Notable gaps in U.S. real estate regulation and anti-money laundering oversight
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
CURRENT STATE OF THE CLIMATE
Unequivocal that human
influence has warmed
the atmosphere, ocean
and land
ÉDITION 355 – VENDREDI 13 AOÛT 2021 L’HEBDOMADAIRE DIGITAL GRATUIT
L’ HEBDOMADAIRE ÉLECTRONIQUE GRATUIT
NEW GLOBAL FINANCIAL INTEGRITY REPORT
Notable gaps in… U.S.
real estate regulation
and anti-money
laundering oversight
shell_24x35cm.pdf 1 11/08/2021 09:50
8908 | myt.mu
Swazir kalite, pey
avek my.t money
kot Shell
*Conditions applicables.
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Obtenez 2% de moneyback* sur
votre compte my.t money à chaque
fois que vous faites le plein dans
une station-service Shell.
Valide jusqu'au 31 août
VENDREDI 13 AOÛT 2021 | BIZWEEK | ÉDITION 355 3
LA TOUR
NEW GLOBAL FINANCIAL INTEGRITY REPORT
Notable gaps in…
U.S. real estate regulation
and anti-money
laundering oversight
At a minimum, from cases reported in the last five years, more than US$2.3 billion has been laundered through U.S real estate, including mil-
lions more through other alternate assets like art, jewelry, and yachts. Gatekeepers including attorneys, real estate agents, investment advisers, and
employees of financial institutions have repeatedly facilitated REML by high net-worth individuals through willful blindness or direct complicity,
yet the U.S. remains the only G7 country that does not require real estate professionals to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) laws and
regulation. The use of anonymous shell companies and complex corporate structures continues to be the number one money laundering typology.
Eighty-two percent of U.S. cases involved the use of a legal entity to mask ownership. These are the findings of the new report entitled ‘Acres of
Money Laundering: Why U.S. Real Estate is a Kleptocrat’s Dream’, by the Global Financial Integrity (GFI)
Cont’d on page 4
VENDREDI 13 AOÛT 2021 | BIZWEEK | ÉDITION 355 4
LA TOUR
“E veryone’s discovering how easy it is to use
and abuse the real estate sector,” Laksh-
mi Kumar, an author of the report entitled
‘Acres of Money Laundering: Why U.S. Real
Estate is a Kleptocrat’s Dream’, told the
International Consortium of Investigative
Journalists (ICIJ), noting gaps in United
States’ real estate regulation and anti-money
laundering oversight that have helped make
the country the biggest hotspot in the new
Global Financial Integrity’s study.
What do the Iranian government, a fu-
gitive international jeweler, and a disgraced
Harvard University fencing coach have in
common? They have all used U.S. real estate
to launder their ill-gotten gains. In Acres of
Money Laundering: Why U.S. Real Estate is
a Kleptocrat’s Dream, Global Financial In-
tegrity (GFI) dives into the murky world of
global money laundering and demonstrates
the ease with which kleptocrats, criminals,
sanctions evaders, and corrupt government
officials choose the U.S. real estate market as
their preferred destination to hide and laun-
der proceeds from illicit activities.
To tell the story of why U.S. real estate
continues to remain a favored destination
for illicit activity, GFI built a database of
more than 100 real estate money laundering
cases from the U.S., UK, and Canada, re-
ported between 2015 – 2020. The database
and accompanying regulatory analysis in
this report provide conclusive evidence that
the current U.S. regulatory approach, using
temporary and location specific Geographic
Targeting Orders (GTOs), has critical short-
comings that will require comprehensive
reform before it can adequately address the
threats to the U.S. financial system and na-
tional security.
To provide context to the analysis and rec-
ommendations in this report, GFI compares
the regulatory developments in the U.S. with
ongoing practices, challenges, and develop-
ments in the rest of the G7.
Lack of comprehensive
AML/CFT
“The findings of the report demonstrate that the schemes used to fund other types of high-
Why do criminals choose real estate as current approach of the U.S is woefully inadequate, net-worth lifestyle purchases. For exam-
their preferred money laundering vehicle? and that the country’s real estate sector poses signifi- ple, many of the reported cases included
First, the value of real estate is generally sta-
ble and appreciates over time. This allows
cant national security risks by continuing to be a safe
haven for criminals and kleptocrats. The variety of
Analyzing 125 money laundering through the purchase
of yachts, private jets, horses, cars, jewelry,
criminals to accumulate wealth while eras-
ing its nefarious origins. Second, real estate
cases show that REML in the U.S. is not just lim-
ited to the narrow confines of residential properties
cases (56 in the high-end watches, and art. In the case of
the 1MDB scandal, it ironically included
transactions – both commercial and residen-
tial – are subject to limited oversight. This
in luxury real estate markets. It spans from An-
chorage, Alaska to the steel plants of the Midwest U.S., 34 in the UK, the funding of a blockbuster Hollywood
movie on money laundering and market
makes it easy to hide ownership of these and the leafy suburbs of Boston, exposing a series manipulation – “The Wolf of Wall Street”.
assets, while at the same time being able to of vulnerabilities that remain unchecked. The path and 35 in Canada) This research shows that high-net-worth
flaunt in plain sight the evidence of ill-got- forward for the U.S. lies in a combination of adapt- criminals are hiding their money in many
ten wealth. Third, real estate can be used to ing some measures from the G7, while also taking reported alternate asset classes, for which the reg-
turn an initially illicit investment into a legit- the lead in other areas such as commercial real estate ulatory environment is opaque or insuf-
imate income-generating enterprise, through where the current G7 approach is inadequate”, can
we read in the GFI report.
