The Financial Intelligence Centre Amendment Bill was closely scrutinised by the state law advisers, Cabinet ministers, stakeholders and MPs before it was adopted by Parliament, Treasury deputy director-general Ismail Momoniat said in Parliament on Wednesday. In particular the Office of the Chief State Law Adviser had endorsed the constitutionality of the clause on warrantless searches before the bill was submitted to the Cabinet last year. The bill was referred back to Parliament last week by President Jacob Zuma on the grounds of concern that the constitutionality of the clause on warrantless searches allowed for an unjustifiable invasion of personal privacy. Momoniat told Parliament’s standing committee on finance that the Treasury had secured legal advice since the referral and was engaging with its legal counsel "on how best to address any Constitution-related issues in respect of warrantless searches". He said the state legal adviser had produced a specific legal opinion on the...

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