Making the remarks in reaction to some parliament members’ announcements that studying FATF-related bills have been removed from the council’s agenda, Ayatollah Mojtahed Shabestari informed that the named bills will be investigated during the council’s Wednesday meeting.
He refused to make any assumption about the council’s final verdict on the named bills, however.
The two controversial FATF-related bills, namely the convention against the funding of terrorism (CFT) and the one joining the UN Convention on Transnational Crime (Palermo bill), have already been approved by the lawmakers in the Iranian Parliament and need to gain the approval of the Expediency Council after they were rejected by the Guardian Council.
FATF has given Iran an extended June deadline to complete the reforms necessary for joining the international body.
There are concerns among other officials and some lawmakers that joining the anti-money laundering body may pave the way for further sanctions on Iran.
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