Over a 5-year ficient to mitigate the heightened money
laundering risks that exist.
rentals or property development. Fourth, in-
creased scrutiny over the ownership and use period (2015
of bank accounts has meant that criminals Billions laundered Residential versus
have to find new ways to hide their money.
Fifth, and perhaps most pertinent of all, by
through real estate – 2020), GFI’s Commercial real
alongside other high estate – Where is the
safeguarding wealth in assets where own-
ership interests are hard to trace, criminals value assets calculations illicit money going
can protect their wealth from asset recovery within the sector?
efforts in their home jurisdiction, wheth- Looking at the development of laws tar- reveal that, at a
er from legitimate authorities or the next geting money laundering in the G7, it be- Unsurprisingly, residential property con-
usurper to grab power. comes apparent that the U.S. is not on pace
with other countries within the G7.
minimum, stitutes the bulk of all identified cases. In
The U.S., along with the other advanced the U.S. and UK, residential property was
economies in the G7, has in recent years
taken note of the serious risk posed by the
Analyzing 125 cases (56 in the U.S., 34 in
the UK, and 35 in Canada) reported over a
US$2.3 billion involved in 91% of all cases. Canada is re-
markably similar, with residential property
real estate sector as a gateway to illicit fi-
nance. The U.S. Treasury department in its
5-year period (2015 – 2020), GFI’s calcula-
tions reveal that, at a minimum, US$2.3 bil-
was laundered featuring in 88% of all cases. This trend
did not appear to change even though
most recent national risk assessment (NRA)
identified anonymous purchases of real es-
lion was laundered through the real estate
sector in the U.S. During the same period, through the real there were significantly more cases identi-
fied and analyzed in the U.S. Commercial
tate, combined with a lack of comprehen- reported cases involving the UK and Cana-
sive AML/CFT (anti-money laundering and dian real estate sectors reveal that at least estate sector in real estate (CRE), which is not subject
to any reporting requirements under the
combating the financing of terrorism) re- US$1.1 billion and US$626.3 million was GTOs, was also a significant vehicle to
quirements on real estate gatekeepers, as one laundered, respectively. the U.S. launder money in all three countries.
of the key vulnerabilities in the U.S. exploit- The dataset demonstrated that REML In the U.S., one or more commercial real
ed by illicit actors. schemes frequently occurred alongside estate properties were involved in 35.71%
Cont’d on page 5
VENDREDI 13 AOÛT 2021 | BIZWEEK | ÉDITION 355 5
LA TOUR
of all cases. The numbers were not too far identified cases involved a PEP, with Azer-
off in the UK and Canada, with commer- baijan coming in first place, and Pakistan and
cial real estate identified in 38% and 20% of Kazakhstan tying for second. Canada had
cases respectively. Canada is unique in that significantly lower PEP involvement, with
agricultural property was also identified in PEPs accounting for only 11.4% of all cases.
5% of the cases. Finally, the analysis also revealed that PEP
The types of commercial properties ran cases often correlate with gatekeeper com-
the gamut, including everything from the plicity, willful blindness, or shocking igno-
mundane to the ultra-luxurious and the sur- rance. Case examples like the 1MDB scam,
prising. Some of the assets identified includ- the Yahya Jammeh case, the REML scheme
ed: office parks, steel plants, luxury hotels, by Congolese ruler Denis Sassou-Nguesso,
motels, a mental health facility, supermar- and the numerous cases of Mexican political
kets, and condominium developments. Per- corruption expand on this connection.
haps most interesting was the purchase of a
wind turbine, in addition to houses and land, Money laundering
to launder the proceeds from a drug traffick-
ing operation.
typologies – anonymous
This connection to renewable energy is companies remain the
not just noted in the three countries analyz- preferred method
ed. Reports from Italy show that organized
crime groups like the Cosa Nostra have in- Common trends also emerged across all
vested “years of deep infiltration into the renew- three countries as regards the typologies
able energy sector”, finding new ways to create used to launder money through the real es-
seemingly legitimate income and assure the tate sector. Unsurprisingly, the use of cor-
futures of their criminal enterprises. porate vehicles is the number one method.
The U.S. only recently passed legislation that
Politically Exposed would require the disclosure of beneficial
Persons – A key criminal ownership, and the case analysis reveals that
at least 82.14% of all cases identified used a
actor in REML schemes corporate structure of some kind to obfus-
cate the identity of the real owner.
Several excellent reports, including the In all three countries, third parties, such
U.S. Department of the Treasury’s 2020 as family members, business associates, or
National Strategy to Combat Terrorist and lawyers, are used to hide the true beneficial
Other Illicit Financing, document the high owner of the property. In the U.S., over half
risk of money laundering in the U.S. through (53.57%) of the identified cases involved the
the real estate sector, highlighting the role of use of third parties. In the UK this was 50%
gatekeeper professions in facilitating these of all cases and in Canada third parties were
schemes. involved in 45.7% of all identified cases.
