NEWS ARTICLES

COVID-19: The evolution of scams in Asia-Pacific

Fraud
In 2020, one in three people in Southeast Asia experienced online fraud amid a boom in online shopping and activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Asia-Pacific already has the highest number of internet users in the world, so the opportunities for scammers were already aplenty before the crisis of 2020. The pandemic-influenced increase in online activities has served as the perfect backdrop for increasingly nuanced racketeering efforts by financial crime syndicates who targeted everything from the boom in deliveries, to interest in the stock market and even the vaccine program to fleece consumers. In Indonesia, online fraud made up the…

South Korean authorities seize $47 Million in cryptocurrency from tax evaders

Digital Currencies, Tax Evasion
Cryptocurrency worth millions of dollars has been seized by South Korean authorities More than 53 billion Korean won ($47 million) in cryptocurrency assets were seized from 12,000 people accused of attempting to hide money from the government In order to comply with upcoming industry regulations, a number of digital asset platforms have begun to delist high-risk coins Thousands of tax evaders have been identified by South Korean authorities as part of a growing crackdown on tax dodging among cryptocurrency investors. The government is said to have seized cryptocurrency worth millions of dollars after a lengthy investigation. It was the largest…

TRACE Foundation announces recipients of the 2021 TRACE prize for investigative reporting

Financial Crime
The TRACE Foundation, a non-profit organization established to support projects that encourage greater commercial transparency, today announced the winners of the 2021 TRACE Prize for Investigative Reporting. The annual award recognizes journalism that uncovers business bribery or related financial crime. Zorayda Gallegos Valle, a freelance journalist writing for El País in Mexico, won the TRACE Prize for her investigation that uncovered the Mexican Army’s scheme to divert at least $156 million of public resources through hundreds of shell companies contracted to complete infrastructure projects. “I am grateful to the TRACE Foundation for supporting investigative journalism because it plays an important…

Julius Baer admits in court to facilitating money laundering in FIFA case

Money Laundering
SWISS BANK JULIUS BAER has today admitted in court that it took part in a multi-million dollar laundering scheme connected to soccer’s governing body FIFA. The admission comes alongside the announcement of a final agreement between the medium-sized private bank based in Zurich, and the United States Department of Justice. It means the penalty payment of $79.7M originally announced in November of last year will go ahead as planned. “Julius Baer welcomes the final resolution of this legacy matter,” the bank said in a statement Thursday. “This marks another step in Julius Baer’s continued efforts to pursue the closure of…

Governance and ownership issues in football and its ties to economic crime

Money Laundering, Tax Evasion
Decades of self-regulation and rapid expansion has led the sport sector to lag behind other industries in corporate governance and policy implementation, as demonstrated by the consistent media exposure documenting scandals at football clubs, and at National and International Sport Federations. On Wednesday April 28th 2021, the Economic Crime Series: Governance and Ownership Issues in Football was held online. The event was organised and chaired by Prof. Lisa Jack who welcomed two speakers, Dr. Rob Wilson and Mrs. Christina Philippou. The Risk & Compliance Platform Europe also took part in this webinar and has subsequently covered it on its website.…

Trump Could Be Investigated In Scotland Next Year

Unexplained Wealth Orders
The Scottish government could investigate how Donald Trump acquired two golf courses in Scotland pending a legal challenge in the country’s highest civil court. Nicola Sturgeon’s government has previously said it does not have the power to use an unexplained wealth order to investigate Trump’s two golf courses in the country, Trump Turnberry and Trump International in Aberdeen. An unexplained wealth order would allow authorities to question the Trump Organization about where the money he used to buy the golf courses came from. On Thursday (20 May), however, Avaaz, a human rights group, filed a petition in Scotland’s Court of…

