Hungarian Police Freeze Accounts of Top Orbán-Era Media Mogul
Hungarian police have opened a misappropriation and money-laundering investigation into the companies of Gyula Balásy, one of the country’s most prominent media and advertising figures and a long-time architect of Viktor Orbán’s government propaganda campaigns.
Chinese Firms ‘Brazenly’ Sell Drone Components Banned by U.S. Sanctions
Small, little-known Chinese companies are openly marketing and shipping engines, batteries, fiber-optic cables, and other dual-use components to Iranian and Russian drone factories despite U.S. sanctions.
A Defunct Crypto Company Wants Its Money Back from the SEC
Lawyers for Bittrex, the shuttered U.S. cryptocurrency exchange that paid $24 million to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit in 2023, are asking a federal judge to throw out the agreement and order the agency to return the money.
U.S. to Lift Eritrean Sanctions in Bid to Secure Red Sea Trade Route
The United States is preparing to lift sanctions on Eritrea, according to an internal U.S. government document seen by Reuters, a move analysts told the news agency was driven by the Horn of Africa nation’s strategic position on the Red Sea shipping route.
UK Takes Aim at Russians Who Allegedly Exploited Migrants in Ukraine War
The United Kingdom on Tuesday imposed sanctions on 35 individuals and entities accused of trafficking vulnerable migrants to fight on Russia’s front line in Ukraine and of supplying components to the Kremlin’s drone manufacturing operations, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said.
U.S., Gulf Nations Threaten Iran with U.N. Sanctions over Strait Access
The United States and its Gulf allies have circulated a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would threaten Iran with sanctions or other measures unless it halts attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and stops imposing “illegal tolls.”
ING Belgium Pays €1.6mn for Failing to Flag Reynders’ Suspicious Activity
ING Belgium has agreed to pay a €1.6 million settlement over alleged failures to report suspicious transactions linked to former European Commissioner Didier Reynders.
Number of Money Laundering Cases at All-Time High in Ireland
Money laundering offenses in the Republic of Ireland have surged to unprecedented levels, with gardaí recording close to 2,800 cases last year and struggling to keep pace with the volume.
Denmark’s FSA Refers Nordea Unit to Police over AML Concerns
Denmark’s financial regulator has reported a local unit of Nordea Bank to police over suspected breaches of anti-money-laundering rules and asked authorities to open a criminal investigation, the authority disclosed Monday.
China Invokes Counter-Sanctions Law in Response to OFAC Measures
China has for the first time invoked a law targeting companies that comply with foreign sanctions Beijing rejects, escalating its pushback against U.S. blacklisting of several oil refineries over purchases of Iranian crude.