However, none of these reports comment In Canada, the use of private lenders is an
on the significant presence of politically especially significant typology used to per-
exposed persons (PEPs) within the space. petuate REML schemes: 34.2% of all cases
Both the UK and the U.S. saw a significant involved some kind of mortgage scheme
percentage of cases involving PEPs. In the and over 17% of cases identified used a pri-
U.S., well over half of all cases involved a vate lender as part of the REML scheme. In
PEP, with the top three PEP countries all the U.S., 19.64% of cases involved mortgage
from within the Western Hemisphere (Mex- schemes. Other common typologies identi-
ico, Venezuela, and Guatemala), followed by fied, such as leasing and renovations, were
Malaysia and Nigeria. In the UK, 41% of all also well represented but remain unaddressed
along with most other common REML typol- accounts, or acted as director or front man
One of the weakest regulatory ogies through the GTO mechanism. of the legal entity that owned the real estate.
The ultimate result always being that each of
frameworks for real estate Gatekeepers and
these actions always helped mask the identity
of the beneficial owner of the property.
Facilitators – no AML/
When the United States (U.S.) in
1988 amended the definition of
This ‘temporary’ exemption has
since gone on for two decades, and
CFT requirements equals Legal professionals:
financial institutions in the Bank hinders the development of any no uncomfortable a major money
Secrecy Act (BSA) to include ‘persons further legislative efforts to target questions laundering loophole
involved in real estate closings and other gatekeepers. This in turns
settlements’, it became one of the exacerbates the vulnerabilities of The analyzed case examples reveal three According to the FATF, lawyers in par-
first countries to target the risks of the U.S. real estate sector to money distinct levels of involvement of gatekeepers ticular play a significant role as gatekeepers
money laundering in the real estate laundering. and facilitators: (1) the gatekeepers or finan- during real estate transactions. Lawyers are
sector. Despite this promising start, Despite being later to the start than cial institutions were directly complicit; (2) better placed than title agents to identify the
the U.S. today has one of the weakest the U.S., the G7 quickly evolved its
the gatekeepers exhibited willful blindness, source of funds of a property buyer. This
and (3) the absence of any requirement cre- is not only because they have a more direct
regulatory frameworks amongst the laws, keeping pace with international
ated a safe space where uncomfortable ques- relationship with the client, but also because
G7 to address real estate money best practices and (revised)
tions are never asked. In the three countries, they often play an important intermediary
laundering (REML). Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
cases involving PEPs, high net worth individ- role in the flow of funds to purchase a prop-
The U.S. PATRIOT Act, enacted in recommendations. uals (HNIs) or Ultra-HNIs showed a higher erty. In its 2018 and 2020 national money
the aftermath of 9/11 with the goal Particularly noteworthy have been degree of use and involvement of gatekeep- laundering risk assessments, the U.S. Treas-
of strengthening national security, efforts to tackle the complicity of ers in the money laundering scheme. ury Department indicated that the use of
required financial institutions gatekeepers and other real estate In all three countries the top gatekeeper interest on lawyer trust accounts (IOLTAs)
including real estate professionals professionals in REML schemes, utilized to facilitate the money laundering posed a particularly high money laundering
to establish AML/CFT compliance approving the creation of strong schemes were lawyers. This is predictable risk, because they anonymized money trans-
programs. Ironically, it was the beneficial ownership registries to because the vast majority of cases in the U.S. missions without much oversight by banks.
U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement counter real estate purchases by and U.K involved HNIs or PEPs launder- In the last decade, there has been a con-
Network (FinCEN) granting real anonymous legal entities, and ing their money through real estate. Wealthy sistent push for countries to create their own
estate professionals a ‘temporary expanding and strengthening criminals have the resources to employ a net- beneficial ownership registries. Today, well
exemption’ from compliance politically exposed person (PEP) work of gatekeepers to willingly, or willfully over 100 countries have committed to set-
as a ‘financial institution’, that guidance. blindly, integrate their ill-gotten gains into ting up a BO registry,94 yet there have been
created some of the loopholes that The U.S., despite having an impressive the financial system. challenges both in fulfilling this commitment
today allows kleptocrats, hostile track record of enforcement, still In a number of cases included in this re- and once fulfilled, in the quality of the actual
governments, drug traffickers, and operates at a distinct disadvantage port, real estate attorneys either helped form registry itself.95 The countries in the G7 en-
human rights abusers to launder their when tackling REML, due to its weak the corporation buying the property, acted as capsulate some of these successes and chal-
money in U.S. real estate. regulatory framework. the registering agent, funneled the money for lenges, and provide valuable lessons as the
the property purchase through their firm’s U.S. sets about creating its very own registry.
VENDREDI 13 AOÛT 2021 | BIZWEEK | ÉDITION 355 6
ACTA PUBLICA
CURRENT STATE OF THE CLIMATE
Unequivocal that human
influence has warmed the
atmosphere, ocean and land
Based on the assessment of multiple lines of evidence, global warming of 2°C, relative to 1850– 1900, would be exceeded during the 21st century
under the high and very high GHG emissions scenarios considered in the ‘Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science
Basis’ of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released on 8 August 2021. Global warming of 2°C would extremely likely be
exceeded in the intermediate scenario. Under the very low and low GHG emissions scenarios, global warming of 2°C is extremely unlikely to be
exceeded or unlikely to be exceeded. Crossing the 2°C global warming level in the mid-term period (2041–2060) is very likely to occur under the
very high GHG emissions scenario, likely to occur under the high GHG emissions scenario, and more likely than not to occur in the intermediate
GHG emissions scenario
T
he Working Group I contribu- human activities. Since 2011 (measurements ed it since 1850. Global surface temperature to the updated estimate of warming in AR6.