Police in London discovered more than £5m in cash in a flat

Money Laundering, Organised Crime
Police in London discovered more than £5m in cash (pictured) in a flat after a criminal gang reportedly “didn’t know what to do with it”. On Friday three men were sentenced following the London Metropolitan Police’s largest-ever single seizure of cash at the apartment in Fulham. Bundles of “dirty cash” were found hidden in plastic shopping bags under a bed and strewn on the floor, the force revealed. Police said the cash was stacked up at the flat because the gang “didn’t know what to do with it” and the Covid-19 pandemic had “really exacerbated their problem of how to…

UK Government proposes new powers to block London Stock Exchange listings backed by dirty money

Law, Regulation & Guidance
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT is planning to start blocking companies backed by illicit funds that pose a national security threat from listing on the London Stock Exchange, according to new plans announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak. In an announcement Tuesday, the treasury department said it will launch a public consultation within the next two weeks with proposals for stricter rules on flotations. “The UK’s reputation for clean, transparent markets makes it an attractive global financial centre. We’re planning to bolster this by taking a targeted new power to block listings that pose a national security risk, and will…

Binance Holdings is under investigation by the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Services

Digital Currencies, Money Laundering, Tax Evasion
[NEW YORK] Binance Holdings is under investigation by the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service, ensnaring the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange in US efforts to root out illicit activity that’s thrived in the red-hot but mostly unregulated market. As part of the inquiry, officials who probe money laundering and tax offenses have sought information from individuals with insight into Binance’s business, according to people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be named because the probe is confidential. Led by Changpeng Zhao, a charismatic tech executive who relishes promoting tokens on Twitter and in media interviews, Binance has…

The UK is losing the fight on money laundering

Money Laundering
At the end of 2018, a softly spoken British executive matter-of-factly told the European Parliament how to clean tens of billions of dirty dollars. Howard Wilkinson’s voice shook slightly as he described to MEPs how money from the former Soviet Union was flushed through Danske Bank, where he once worked, into the international financial system. It had been Wilkinson who first blew the whistle on what was happening at the Danish institution, particularly its Estonian subsidiary. Investigators now believe some $200bn was funnelled through the accounts of Danske Bank’s customers. It may have been the biggest money-laundering machine ever uncovered.…

Russian oligarchs the ‘most sophisticated in the world’ at dodging KYC and evading sanctions

KYC, Sanctions
THE CAPACITY OF Russian oligarchs to work around rigorous KYC rules and international sanctions is the strongest in the world, a former FATF President has warned. Their methods were so capable that their identity may remain hidden even if a financial institution makes every effort to root out accurate beneficial ownership information, he suggested. In the same speech, he also hit out at the Russian FIU Rosfinmonitoring claiming that it was “firmly under the control” of the country’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and headed by a sixteen-year veteran of the Soviet KGB. Billingslea believes the FIU allows state-sponsored money-laundering schemes…

Germany orders Deutsche Bank to do more to prevent money laundering

Money Laundering
The German financial regulator BaFin has ordered Deutsche Bank to enact further safeguards to prevent money laundering, BaFin said on Friday, a blow to the nation’s largest lender as it tries to repair its reputation. In 2018, BaFin took the extraordinary step of installing the auditor KPMG as a special monitor at Deutsche to oversee progress on money-laundering controls. It was the first time that the German regulator had made such an appointment and followed a series of money laundering lapses. Now, BaFin is expanding KPMG’s mandate. BaFin said in a brief statement that it wanted improved controls particularly regarding…

A significant High Court judgment that brokers took bribes to push allegedly ruinous loans to farmers

Bribery, Fraud
A significant High Court judgment that brokers took bribes to push allegedly ruinous loans to farmers has fuelled campaigners’ demands for a change in approach to financial crime in our region. Spates of evictions and land-grabs scarred Britain as it exited the 2008 financial crash. A crisis of ‘bad’ debts, repossessions, cases of homelessness and even suicides engulfed farmers, builders, property developers and small-scale entrepreneurs of all types across the UK and Ireland. Some banks were later found to be asset-stripping borrowers, ostensibly to ensure their own survival. Not all the alleged debtors gave up though, with some turning detective…

