St. Lucia passes legislation outlawing the use of the internet for criminal activities

St. Lucia has passed legislation outlawing the use of the internet and electronic data for criminal activities.



Prime Minister Stephenson King said that the Proceeds of Crime Amendment Bill is aimed at providing law enforcement officials with the measures to seize and detain suspicious funds.



He said the new legislation updates previous amendments made last year in keeping with recommendations made by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force(CFATF).



The Prime Minister said the amendment was necessary to address the difficulties faced by young, disabled or vulnerable witnesses and also in instances where witnesses reside abroad, or could not present themselves in person to the court.



He said the existing laws did not allow a witness to give evidence through a video recording, and the new amendment would open the way to the prosecution of numerous cases.