tion to the Sixth Assessment Re- reported in Assessment Report 5 – AR5), in the first two decades of the 21st century
port (AR6) addresses the most concentrations have continued to increase in (2001-2020) was 0.99 [0.84- 1.10] °C higher Main driver of
up-to-date physical understand-
ing of the climate system and
the atmosphere, reaching annual averages of
410 ppm for carbon dioxide (CO2), 1866 ppb
than 1850-1900. Global surface temperature
was 1.09 [0.95 to 1.20] °C higher in 2011–
tropospheric warming
climate change, bringing together the latest for methane (CH4), and 332 ppb for nitrous 2020 than 1850–1900, with larger increases since 1979
advances in climate science, and combining oxide (N2O) in 2019. Land and ocean have over land (1.59 [1.34 to 1.83] °C) than over
multiple lines of evidence from paleoclimate, taken up a near-constant proportion (globally the ocean (0.88 [0.68 to 1.01] °C). The esti- The likely range of total human-caused
observations, process understanding, and about 56% per year) of CO2 emissions from mated increase in global surface temperature global surface temperature increase from
global and regional climate simulations. human activities over the past six decades, since AR5 is principally due to further warm- 1850–1900 to 2010–2019 is 0.8°C to 1.3°C,
Observed increases in well-mixed green- with regional differences. ing since 2003–2012 (+0.19 [0.16 to 0.22] °C). with a best estimate of 1.07°C. It is likely that
house gas (GHG) concentrations since Each of the last four decades has been suc- Additionally, methodological advances and well-mixed GHGs contributed a warming of
around 1750 are unequivocally caused by cessively warmer than any decade that preced- new datasets contributed approximately 0.1ºC 1.0°C to 2.0°C, other human drivers (principal-
ly aerosols) contributed a cooling of 0.0°C to
Cont’d on page 7
VENDREDI 13 AOÛT 2021 | BIZWEEK | ÉDITION 355 7
ACTA PUBLICA
0.8°C, natural drivers changed global surface
temperature by –0.1°C to 0.1°C, and internal
variability changed it by –0.2°C to 0.2°C. It
is very likely that well-mixed GHGs were the
main driver of tropospheric warming since
1979, and extremely likely that human-caused
stratospheric ozone depletion was the main
driver of cooling of the lower stratosphere
between 1979 and the mid-1990s.
Globally averaged precipitation over land
has likely increased since 1950, with a faster
rate of increase since the 1980s. It is likely
that human influence contributed to the pat-
tern of observed precipitation changes since
the mid-20th century, and extremely like-
ly that human influence contributed to the
pattern of observed changes in near-surface
ocean salinity. Mid-latitude storm tracks have
likely shifted poleward in both hemispheres
since the 1980s, with marked seasonality in
trends. For the Southern Hemisphere, human
influence very likely contributed to the pole-
ward shift of the closely related extratropical
jet in austral summer.
Main driver of current
global acidification
Human influence is very likely the main
driver of the global retreat of glaciers since
the 1990s and the decrease in Arctic sea ice
area between 1979–1988 and 2010–2019
(about 40% in September and about 10% in
March). There has been no significant trend
in Antarctic sea ice area from 1979 to 2020
due to regionally opposing trends and large
internal variability. Human influence very
likely contributed to the decrease in Northern
Hemisphere spring snow cover since 1950. It
is very likely that human influence has con-
tributed to the observed surface melting of
the Greenland Ice Sheet over the past two
decades, but there is only limited evidence,
with medium agreement, of human influence
on the Antarctic Ice Sheet mass loss.
It is virtually certain that the global upper
ocean (0–700 m) has warmed since the 1970s
and extremely likely that human influence
is the main driver. It is virtually certain that
human-caused CO2 emissions are the main
driver of current global acidification of the
surface open ocean. There is high confidence
that oxygen levels have dropped in many up-
per ocean regions since the mid-20th century,
and medium confidence that human influence
contributed to this drop.
Climate zones
have shifted the observations of the most recent decade. that human-induced climate change is the loss from glaciers contributed 22%, ice sheets
main driver of these changes. Some recent 20% and changes in land water storage 8%.
Global mean sea level increased by 0.20 Global ocean has hot extremes observed over the past decade The rate of ice sheet loss increased by a factor
[0.15 to 0.25] m between 1901 and 2018. The warmed faster would have been extremely unlikely to occur of four between 1992–1999 and 2010–2019.
average rate of sea level rise was 1.3 [0.6 to 2.1] without human influence on the climate sys- Together, ice sheet and glacier mass loss were
mm yr–1 between 1901 and 1971, increasing In 2011–2020, annual average Arctic sea ice tem. Marine heatwaves have approximately the dominant contributors to global mean sea
to 1.9 [0.8 to 2.9] mm yr–1 between 1971 and area reached its lowest level since at least 1850. doubled in frequency since the 1980s (high level rise during 2006-2018.
