Marie Randall House opened for island's Financial Law Enforcement services

Friday 28 June 2024

The Lieutenant Governor, Lieutenant General Richard Cripwell, officially opened Marie Randall House yesterday.

Located on Upland Road, the States-owned building has been completely refurbished and will now house a number of the island's financial law enforcement services, all of whom have previously been located in separate offices.

Each of these vital services work to ensure that Guernsey meets the high international standards in combatting money laundering and terrorist financing, to protect our financial services industry. Bringing them together will allow them to work even more closely together and create a hub for the island to combat financial crime.

The teams include the:

• Economic & Financial Crime Bureau - the Bailiwick's enforcement response to the threats and risks it faces as a global financial hub. It is an independently led entity with a mandate to investigate serious and economic crime, money laundering and the proceeds of unlawful conduct.
• Financial Intelligence Unit - the competent authority for the receipt of Suspicious Activity Reports, the FIU works with partners oversees to monitor money laundering and terrorist and proliferation financing.
• Economic Crime Unit of the Law Officers of the Crown

The relocation will also present a saving for the Committee forHome Affairs, as several office spaces including the EFCB building on the Mignot Plateau will be vacated. The refurbishment works themselves were paid for using the Seized Assets Fund - funds seized from criminality.

Marie Randall, whom the building is named after, was the island's first female Deputy. She was elected to represent St Peter Port in the States on the 31 January 1924 at the age of 42. She was a States member for 31 years.

Deputy Rob Prow, President of the Committee for Home Affairs, said:

"We were very privileged to have had His Excellency formally open Marie Randall House yesterday. The building is bringing together all of the hard work this Committee has done in partnership with Policy & Resources and the island's other anti-money laundering authorities to strengthen the island's ability to combat financial crime in recent years. It brings the new Economic & Financial Crime Bureau together with the FIU and other, similar, services to create what will essentially be the hub for the island's fight against money laundering, the financing of terrorism and countering of proliferation financing. Having robust services in this area is vital to support Guernsey's financial services industry and to ensure we meet our international standards."