Two Individuals Indicted for Money Laundering Related to Odebrecht Bribery and Fraud Scheme

Bribery, Fraud, Prosecutions
Bank Executives Charged with Conspiring to Launder Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Through U.S. Financial System Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging Peter Weinzierl and Alexander Waldstein, both citizens of Austria, for their roles in a scheme to launder hundreds of millions of dollars through the U.S. financial system on behalf of Odebrecht S.A. (Odebrecht), a Brazil-based global construction conglomerate, in order to pay bribes around the world and defraud the Brazilian government. Weinzierl was arrested earlier today in the United Kingdom pursuant to a provisional arrest request from the United States. Waldstein remains…

Dutch Central Bank reverses decision on tighter checks for crypto withdrawals

Digital Currencies, Law, Regulation & Guidance
The Dutch Central Bank, DNB, has reversed its decision to enforce stricter measures for withdrawing cryptocurrencies from exchanges, according to Dutch crypto exchange Bitonic. In January, the central bank set out rules that required crypto exchanges to collect additional data from their users when they withdraw cryptocurrencies. Namely, users had to add the recipient address — where they are sending funds to — to their whitelist and provide a photo to “prove” that they indeed owned the address. Crypto exchanges in the region, such as Bitstamp and Bitonic, swiftly started enforcing the requirements. The central bank’s reversal on the policy…

How Dirty Money is now flowing through different channels

Money Laundering
Illicit funds are now flowing through new channels in Latvia following a major crackdown and reforms, the Baltic country’s FIU chief has revealed. Despite strict measures imposed by the Latvian authorities to combat dirty money, it has emerged that the flow of these illicit funds still continues through new channels today. In an interview, Ilze Znotina, director of the Latvian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) said: “Where are these flows now? They are definitely continuing to circulate in Europe and of course the world,” he told Bloomberg. “We unfortunately have to start to think a lot more about different financial services,…

SFO publishes Annual Business Plan 2021/22

Fraud
The Serious Fraud Office has today published its Business Plan for 2021/22. The Business Plan details how the SFO will deliver on its mission to fight complex economic crime, deliver justice for victims and protect the UK’s reputation as a safe place to do business. To realise this ambition, the 2021/22 Business Plan describes the action we will take in four priority areas of operations, people, stakeholders, and technology. Together, these actions will contribute towards the SFO’s strategic objectives: To investigate and prosecute the most serious or complex cases of fraud, bribery and corruption. To uphold the rule of law,…

Vietnam needs measures to curtail financial crimes

Money Laundering
Money laundering is becoming rampant in Vietnam, and if not curtailed, then money laundering criminals will soon find ways to legalize this money which then will find its way into reputable banks, or invested in projects in Vietnam. Mr. Thomas Hung Tran, a Forensic and Financial Crime expert, believes that laundered crime money is already circulating in society and used under cover of investors in our developing economy. In Vietnam, such activity can easily lie untraced. For instance, in one southwestern region, officials discovered a conspiracy to launder and legitimize almost US$ 200 million. The strategy of most emerging countries…

Former Australian head of world’s largest crypto exchange calls for more regulation

Digital Currencies, Law, Regulation & Guidance
The former Australian head of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance has called for greater regulation of crypto trading platforms as more institutional and retail investors begin to eye off digital assets such as bitcoin and ethereum. Jeff Yew, who resigned as Binance Australia’s chief executive officer in April, said he believed while Australia was more advanced with its regulation compared with other economies, much more still needed to be done to prevent everyday investors from being exploited by dodgy operators. “It really hurts me to see players exploiting that lack of [regulatory] clarity with users,” he said. “That’s not…

EU to Remove Ghana from Money Laundering Countries

Money Laundering
European Union has announced plans to remove Ghana from the list of countries that are deficient anti-money laundering and terrorism financing. The decision to remove Ghana from the list followed a two-day working visit by the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to Brussels, Belgium from the 19th to 20th May, 2021. A statement by the Acting Director of Communications, Office of the President of Ghana, Eugene Arhin said Akufo-Addo met with the President of the European Council Charles Michel where he intimated the EU with efforts of his government in implementing the action plan of the International Country…

