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Biden faces choice on Trump’s economic sanctions

Among the foreign-policy challenges facing President-elect Joe Biden will be the question of what to do with an array of punitive economic sanctions that have been President Trump’s primary tool for confronting U.S. rivals. Mr. Trump in nearly four years has issued 3,577 sanctions designations, imposing such penalties at a… Read More

Criminals use real estate transactions in PH to wash dirty money — anti-money laundering body

Criminals are using real estate transactions to launder dirty money in the Philippines, a top official of the Anti-Money Laundering Council revealed. AMLC Executive Director Atty. Mel Racela confirmed this during a Senate hearing on Wednesday after lawmakers asked him why real estate developers and brokers should report cash transactions… Read More

Iraq emerges as new front for enforcement of Iran oil sanctions

Persian Gulf waters off Iraq have become a new, important waypoint for Iranian oil smugglers looking to avoid U.S. sanctions, according to American officials, who expressed frustration that Baghdad and other allies aren’t acting more aggressively to enforce curbs on commerce with Tehran. Iranian tankers now regularly transfer… Read More

16th October 2020

How a Syrian Ambassador’s Friend Made a Million Selling Him an Embassy

By Ana Poenariu (RISE Project) and Mohammad Bassiki (SIRAJ), OCCRP, 15 October 2020 OCCRP — The Art Deco-style mansion at 47 Paris Street in Bucharest was never going to be cheap. It measures over a thousand square meters, sits in a prime neighborhood favored by diplomats, and was built by… Read More

30th September 2020

French arrest 29 in cryptocurrency scheme to finance jihadis

AP — French police arrested 29 people around the country on Tuesday in a vast operation to break a complex scheme financing Islamist extremists in Syria through the use of cryptocurrencies. A statement from the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said search warrants are out for the two main figures in the… Read More

24th September 2020

The banker was a spy

BuzzFeed News – In 2014, the FBI was in the late stages of an elaborate sting. An undercover agent posing as an energy analyst leaked binders with fake commercial secrets to two Russian spies operating in New York. The spies took the binders back to the “Rezidentura,” the New… Read More

24th September 2020

FinCEN Files: Dubious oil deals with Syria turn fatal

In the Kerch Strait off the Crimean coast, a dangerous undertaking cost 20 people their lives. On January 21, 2019, crews on two tankers were transferring liquified petroleum gas (LPG) from one ship to another at sea. Something went wrong and there was a terrible explosion. Both ships quickly… Read More

23rd September 2020

The new Cold War is financial

Imagine you are Noel Quinn, recently confirmed chief executive of HSBC. Sitting high up in London’s Canary Wharf or overlooking the harbour from the bank’s Hong Kong base, he must be facing a range of challenges. Many of these challenges are ‘known knowns’. Rising loan losses as the health of… Read More

21st September 2020

By Suitcase And By Wire: How Reza Zarrab Smuggled Russia’s Money

By Tom Stocks, Daniela Castro, Kelly Bloss and Adam Klasfeld, OCCRP, 20 September 2020 OCCRP — Best known for laundering billions of dollars for Iran, notorious gold smuggler Reza Zarrab’s ties to Russia received only passing mention when he was prosecuted in the U.S. in 2016. That was a huge… Read More

11th September 2020

Criminals increasingly targeting EU green funds, says anti-fraud agency

Fraudsters in Europe are increasingly targeting European Union funds intended for environmental and sustainable projects. It came as the bloc planned to unlock €1 trillion in green investments over the coming years. In its latest report released on Thursday, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) said that it concluded 181 investigations… Read More

24th August 2020

A hidden tycoon, African explosives, and a loan from a notorious bank: questionable connections surround Beirut explosion shipment

OCCRP – Since the devastating explosion of a store of ammonium nitrate in Beirut’s port on August 4, Lebanese citizens have taken to the streets in shock, outrage, and grief. Above all, they have demanded answers: Where did the nearly 3,000 tons of explosive chemicals come from, and who… Read More

21st August 2020

U.S. imposes Iran-related sanctions on UAE-based companies

The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two United Arab Emirates-based companies, the U.S. Treasury Department said, accusing them of providing material support to Iranian airline Mahan Air. The Treasury in a statement said Parthia Cargo and Delta Parts Supply FZC provided key parts and logistics services for Mahan… Read More

17th August 2020

U.S. seizes millions in cryptocurrency meant for terror groups

The Justice Department announced Thursday it had seized millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency meant to fund terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, in what law enforcement officials called an unprecedented crackdown against terrorist fundraising on social media. In addition to seizing funds, U.S. officials said they… Read More

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JPMorgan Chase Unit to Pay $250 Million Penalty Over Poor Internal Controls

Benefit scams worth £1bn foiled during lockdown

CSIS alleges Iran used Toronto company to wire millions to Canada despite sanctions

‘I Already Knew Who Was Behind Her’: A Mysterious Woman, a Top Russian Official, and Contracts Worth Millions

Indonesian fisheries minister arrested by anti-graft agency