The Seychelles’ National Assembly has approved the setting up of an intelligence agency to coordinate the gathering of information with the aim of addressing the level of crime in the island nation.
A proposed bill was presented to the Assembly — the island nation’s legislative body — last week by the Jean-Paul Adam on behalf of the government.
“It is essential to reinforce the national capacity to use intelligence to break the network that has both national and international aspects and it is important that we put all our effort to address it,” said Adam in his presentation.
Work on the proposed bill was carried out by the Bills Committee in the National Assembly in collaboration with other local partners in June.
The Seychelles’ Intelligence Agency, once set up, is expected to be the coordinating body between all local agencies collecting information and ensure that there will be appropriate actions in a systematic way.
It was the President of Seychelles, Danny Faure, who announced the setting up of a National Intelligence Agency in his State of the Nation address last year.
“We must accelerate the efficiency of prevention, detection and prosecution system and relook at the level of support they get. In this context, I am reviewing the mandate of the FIU (Financial Intelligence Unit). A new bill on the creation of a National Intelligence Agency on security will also be presented to the National Assembly in May this year,” Faure said.
Adam said that the intelligence agency will help address several of the population’s concerns such as the ability of the country to address the drug scourge.
He added that this will also help address the issue of ill-gotten gains, maritime risks including illegal fishing and other illegal activities.
The service will also facilitate the sharing of information with international partners.
“This is because we have to remember always that in the criminal network in today’s world, the local network can sometimes have global aspects,” said Adam.
The proposed intelligence service will emphasize the protection of the citizens of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.
“It provides a clear cadre for circumstances where appropriate measures can be used to get information and where necessary intercept communication or take similar actions to address any risks or threats with activities that a citizen can do under the new section 17 and 18 of the proposed service,” said Adam.
The law will further make provision for the creation of a National Council for Intelligence that will be headed by President Danny Faure and will include the Attorney General, Commissioner of Police, and representatives from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
Source: Seychelles News Agency
AUTHOR: Seychelles News Agency
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