From late June through July, Madagascar will undergo two consecutive evaluations. The first concerns anti-corruption efforts, while the second focuses on combating money laundering. Prime Minister Rajaonarison, former director general of Samifin, alongside Jean-Louis Andriamifidy, president of the CSI, will face intense scrutiny.

Anti-corruption and anti-money laundering entities will come under pressure in the coming weeks. The island nation will be subject to two successive evaluations beginning late June and continuing through most of July.

The first evaluation, scheduled for June 30 to July 2, assesses the country's actions against corruption under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). This is the first binding global legal instrument against corruption, imposing standards and laws on signatory states regarding prevention, criminalization, prosecution, international cooperation, and asset recovery.

The evaluation will focus on prevention mechanisms and illicit asset recovery. "Regarding corruption prevention, the examination concentrates on the effectiveness of national policies and anti-corruption bodies," explains the Committee for the Safeguarding of Integrity (CSI). Public procurement transparency, public finance management, and civil service codes of conduct will be scrutinized.

Evaluators will also examine judicial system integrity and public access to information. A draft law on public information access, which should have been debated and voted on by the National Assembly during this ordinary session, remains pending. Regarding asset recovery, the country's operational capacity to detect and block illicit capital transfers will be assessed.

Concerning illicit asset recovery, evaluations will also cover legal seizure and confiscation mechanisms, as well as procedures for returning illegally acquired assets to the state. The role of the Financial Intelligence Service (Samifin) and the effectiveness of Madagascar's international cooperation agreements will also be reviewed.

International Credibility and Economics

Samifin will be central to the second evaluation battery concerning the country's performance in combating money laundering and terrorist financing. According to the Council of Ministers report, evaluators from the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) will be in Madagascar from July 8 to 30.

ESAAMLG is a regional body similar to the FATF or Financial Action Task Force. It is an international entity designed to develop and promote international mechanisms against money laundering, terrorist financing, and weapons of mass destruction proliferation. The first evaluation component covers technical aspects, including adoption of necessary legal instruments to comply with FATF standards.

The second component concerns operational effectiveness of the implemented system. Prevention, detection, and prosecution are among the points evaluators will examine. These two evaluations are far from mere administrative formalities. Their results carry significant implications for the country's international credibility and economic standing.

Access to the global financial system and international financing, as well as the country's economic attractiveness, are at stake. International financial actors closely monitor corruption-fighting reports. A poor UNCAC evaluation signals a "high-risk country." For ESAAMLG evaluation, poor performance has more concrete consequences.

A negative evaluation could result in Madagascar being placed on the grey list or blacklist. Grey list placement would cause economic strangulation, including restrictions on access to the global banking system. The country would face difficulties conducting international bank transactions, complicating exports and imports. This scenario could also paralyze foreign investment.

Blacklist placement would mean expulsion from the global financial system. Having served as Samifin's director general, Prime Minister Mamitiana Rajaonarison understands the stakes of the upcoming evaluations, particularly regarding money laundering. This explains why the subject was addressed in the Council of Ministers to ensure the entire administration is prepared.

By Garry Fabrice Ranaivoson