Hong Kong to Bar Retail Investors from Crypto Trading

Digital Currencies, Law, Regulation & Guidance
Hong Kong’s FSTB has issued consultation conclusions on the new licensing regime for VASPs and a new registration regime for precious metals dealers. Hong Kong’s FSTB (Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau) has published consultation conclusions setting out the new AML/CTF requirements that will be introduced for the VASP (virtual asset services provider) and DPMS (dealers in precious metals and stones) sectors. In November 2020, the FSTB issued a consultation on legislative proposals to introduce a new licensing regime for VASPs, as well as a two-tier registration regime for the DPMS sector, among other amendments. The consultation received 79 submissions,…

Anti-money-laundering: Identifying and closing the remaining loopholes

Money Laundering
The EU needs to take an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach to tackling money laundering, including the creation of an independent supervisory authority, argues Billy Kelleher. A quick scour through recent news sites is likely to produce several results of high-profile cases of money laundering with large-value seizures across the European Union. Money laundering is a crime that governments and authorities have been trying to tackle for centuries. The money both emanates from, and also funds, criminal activities. The crimes and the techniques for money laundering have evolved, but can range from the somewhat petty to – at their most serious – funding…

Norway’s DNB fined $48.1M for AML violations

Money Laundering, Regulatory Fines
DNB ASA, Norway’s largest financial services group, will pay a fine of NOK 400 million ($48.1 million) for failing to adhere to Norwegian Anti-Money Laundering Act standards. The Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway (Finanstilsynet) imposed the fine following an inspection of DNB’s anti-money laundering (AML) policies and procedures. Additionally, a separate investigation was conducted into its handling of customer accounts for Icelandic fisheries company Samherji. “The inspection revealed serious breaches in the bank’s compliance with the Anti-Money Laundering Act,” Finanstilsynet announced Monday in a press release. DNB announced last year the fine was imminent. The details: Finanstilsynet said it found…

Dubai gold trader fined Dh1.35m for failing to comply with anti-money laundering and terrorism financing laws

Money Laundering, Regulatory Fines
Unnamed company fined for a total of eight violations in Ministry of Economy inspection campaign A gold trader in Dubai has been fined a total of Dh1.35 million ($367,597) for eight separate breaches of laws governing money laundering and terrorism financing. The unnamed company was fined as part of the Ministry of Economy’s extensive inspection campaign into Designated Non-Financial Business and Professions (DNFBPs). DNFBPs are a group of non-financial businesses governed by money laundering rules, and include precious metals dealers, property brokers, auditors and corporate services providers that offer company formation services. “Three companies belonging to the group were issued…

How to Combat Money Laundering in Europe

Money Laundering
Good luck finding a major bank in Europe that hasn’t breached money laundering regulations. In Denmark, the two largest banks, Danske Bank and Nordea, are both currently subject to criminal investigations. BNP Paribas received the highest-ever fine in 2014, when it settled with U.S. authorities and had to pay $9 billion for sanctions violations. Many others — from HSBC and Standard Chartered in the U.K. to Deutsche Bank and UBS and Credit Suisse — have had to answer for offenses. These cases show that living up to money laundering regulations is difficult, but not doing so is one of the…

Recent AML Enforcement Trends in the U.K.

Money Laundering
IntroductionThe UK has stepped up its anti-money laundering (AML) enforcement approach in recent months, both issuing larger fines and looking to expand the scope of activities it regulates. Historically, the UK has consistently taken a robust approach to AML, and post-Brexit, we expect this trend to continue, as the government works with other regulators internationally in combating cross-border economic crime. BrexitPre-Brexit, the UK adopted the European Union’s extensive AML framework. However, as of 31 December 2020, the onus is now on the UK to ensure that it keeps up to date with the latest international AML regulations and developments. The…