2006, and further increasing to 3.7 [3.2 to 4.2] Late summer Arctic sea ice area was smaller confidence), and human influence has very In the longer term, sea level is committed
mm yr–1 between 2006 and 2018. Human in- than at any time in at least the past 1000 years. likely contributed to most of them since at to rise for centuries to millennia due to con-
fluence was very likely the main driver of these The global nature of glacier retreat, with al- least 2006. tinuing deep ocean warming and ice sheet
increases since at least 1971. most all of the world’s glaciers retreating syn- melt, and will remain elevated for thousands
Changes in the land biosphere since 1970 are chronously, since the 1950s is unprecedented Committed to rise of years (high confidence). Over the next
consistent with global warming: climate zones in at least the last 2000 years. for centuries 2000 years, global mean sea level will rise by
have shifted poleward in both hemispheres, Global mean sea level has risen faster since about 2 to 3 m if warming is limited to 1.5°C,
and the growing season has on average length- 1900 than over any preceding century in at The frequency and intensity of heavy pre- 2 to 6 m if limited to 2°C and 19 to 22 m
ened by up to two days per decade since the least the last 3000 years. The global ocean has cipitation events have increased since the with 5°C of warming, and it will continue to
1950s in the Northern Hemisphere extratrop- warmed faster over the past century than since 1950s over most land area for which obser- rise over subsequent millennia. Projections of
ics. the end of the last deglacial transition (around vational data are sufficient for trend analysis multi-millennial global mean sea level rise are
Global surface temperature has increased 11,000 years ago). A long-term increase in (high confidence), and human-induced cli- consistent with reconstructed levels during
faster since 1970 than in any other 50-year surface open ocean pH occurred over the past mate change is likely the main driver. Hu- past warm climate periods.
period over at least the last 2000 years. Tem- 50 million years (high confidence), and sur- man-induced climate change has contribut- At 1.5°C global warming, heavy precipi-
peratures during the most recent decade face open ocean pH as low as recent decades ed to increases in agricultural and ecological tation and associated flooding are projected
(2011–2020) exceed those of the most recent is unusual in the last 2 million years. droughts in some regions due to increased to intensify and be more frequent in most
multi-century warm period, around 6500 years It is virtually certain that hot extremes land evapotranspiration. regions in Africa and Asia (high confidence),
ago [0.2°C to 1°C relative to 1850– 1900] (including heatwaves) have become more Heating of the climate system has caused North America, and Europe. Also, more fre-
(medium confidence). Prior to that, the next frequent and more intense across most land global mean sea level rise through ice loss quent and/or severe agricultural and ecolog-
most recent warm period was about 125,000 regions since the 1950s, while cold extremes on land and thermal expansion from ocean ical droughts are projected in a few regions
years ago when the multi-century temperature (including cold waves) have become less fre- warming. Thermal expansion explained 50% in all continents except Asia compared to
[0.5°C to 1.5°C relative to 1850–1900] overlaps quent and less severe, with high confidence of sea level rise during 1971– 2018, while ice 1850–1900.
VENDREDI 13 AOÛT 2021 | BIZWEEK | ÉDITION 355 8
ACTA PUBLICA
TABLE RONDE DE L’ACCA SUR LES DÉFIS CLIMATIQUES
Experts comptable et
CEOs évoquent ce qui
« font parfois défaut »
Le bureau mauricien de l’ACCA a organisé le 29 juillet 2021 une table ronde virtuelle sur le thème des défis auxquels doivent faire face les entre-
prises et les experts comptables dans le contexte du changement climatique. Plusieurs hauts responsables des secteurs de la finance, de la comptabil-
ité et du service conseil en gestion écologique ont animé cette table ronde via la plateforme en ligne Teams
L
es points saillants de ces ia Baker & Arenson), Faizal Khoodoruth tenant et ensemble. Nous sommes tous concernés et ments financiers. Un nouveau champ d’in-
échanges sont que face à un (directeur de KPMG Mauritius) et Shailen nous devons nous réunir, gouvernements, régulateurs tervention émerge, impliquant la nécessité
changement climatique réel et Ramgoolam (Partner d’EY Mauritius). et société dans son ensemble, pour proposer des solu- de maîtriser et communiquer des indica-
grave, la volonté politique, les tions, des technologies et des infrastructures durables teurs de performance non-financiers reliés
décisions stratégiques des en- Trop peu, trop lentement », avance Danny Balluck. au développement durable.
treprises, l’adaptation des fonctions et outils La République de Maurice, petit Etat in- « Les experts financiers devront impérativement
comptables et la disponibilité de nouvelles Il y a en fait un hiatus entre les besoins et sulaire, subit elle-même ces effets mais ne contribuer à l’évaluation et la communication de
expertises et de certains financements font les objectifs d’un côté, et les réalités de l’au- peut agir sur des facteurs de pollution et la performance durable de leur entreprise, de façon
parfois défaut. Pourquoi, ont souligné des tre, ont relevé plusieurs des participants. « d’adaptation à l’échelle planétaire, rappelle similaire à l’évaluation de sa performance financière.
intervenants, se contenter d’avoir une ap- Pour qu’on s’attaque à un problème de façon Sanju Deenapanray. « Pour arriver à analyser Pour ce faire, ils devront être dotés d’une curiosité
proche qui vise à réduire les gaz à effet de urgente, il s’agit d’abord de le reconnaître les risques des changements climatiques, il faut tout inépuisable, appliquer leur savoir-faire en matière
serre dans le cadre du modèle économique clairement et de manière non-ambiguë. Or, d’abord faire de la descente d’échelle des modèles cli- de reporting et gouvernance de données, comprendre
existant ? Ne faudrait-il pas plutôt adopter plusieurs pays, et non des moindres, ont re- matiques globaux afin de mesurer la vulnérabilité les enjeux du développement durable, et s’adapter à
l’approche inverse ? C’est-à-dire, dévelop- fusé ou refusent la réalité du changement au niveau local et de proposer des solutions d’adap- de nouvelles demandes et fonctions. Sinon, ils seront
per un modèle économique différent, bâti climatique », relève Irshad Mallam Hassam. tation », dit-il complètement dépassés », affirme le responsable
autour d’une importante réduction des élé- Les principaux pays pollueurs de la A cela s’ajoute la vision à trop court terme d’EY Mauritius. « Les entreprises auront besoin
ments qui contribuent au changement cli- planète, par exemple, n’agissent pas suffis- des décideurs politiques et de nombreux di- de guides, d’experts. Ces derniers sont pour l’instant
matique et à ses effets néfastes ? amment et pas assez vite et, dans ce même rigeants d’entreprises. Les premiers ont pour rares et sont déjà très demandés internationalement.
