Russia-DPRK Alliance Poses Growing Threat to Sanctions Enforcement
A deepening military and economic partnership between North Korea and Russia is systematically undermining the international sanctions architecture built over decades to constrain Pyongyang, while fueling a conventional arms buildup that raises the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula.
‘Father’ of Catalan Nationalism Deemed Unfit for €290mn Corruption Trial
A Spanish court has declared former Catalan leader Jordi Pujol, 95, unfit to stand trial in a long-running corruption case alleging his family concealed as much as €290 million in illicitly obtained wealth in Andorra
Web of Shell Firms Tie Trump Operative to Russian Money in Albanian Politics
A network of shell companies tied to sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska helped finance an Albanian conservative party’s hiring of a former Donald Trump campaign operative ahead of Albania’s 2017 general election.
EU Anti-Fraud Office Launches Formal Probe of Peter Mandelson
The European Union’s anti-fraud office has opened a formal investigation into Lord Peter Mandelson, the bloc’s former trade commissioner and recently dismissed British ambassador to Washington, over alleged misconduct during his four years in Brussels.
Trump’s Leaner DOJ is Pursuing Fewer Criminal Prosecutions, Data Shows
The Trump administration has cut more than 4,000 employees from some of the nation’s top law-enforcement agencies even as it has pledged to get tough on crime, according to U.S. Justice Department records.
Leader of $140mn ‘Faith-Based’ Ponzi Scheme Charged with Wire Fraud
The founder of a Newnan, Georgia-based lender that marketed faith-based investments to conservative audiences was charged with felony wire fraud on Thursday, escalating a civil fraud case into a criminal prosecution nearly a year after regulators shuttered what they described as a $140 million Ponzi scheme.
House Republicans Vote to Roll Back U.S. Beneficial Owner Reporting
A Republican-led U.S. House committee voted on Tuesday to advance legislation that would exempt American limited liability companies and other businesses from reporting on their beneficial owners under the Corporate Transparency Act.
EU Adopts Broad Directive to Penalize and Prevent Corruption
The European Union on Tuesday adopted a new anti-corruption directive that creates bloc-wide minimum rules on corruption offenses, penalties, prevention measures, and enforcement, replacing a 2003 law on private-sector corruption and a 1997 convention covering EU and member-state officials, the Council of the EU said.
Republicans Threaten FinCEN’s Budget over Corporate Transparency Rule
U.S. House Republicans are threatening to block all funding for the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) until the agency finalizes a rule requiring companies to report beneficial ownership information.
New York Sues Coinbase and Gemini over ‘Event Contract’ Wagers
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued crypto exchanges Coinbase and Gemini on Tuesday, accusing them of operating prediction markets that violate state gambling laws.