Armenia Introduces New Unexplained Wealth Law
30th April 2020
Armenia Introduces New Unexplained Wealth Law
By David Klein, OCCRP, 29 April 2020 OCCRP — A new law adopted by the Armenian parliament would allow prosecutors investigating unexplained wealth to petition courts in the country to take hold of any property worth more than US$100,000 and acquired after 1991, the year of the country’s foundation. Read More
Nordic Noir: Understanding the Swedbank Saga
30th April 2020
Nordic Noir: Understanding the Swedbank Saga
At times it can seem as if Swedbank’s recent history has been taken from the plot of a Nordic noir novel. There is a procedural bleakness to the Swedish bank’s money laundering scandal and a complexity to it all that does little to resolve the moral ambiguities of institutional malfeasance. Read More
Sanctions probe links Maltese companies to Libya’s civil war
28th April 2020
Sanctions probe links Maltese companies to Libya’s civil war
Authorities believe Malta-based companies may have been involved in providing weapons, tactical supplies and perhaps even private military contractors to players involved in the raging Libyan civil war. Sources involved in monitoring the island’s national security told Times of Malta that a network of Malta-based operators and their foreign partners… Read More
The Netherlands’ AMLD5 Interpretation Appears to Be Killing Crypto Firms
28th April 2020
The Netherlands’ AMLD5 Interpretation Appears to Be Killing Crypto Firms
The Dutch crypto market is seeing the first of most likely many small crypto exchanges get squeezed out following the passage of heavily criticized anti-money laundering (AMLD5) regulations. Announced Friday in a company blog, Bittr founder Ruben Waterman said his bitcoin exchange, launched in 2018, will shut down… Read More
Maltese arms dealer charged with violating Libya sanctions
27th April 2020
Maltese arms dealer charged with violating Libya sanctions
A Maltese arms dealer has been charged with breaching EU sanctions on Libya. James Fenech, 41, allegedly used two military-grade Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) to circumvent international sanctions and transport private contractors out of war-torn Libya without notifying the authorities. A mysterious Malta-registered boat found in the harbour or… Read More
EU pushes to ‘phase out’ citizenship schemes in three countries
24th April 2020
EU pushes to ‘phase out’ citizenship schemes in three countries
The European Commission is recommending a “phasing out” of Malta’s citizenship sale scheme, in a letter sent to the government. EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders confirmed during a European Parliament Civil Liberties and Justice committee debate on Thursday that the Commission had written to Malta, Bulgaria and Cyprus about transition… Read More
EIB under scrutiny for failings after AML whistleblowing complaints
23rd April 2020
EIB under scrutiny for failings after AML whistleblowing complaints
Whistleblowing complaints at the European Investment Bank have revealed a disregard for anti-money laundering rules when providing billions of euros to projects around the world, according to a trove of internal documents and emails seen by the Luxembourg Times. The EU bank has called for an inquiry into a pattern… Read More
In Europe’s Scramble to Buy COVID-19 Supplies, Anti-Corruption Measures Fall Away
22nd April 2020
In Europe’s Scramble to Buy COVID-19 Supplies, Anti-Corruption Measures Fall Away
By Ilya Lozovsky, OCCRP, 21 April 2020 OCCRP — In a phone call late last month, an Estonian minister begged a journalist to keep quiet about the details of a large shipment of surgical masks headed for the country. The contract had already been signed, Minister of Public Administration Jaak Aab explained. Read More
Cypriot authorities deny knowledge of how €400,000 went to casino project
22nd April 2020
Cypriot authorities deny knowledge of how €400,000 went to casino project
Cypriot authorities said on Tuesday they had no information from the European anti-fraud office, Olaf, regarding an investigation that revealed more than €400,000 provided by the Commission’s Research Executive Agency (REA) to a consortium of SMEs in France, Romania, Spain and Ireland with the purpose of improving forest-fire detection were… Read More
Germany’s Million Mask Scam Foiled as Organized Crime Goes Online
17th April 2020
Germany’s Million Mask Scam Foiled as Organized Crime Goes Online
By Will Neal, OCCRP, 16 April 2020 OCCRP — With coronavirus cramping the usual activities of gangsters, organized crime is increasingly going online, experts said on Thursday, following the bust of a group attempting to sell millions of non-existent masks to German health authorities. Europol announced this week that authorities… Read More
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