A l’île Maurice également, malgré certains contexte, les pays développés disposent de priorité de se faire ré-élire et ne prennent Les experts financiers devront donc saisir les oppor-
progrès dans les décisions gouvernemen- très gros moyens et investissements alors donc pas le risque d’imposer des mesures tunités qui leur sont présentées ».
tales, dans l’adoption de pratiques et dans que les pays en voie de développement, impopulaires mais nécessaires. Les seconds Jane Ohadike, ACCA Head of Policy
les investissements, beaucoup reste à faire moins pollueurs et plus vulnérables au ont des objectifs et des obligations de résul- pour la région ‘Afrique’ a piloté cette ta-
pour limiter l’impact du changement clima- changement climatique, manquent cruelle- tats financiers à échéance de quelques mois ble ronde, avec la collaboration du bureau
tique et s’engager dans des actions concrètes ment de ressources. Même quand certaines ou quelques années uniquement. mauricien de l’ACCA, dirigé par Madhavi
et à long terme - seules capables d’apporter initiatives sont prises, elles prennent trop de Ramdin-Clark. Les résultats des échanges
certains résultats. temps à se réaliser, selon Danny Balluck. Adaptation nécessaire de cette table ronde seront utilisés pour la
Les participants étaient : Sunil Benimadhu Il souligne d’ailleurs le manque de moyens dans le monde financier rédaction d’un article du magazine mondial
(CEO de la Stock Exchange of Mauritius), consentis, aussi bien dans les pays dévelop- de l’ACCA. Ils seront aussi intégrés aux in-
Danny Balluck (directeur et CFO de Stand- pés que - bien pire - dans le continent afri- Shailen Ramgoolam souligne d’ailleurs le formations d’une étude mondiale que réalise
ard Chartered Bank), Sanju Deenapanray cain. « Si les entreprises et les pays n’agissent pas rôle des experts comptables et la tendance l’ACCA auprès d’experts comptables avant
(directeur d’Ecological Living in Action), rapidement, nous serons confrontés aux pires effets de plus en plus forte vers une nouvelle ex- le sommet COP 26 sur le climat qui aura lieu
Irshad Mallam Hassam (Partner de Nex- du changement climatique. Nous devons agir main- pertise de reporting dépassant les seuls élé- à Glasgow en novembre 2021.
VENDREDI 13 AOÛT 2021 | BIZWEEK | ÉDITION 355 9
DEBRIEF
PLATFORM
Bank One renforce son équipe de
Mauritius Institute of direction
Afin de soutenir sa stratégie de croissance à long terme au niveau
Directors revamps its
local et en Afrique subsaharienne, la Bank One a récemment étoffé
son équipe de direction. Bhavya Shah a rejoint la banque en tant
que Head of Personal Financial Services et Kenny Morton en tant
Women Directors Forum
que Head of Regulatory Affairs. Commentant ces nominations,
Mark Watkinson, CEO de Bank One, déclare : « Bhavya et Kenny
rejoignent notre équipe de direction à un moment décisif, alors que nous
nous engageons dans la prochaine étape de notre stratégie globale, à la
The Mauritius Institute of Directors has revamped its Women Directors Forum, aimed fois localement et en Afrique subsaharienne. Je suis convaincu que leur
solide expérience dans le secteur bancaire et leur parcours exceptionnel
at promoting and encouraging women into Board leadership. This network provides a nous aideront à atteindre nos objectifs de croissance et à accélérer notre
platform that will bring together women from diverse fields and ranks; facilitate those transformation vers un modèle de prestation numérique. »
already sitting on Boards to effectively carry out their roles and responsibilities, and up
skill and prepare for the boardroom those women who are already in senior leadership
École maternelle : Ti’Marmailles
roles, aspiring to become board members s’installe à Beau Plan
Beau Plan étoffe son offre éducative. À partir du 23 août, la smart
city accueillera Ti’Marmailles, une garderie et école maternelle pour
les enfants âgés de 1 à 5 ans. Cet établissement a choisi la région pour
“O
offrir aux petits écoliers un cadre propice à leur épanouissement, et
ne of the forum’s initia- Ujoodha, Chief Executive Officer at on “International Perspective on Diversi- ainsi mieux répondre aux attentes des parents d’élèves. Pour l’école,
tives is to create a Women the Mauritius Institute of Directors. ty” while the US Embassy’s Chargée créée il y a cinq ans, ce déménagement s’inscrit dans sa stratégie
Leadership Academy, in “The Women Leadership Academy d’Affaires, Mrs. Judes E. DeBaere, pour développer davantage ses services et sa structure d’encadre-
collaboration with Dale Carnegie and to will be beneficial to most women leaders was invited as keynote speaker. ment. Après l’African Leadership University et la Greencoast Inter-
develop a pool of strong women leaders to in Mauritius and that it will help Mau- Another 50 participants were national School, Ti’Marmailles sera la troisième institution éduca-
address the gender gap issue at the C-Suite ritius address the gender imbalance issue. given the opportunity to watch the tive à s’installer dans la région.
