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U.S. blocked Myanmar junta attempt to empty $1 billion New York Fed account

Myanmar’s military rulers attempted to move about $1 billion held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York days after seizing power on Feb. 1, prompting U.S. officials to put a freeze on the funds, according to three people familiar with the matter, including one U.S. government official. The transaction… Read More

Jersey trust company fined $835,000 for opening ‘gateway to possible money laundering’ in Angola

By Will Fitzgibbon, ICIJ, 4 March 2021 ICIJ — A court in the Channel Islands has fined a team of accountants and economists who for years ignored “obvious” risks of possible corruption and embezzlement when providing services to an investment management company working with the government… Read More

UBS May Use Money-Launderer Case to Appeal $5.4 Billion Penalty

Just over two years ago, UBS Group AG got a nasty shock when a Paris judge handed it a record $5.4 billion penalty for helping French clients avoid taxes. As the Swiss bank returns to the French capital on Monday for a three-week long appeal, its team of lawyers… Read More

5th March 2021

U.S., U.K. Weigh More Russia Sanctions, Possibly Targeting Debt

The U.S. and U.K. are weighing additional penalties against Russia over the use of chemical weapons, with options ranging from sanctions against oligarchs to the extreme step of targeting the nation’s sovereign debt, according to people familiar with the matter. British officials plan to push for the Organisation for the… Read More

5th March 2021

U.S. Weighs Sanctions Against Lebanon Central Bank Chief

The U.S. is considering sanctions against Lebanon’s long-serving central bank chief as a broader investigation into the alleged embezzlement of public funds in the country gathers pace, according to four people familiar with the matter. Officials within the Biden administration have discussed the possibility of coordinated measures with their European… Read More

5th March 2021

Hong Kong authorities freeze HK$900 million in crackdown on ‘ramp and dump’ scam

More than HK$900 million (US$116 million) in suspected crime proceeds has been frozen in an unprecedented joint crackdown by Hong Kong police and stock regulators against so-called “ramp and dump” online investment scams, the Post has learned. Twelve Hongkongers – seven men and five women – were arrested over the… Read More

5th March 2021

Italian mafia trial could expose underbelly of massive EU fraud

In a bunker-style courthouse tacked onto a prison, close to a hundred suspected mafiosi and their accomplices are standing trial, accused of defrauding the EU out of millions of euros. The so-called maxi-trial is expected to reconstruct, for the first time, an integrated system through which prosecutors… Read More

5th March 2021

Isabel dos Santos’ Maltese consulting firm served with $230,000 tax bill

By Scilla Alecci, ICIJ, 3 March 2021 ICIJ — Malta is reportedly demanding payment of more than $275,000 total in taxes and fines from a telecom consultancy firm owned by Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos after rejecting its call for a tax clawback. According to MaltaToday,… Read More

5th March 2021

Venezuela sent gold to Mali, UAE for cash, opposition claims

Venezuela sent gold to Mali in 2020 via Russian-owned planes to exchange for euros and United States dollars that President Nicolas Maduro’s government used to remain afloat despite US sanctions, an opposition representative said on Wednesday. Julio Borges, designated by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as his chief overseas envoy,… Read More

4th March 2021

Florida fund manager forged college investment docs to land $95 million loan

Florida private equity manager Elliot Smerling has overseen a growing empire of private equity funds reportedly worth more than $1.8 billion and lived a lavish lifestyle, with homes in Florida, New York and Brazil as well as a collection of luxury cars including a Ferrari, a Corvette and a Cadillac… Read More

4th March 2021

U.S. ‘Deeply Concerned’ After Kyrgyz ‘Crime Boss’ Released From Detention

The United States says it is “deeply concerned” over the release from pretrial detention of a Kyrgyz organized-crime figure for whom Washington has offered a $1 million reward. In a statement on March 3, the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek described Kamchy Kolbaev as a “transnational organized-crime… Read More

4th March 2021

EU watchdog urges tighter rules to prevent another Wirecard scandal

European Union rules on company financial information need to be updated to apply the lessons of the collapse of German payments firm Wirecard, the bloc’s securities watchdog said on Wednesday. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) said in a report in November there were deficiencies in how Germany’s securities… Read More

4th March 2021

Deloitte to Pay Malaysia $80 Million in 1MDB-Related Settlement

Deloitte PLT agreed to a 324-million ringgit ($80 million) settlement with the Malaysian government to resolve all claims related to the firm’s audit of 1MDB and its former unit SRC International between 2011-2014. The payout is the largest 1MDB-related settlement by an audit firm in Southeast Asia, the Finance… Read More

Must Read

U.S. blocked Myanmar junta attempt to empty $1 billion New York Fed account

Jersey trust company fined $835,000 for opening ‘gateway to possible money laundering’ in Angola

UBS May Use Money-Launderer Case to Appeal $5.4 Billion Penalty

U.S., U.K. Weigh More Russia Sanctions, Possibly Targeting Debt

U.S. Weighs Sanctions Against Lebanon Central Bank Chief