FATF’s Proposed Updated Guidance for Cryptocurrency Regulation

Digital Currencies, Regulation
On March 19, 2021, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) released proposed updates to its 2019 guidance for how member jurisdictions should regulate and supervise the cryptocurrency ecosystem. If adopted by FATF and implemented by member jurisdictions, the new guidance would expand the definition of Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) to include many non-custodial cryptocurrency businesses, making them subject to AML/CFT regulations. While Chainalysis is in favor of regulations that effectively prevent financial crime, we believe parts of the proposed guidance overreach by placing an unreasonable regulatory burden on new and emerging cryptocurrency markets where no evidence of criminal activity…

The failure of ABN Amro and other systemic banks to control money laundering

Money Laundering
Following several fines imposed by national regulatory authorities on banks such as ING and ABN Amro, the systemic banks started a KYC-race (Know Your Customer) to investigate “suspicious” transactions by looking into the history of account holders and shareholders of companies, the private expenses and possessions of shareholders and even the backgrounds of company’s clients. In this race, the banks have hired hundreds of controllers, who are equipped with a very menacing weapon, namely that of being able to block a company’s corporate bank account or even terminate the relationship. These controllers, often with little to no experience from the…

Biden-Harris administration: 100-day review of Sanctions policy

Sanctions
When the Biden administration took office on 20 January 2021 it had already announced that there would be reviews of how the US deals with international partnerships. Under the previous administration the US had left the Paris accord on climate change and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Within a day of taking office the new administration set in motion the reversal of both the withdrawal from the Paris agreement and WHO membership. US secretary of the treasury Janet Yellen has said that one of her top priorities is to review the US use of sanctions as well as those that…

Terrorists still raise money through crypto but the impact is limited

Digital Currencies, Money Laundering, Terrorism
Evidence suggests crypto’s role in terrorism remains relatively minor: “It has not yet become a primary means of terror financing.” We’re living today “amidst an explosion of risk related to fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing, and data privacy,” said United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in February — and she specifically cited cryptocurrencies as a “tool to finance terrorism.” Yellen appeared to be flagging an important new turn in the war against terror, and it begged some questions: Is crypto in the hands of terrorists a real, present danger to governments and society? If so, should the cryptocurrency and blockchain…

U.K. money laundering enforcement – the political race to the bottom

Money Laundering
The last three years have seen some seismic changes in both EU and UK anti-money laundering legislation along with related enforcement reporting initiatives. Updated Money Laundering Regulations were enacted in 2017. In early 2018, the Treasury set up a new body; the Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS), to act as a ‘supervisor’ of AML supervisors with the responsibility for monitoring money laundering activity. 2018 also saw the first ‘Unexplained Wealth Order’ (UWO’s). The EU Parliament brought into force the sixth AML Directive with some stark changes to both penalties and reporting and data sharing policies. At first,…

Council of Europe calls for stronger financial intelligence units

Financial Crime, Intelligence
THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY of the Council of Europe has criticised recent efforts to combat money laundering and terrorism financing and has stressed that financial intelligence units must be strengthened. In a resolution adopted in last month and announced Tuesday, the Parliamentary Assembly has invited all member states of the Council of Europe to improve their national FIUs and bring them more in line with the standards of the Financial Action Task Force, and its own FinCrime watchdog – MONEYVAL. The Parliamentary Assembly is a CoE body composed representatives elected to the national parliaments of its member states. It is entirely…

London used as ‘money-laundering base’, mafia trial prosecutor says

Money Laundering
In Italy’s largest mafia trial in three decades, the UK’s capital has been roped in as a potential hotspot for organised crime, particularly post-Brexit. The trial will see around 900 witnesses testify against more than 350 ’Ndrangheta defendants, including politicians and officials charged with being members of Italy’s most powerful criminal group. Defendants are set to respond to charges of money laundering through companies set up in the UK, with the alleged purpose of mimicking lawful economic activity. “’Ndrangheta interests in the UK have figured prominently as clans have used the country as an investment and money-laundering base,” the prosecutor…