level. A recent study revealed that at board This 4-day Programme will help Women event online. The event was fol-
level, 6% of Chair roles are filled by wom-
en and 13% of board members overall are
Leaders define their personal brand and
step out of their comfort zone with confi-
lowed by an interactive panel dis-
cussion themed “Time to rethink on
Vivo Energy Mauritius : Contribution
female. Even though this is encouraging, dence and assertiveness to claim their po- high achieving women” and where personnelle des employés en faveur
women sitting on Boards is still very low,
not just in Mauritius but across the world.
sition as a C-Suite Leader,” reported
Mrs. Anuradha Appadoo, Managing
H.E. Dr. Hlamalani Mazini, High
Commissioner of South Africa,
de Roche Bois
The initiative therefore aims at encouraging Director at Dale Carnegie Mauritius. Mrs. Sadhna Gopal, Second Deputy
and accelerating diversity on Boards by en- Close to 50 participants attended Governor of Bank of Mauritius and
suring that there is a pool of Board ready the event, including women rep- Mrs. Heba Capdevila Jangeerkhan,
women, and that those women already sit- resentatives from the private and COO of Taylor Smith gave their
ting on boards have an avenue for network- public sectors. Managing Director views while Mrs. Anuradha Appa-
ing and sharing experiences with a view to at FTI Consulting Ltd, Mrs. Maria doo, Managing Director at Dale
becoming better directors”, said Sheila Paula Duque, addressed her speech Carnegie, acted as moderator
Covoiturage : La Smart City de
Moka lance l’application Commute
Elle se veut gratuite et fac-
ile à utiliser. Développée grâce
à une collaboration entre la
Smart City de Moka et la start-
up danoise éponyme, l’interface
mauricienne de l’application
Commute vise à encourager et à
faciliter le covoiturage à travers
toute l’île. Disponible sur Play
Store et App Store depuis le 4 Vivo Energy Mauritius, société détentrice de la franchise Shell,
août 2021, elle permet aux utili- implantée à Roche bois, a noué depuis plus de six décennies des
sateurs de trouver ou de propos- liens forts avec ses voisins directs et la population avoisinante. Au-
er des trajets en quelques clics à jourd’hui, c’est au tour des collaborateurs eux-mêmes de manifester
travers leur smartphone. Ce pro- leur solidarité. Près d’une centaine d’employés ont ainsi pris l’ini-
jet découle de l’engagement de tiative de financer des vivres de première nécessité aux habitants
la ville à améliorer la mobilité à confrontés à une situation difficile. Cette action a été d’autant plus
travers plusieurs initiatives pour plébiscitée que la population de Roche bois est bien représentée par-
promouvoir différents modes de mi les employés. Cette distribution de vivre a été menée en collab-
déplacement, tels que le covoitu- bouteillages sur nos routes, cette écologique puisqu’elle permet de oration avec l’Organisation non-gouvernementale Caritas Ile Mau-
rage. En plus de réduire les em- solution collaborative est surtout diminuer les émissions de CO2. rice.
VENDREDI 13 AOÛT 2021 | BIZWEEK | ÉDITION 355 10
DEBRIEF
LIVRE POUR ENFANT
MOL (Mauritius) Ltd
finance l’édition anglaise
de Wakashio the Book
La cérémonie officielle de lancement de la version anglaise du livre pour enfants
Wakashio the Book, par Anita Bacha, a eu lieu le mardi 10 août au bureau de MOL
(Mauritius) Ltd, à Coral Bay, Pointe d’Esny. Ce livre a pour but de raconter l’histoire Constance Academy fête
du naufrage du MV Wakashio aux enfants les 10 ans de son programme
de formation BRIGHT
Quelque 600 employés du groupe Constance Hotels, Resorts
& Golf en ont bénéficié à ce jour. Le programme BRIGHT –
BRIdging the Gap Through Holistic Training, lancé en 2011 par
la Constance Academy, a permis au groupe hôtelier de former des
leaders à divers échelons dans ses établissements à Maurice et à
l’étranger. Pour marquer ses dix ans, ce programme de formation
a été actualisé en tenant compte des nouveaux défis auxquels fait
face l’industrie du tourisme, et l’hôtellerie en particulier. L’ob-
jectif est d’aider les équipes à mieux s’adapter aux mutations en
cours et à se préparer aux exigences de l’industrie. De plus, un
troisième niveau de formation est actuellement en préparation et
devrait bientôt être proposé aux équipes. Étalés sur une période
allant de 10 à 12 mois, les cours relatifs au programme BRIGHT
sont ouverts à l’ensemble du personnel du groupe Constance Ho-
tels, Resorts & Golf. Cette formation, qui est composée de deux
niveaux (le Supervisor Development Programme et le Manager
Development Programme), est approuvée par le Human Re-
source Development Council (HRDC).
