country on Tuesday, is expected to wind up the working visit today.