Illicit Finance

The U.S. is targeting Hamas’ covert support network, including six Gaza-based nonprofits that purportedly masquerade as medical charities while supporting the Palestinian group’s militant wing. 

Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered the assets of veteran entrepreneur Nelson Tanure to be frozen as part of an investigation into failed lender Banco Master SA, according to a January 6th decision seen by Bloomberg. 

Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, is pressing Bank of New York Mellon Corp. for details about $378 million in wire transfers the bank processed involving accounts linked to Jeffrey Epstein, according to a Bloomberg report.

Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have charged former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko with allegedly offering bribes to lawmakers from other parties in exchange for parliamentary votes, according to OCCRP. 

President Donald Trump’s apparent green light for doing business in Venezuela is unlikely to prompt a rush of corporate investment, even if U.S. sanctions are rolled back, according to recent reporting by Dow Jones Risk Journal. 

The Trump administration’s first sale of Venezuelan oil under a new arrangement is valued at $500 million, with much of that money being held in a U.S.-controlled bank account in Qatar, according to Semafor. 

The White House imposed new sanctions on Iran even as the Trump administration appeared to step back from its threat of military action in response to Tehran’s ongoing crackdown on Iranian protestors, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. Department of Justice has closed its anti-money laundering (AML) investigation into Swedbank AG without bringing an enforcement action, according to the Swiss lender. 

Lebanese prosecutors have charged former central bank governor Riad Salameh with alleged embezzlement of $44.8 million, nearly ten months after a court decision to refer him to trial, according to OCCRP. 

The Trump administration designated three Middle Eastern branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, claiming the groups contribute to regional instability and violence.