Stalled Corruption Case Ties El Salvador’s Leader to Suspect PDVSA Payments
El Salvador’s top prosecutor has effectively halted a money-laundering investigation into a Venezuela-financed oil venture whose funds flowed into bank accounts linked to President Nayib Bukele.
How AI is Helping Southeast Asian Crime Groups Fleece More Victims
Criminal syndicates operating scam centers in Southeast Asia are adopting inexpensive artificial-intelligence tools to widen their reach and keep operations running even as governments intensify crackdowns, senior Interpol officials told Bloomberg.
Global Anti-Corruption Fight Seen as Weakening in 2025
The fight against corruption is seen as weakening across the globe in 2025, with “bold, accountable leadership” in decline, according to Transparency’s International’s newly released Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
Colombia’s Top Prosecutor is Planning to Prosecute Ecopetrol President
Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office said Monday it will file corruption charges against Ecopetrol President Ricardo Roa, alleging misconduct tied to his role as finance manager for President Gustavo Petro’s 2022 campaign and to contracting decisions at the state-run oil company, the Associated Press said.
Bill Would Take on Criminals Seeking to Circumvent AML Laws
Two U.S. senators reintroduced a bipartisan bill that would subject informal-value transfers and blank checks to anti-financial crime laws and strengthen the hand of prosecutors pursuing money-laundering charges.
Brazil Looks to Close Two Loopholes Used to Dodge Asset Freezes
Brazil’s Finance Ministry has urged the country’s central bank to tighten regulation around pooled and escrow accounts that authorities say are being used by bad actors to circumvent asset freezes, according to Reuters.
France’s Lang Faces Money-Laundering Probe after Epstein Revelations
Jack Lang, a former French culture minister and long-time president of the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) in Paris, has resigned from the post after Mediapart reported new details about financial and business ties between his family and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
A Landmark Turks-and-Caicos Trial Ends in Conviction of Ex-Premier
A massive corruption trial that spanned a decade ended last week in Turks and Caicos with the convictions of the jurisdiction’s former premier, his brother, and a one-time governmental minister, the Miami Herald said.
UBS Managed Maxwell’s Wealth Long After JPMorgan Cut Ties with Epstein
UBS AG opened accounts for Ghislaine Maxwell in early 2014 and went on to manage as much as $19 million for her in the years before she was convicted for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually traffic teenage girls, Reuters reported.
How Funny Money Helps Russia Skirt Western Sanctions
Fake banknotes resembling Monopoly money are being used to move rubles over borders as part of an effort to circumvent Western sanctions on the Russian Federation, according to new reporting by the Financial Times.