Parrainage : Emtel apporte
son soutien aux athlètes Brandy
Perrine et Eddy Capdor
Apporter sa pierre à l’édification d’une société plus inclusive,
tout en offrant à la jeunesse mauricienne la liberté de vivre ses
rêves… C’est avec ce double objectif en ligne de mire qu’Emtel
a décidé de parrainer Brandy Perrine et Eddy Capdor, étoiles
I
montantes de l’handisport à Maurice, jusqu’aux Jeux paralym-
l est doté d’illustrations et de encourageant aux jeunes, expliquant qu’il copies de la version anglaise a été
piques de Paris en 2024. L’entreprise a officiellement annoncé la
termes simples permettant aux faut faire confiance à la nature. J’ai per- conclu en février de cette année.
signature d’un contrat de parrainage avec les deux sportifs, le
plus jeunes (à partir de 5 ans) sonnellement eu une mauvaise expérience « Ce livre transmet un message positif
vendredi 6 août, lors d’une conférence de presse qui s’est tenue
de comprendre les conséquences et en mer lorsque j’étais enfant, ayant failli aux enfants malgré la douleur causée par le
aux headquarters d’Emtel à Ebène.
la portée de cet incident. Le lance- tomber à l’eau. Depuis, j’ai une phobie naufrage du Wakashio, tout en les encour-
ment a été effectué en présence de de l’eau et des gros bateaux. Pour toutes ageant à lire. Il nous a beaucoup touché,
Son Excellence Shuichiro Kawagu- ces raisons, le naufrage du Wakashio m’a et c’est la raison pour laquelle nous avons La Pirogue fait un don de
chi, ambassadeur du Japon à Mau- particulièrement affectée, et j’ai souhaité souhaité financer la publication de la ver-
rice et de Goro Yamashita, direc- diffuser un message positif aux jeunes sion anglaise. Cette initiative cadre parfait-
cartables et de paires
teur de MOL (Mauritius) Ltd. tout en les introduisant à la lecture », af- ement avec nos objectifs à Maurice, car nous de chaussures à SOS Village
L’auteure, une ancienne mag- firme-t-elle. visons à promouvoir le respect de la nature, A l’occasion de la rentrée scolaire,
istrate ayant exercé à la Cour de L’ouvrage a été publié en français le développement durable, la culture, l’aide La Pirogue a pensé aux petits écoliers
District de Mahebourg, explique l’an dernier, et a été un véritable aux communautés locales et l’éducation », dans le besoin. Les enfants de SOS Chil-
avoir écrit ce livre pour encourager succès. Suite à de nombreuses de- soutient Goro Yamashita, directeur dren’s Village Bambous ont reçu cha-
les enfants mauriciens à lire et afin mandes pour une version anglaise de MOL (Mauritius) Ltd. cun un sac à dos et une paire de chaus-
de rendre hommage au village de et une version créole de Wakashio Toujours dans le cadre de l’aide sures leur permettant de commencer
la côte Sud-Est et à ses habitants, the Book, Anita Bacha était à la re- à l’éducation des jeunes, 250 cop- l’année scolaire sereinement. Au total,
qu’elle porte dans son cœur depuis cherche d’un éditeur pour la pub- ies du livre seront distribuées à 96 d’enfants ont pu bénéficier de cette
qu’elle y a travaillé. lication de son livre en anglais. Un plusieurs écoles de la région Sud à action. « Chez Sun Resorts, nous croy-
« Le livre apporte un message positif et accord pour la publication de 1 000 l’initiative de MOL (Mauritius) Ltd. ons fermement que chaque enfant doit
pouvoir vivre son parcours scolaire de
la meilleure façon qui soit. A travers ce
Un accord trouvé entre les pilotes et don de cartables et de chaussures, nous
offrons la chance à tous les enfants d’être
les administrateurs d’Air Mauritius
comme tous les autres !» déclare Clency
Roméo, le directeur de La Pirogue.
Dans le but de trouver un con- (MK) ont accepté que ces derniers ordre d’ancienneté et signeront un
sensus avec les pilotes concernés, soient placés en ‘leave without pay’ nouveau contrat, qui sera régi par CANAL+ : Trois abonnés
les administrateurs d’Air Mauritius pour une période maximale de cinq des modalités et conditions en vi- récompensés pour l’anniversaire
ans à compter du 1er septembre gueur au sein de l’entreprise au mo-
2021. Les administrateurs recon- ment où ils reprendront du service. de Bhumi Pednekar
naissent les efforts et sacrifices Leurs années de service au sein d’Air Célèbre actrice de blockbusters bollywoodiens, Bhumi Ped-
consentis par ces pilotes pour as- Mauritius seront prises en compte. nekar célébrait son anniversaire le 18 juillet. MC Vision/CA-
surer la survie de la compagnie À l’issue de la période de cinq ans, NAL+ Maurice a décidé de saisir l’occasion pour faire plaisir à
aérienne nationale. le contrat de travail de ceux qui n’au- ses abonnés, amateurs de Bollywood, en organisant un jeu avec
En vertu de cet accord, Air ront pas été rappelés sera considéré des cadeaux à la clé. Les participants devaient deviner le titre
Mauritius fera appel aux pilotes comme ayant pris fin d’un commun d’un film à partir d’une réplique. Ils étaient nombreux à avoir
pour qu’ils reprennent du service accord, sans qu’aucune responsabil- trouvé la bonne réponse : « Dum Laga Ke Haisha ». Les trois
dans l’éventualité d’une reprise des ité ne soit encourue ou qu’aucune chanceux tirés au sort sont Ishwaree Ramdin, Leishree Napal et
activités durant cette période. Ces compensation ne soit due ou paya- Tacoorsing Sookesh. Ils remportent chacun un sac de goodies de
derniers seront alors rappelés par ble par la compagnie. MC Vision/CANAL+ Maurice.You can also read