Law profession has struggled with AML rules, says firm fined £10,000

Money Laundering
A Surrey law firm has been fined £10,000 for breaches of the anti-money laundering rules in its training, approach to risk assessment and in a conveyancing transaction which produced £850 in fees. QualitySolicitors Brett Holt accepted the fine by reaching an agreement with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) but said that a “significant proportion” of law firms had “struggled to achieve compliance” with the 2017 Money Laundering Regulations. In the agreement, approved by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, Brett Holt accepted that in a property transaction in late 2017 it failed to undertake identity checks and retain copies of address verification…

Former Netflix executive convicted of fraud after orchestrating more than $500,000 in bribes and kickbacks

Fraud
Ex-Netflix IT chief Michael Kail on Friday was convicted of 28 counts of fraud and money laundering. Kail created a “pay-to-play” scheme, taking bribes and kickbacks from tech startups hoping to do business with Netflix. Kail, who was indicted in 2018, must also forfeit a Los Gatos home he purchased with the funds. Former Netflix vice president of IT Michael Kail was convicted by a federal jury on Friday of 28 counts of fraud and money laundering, the US Department of Justice announced in a press release. Kail, who was indicted in 2018, used his position to create a “pay-to-play”…

Biden was tough on drugs for decades. Now he faces challenges in fighting money laundering

Money Laundering
WASHINGTON — Decades ago, then-Sen. Joe Biden established himself as a sort of drug czar on Capitol Hill. In the 1980s, he helped launch the Office of National Drug Control Policy. And a decade later, Biden became one of the masterminds behind Plan Colombia, a $7.5 billion bilateral program focused on, among other things, fighting drug trafficking in the Americas. While running for president, he vowed to enforce “sanctions on international actors engaged in the trafficking of illicit drugs,” and Congress gave him a stronger anti-money laundering law that could help achieve that goal. But with the emergence of new…

New Magnitsky style sanctions regime will strengthen Britain’s toolkit for tacking global corruption and dirty money

Corruption, Sanctions
Transparency International UK welcomes the announcement of a new corruption sanctions regime by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. The new regime gives Britain the power to designate individuals and companies involved in serious corruption around the world, adding another option to the UK’s growing array of sanctions for corruption offences. The UK Government has published an initial list of 22 designated persons who are the first targets of the regime. Those that are designated will have their British assets frozen and be banned from travelling to the UK. The regime is international in scope, enabling the UK to align itself with…

Fighting fraud during the pandemic

Fraud
The City of London Police are the national policing lead for fraud and run Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. Action Fraud has received 6,073 reports of coronavirus related fraud and cyber crime since 01 March 2020, resulting in losses of £34.5m. Dedicated national fraud units have made over 150 arrests and taken down over 2,000 websites, phone numbers and email addresses linked to frauds since the pandemic began. The City of London Police has arrested 156 criminals believed to have been committing fraud during the national restrictions imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Data released…

Ireland stops anonymity in trading of cryptocurrency

Digital Currencies, Regulation
BUYERS and sellers of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are no longer able to trade virtual assets anonymously in Ireland under an expanded anti-money laundering regime. As of today, cryptocurrency service providers in Ireland will have to comply with money laundering rules and other basic regulations for the first time. This means that they must register with the Central Bank and carry out due diligence on their customers, which entails accounting for the origin and destination of client assets. The Central Bank has warned all companies that exchange or transfer virtual assets like Bitcoin, as well as those that provide financial…

FCA has increased surveillance over last 12 months

FCA, Money Laundering
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has highlighted the importance of anti-money laundering (AML) and said that it has increased its surveillance. Two of its biggest sanctions in the last 12 months related to failures to address financial crime and AML risks. Speaking at the AML & ABC Forum 2021, Mark Steward, executive director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA, said that the City regulator currently has 42 AML investigations ongoing – 25 into firms and 17 against individuals. These involve, for example, systems and controls over politically exposed persons, customers with significant cash-intensive operations, correspondent banking and trade…