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Bribery & Corruption

Over 40 years of articles and reference material

A page dedicated to global, regional, UK and US anti-money laundering developments and initiatives.

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Europol’s Post-Quantum Cryptography Report warns that quantum computing could break today’s encryption, urging FIs to act now to safeguard transactions, identities, and sensitive data from future FC

January 21, 2026

The report outlines a practical methodology that helps financial organisations assess and rank systems and use cases for post-quantum cryptography migration based on quantum-related risk, data sensitivity, and implementation complexity, enabling more effective planning and execution. It highlights early “no-regret” actions such as deploying hybrid cryptographic solutions for public-facing services and eliminating outdated encryption practices, and emphasises that readiness requires coordination across firms, vendors, standards bodies and risk management programmes…

OECD’s report on Labour Exploitation and Illicit Trade exposes how forced labour and counterfeit goods fuel a hidden global FC network, generating huge illicit profits through opaque supply chains

January 20, 2026

The report highlights evidence of a robust statistical association between the scale of illicit trade in counterfeit goods—which is a massive global market valued at hundreds of billions of dollars—and the prevalence of labour abuses, including forced and exploitive work conditions in production and supply chains. It argues that integrated policy responses are needed that combine trade enforcement, labour protection and responsible business conduct to address the structural conditions that enable both illicit trade and labour exploitation…

OCCRP reports that in 2025, China investigated over 1 million corruption cases, disciplining nearly 983,000 individuals, including senior officials to crack down on bribery and graft

January 19, 2026

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission—opened over 1 million corruption cases and disciplined around 983,000 individuals, including investigations into 115 senior officials at provincial or ministerial level, with 69 receiving punishment and thousands referred for prosecution, as part of an expansive crackdown aimed at curbing graft, promoting compliance, and targeting bribery and related misconduct across government and state sectors…

OHCHR’s Practical Guide shows corruption as a human rights threat, affecting vulnerable groups, and offers tools for govts and civil society to boost accountability and the rule of law

January 16, 2026

Framing corruption as not just a governance issue but a human rights concern, the guide provides practical tools for governments, civil society, and institutions to understand the links between corruption and human rights, fulfill obligations to respect, protect, and promote human rights, and use human rights frameworks and mechanisms to strengthen anti‑corruption efforts, improve accountability, and guide policy, advocacy, and dialogue…

UK SFO convicts 3 former Ethical Forestry directors for a £70M investment fraud that funneled 3,000 UK investors’ money into luxury assets instead of the promised tree-planting scheme

January 16, 2026

The SFO secured guilty pleas from three former directors of Ethical Forestry Limited at Southwark Crown Court for their roles in a £70 million investment fraud that preyed on roughly 3,000 UK investors. The scheme involved misleading savers into diverting pension funds into a so-called tree-planting investment that could not deliver the promised returns, with proceeds used to finance lavish lifestyles rather than generate investor profit…

GRECO’s 6th Round Evaluation visit evaluates the UK’s local and regional anti-corruption measures, spotlighting integrity gaps, with findings set for plenary review later in 2026

January 16, 2026

The team, comprising experts from Ireland, Latvia, the Slovak Republic, Switzerland, and the GRECO Secretariat, met with national and local authorities, oversight bodies, civil society, and academia in London and Kent to assess the effectiveness of anti‑corruption frameworks beyond the central government. The findings from the visit will inform GRECO’s evaluation report, to be reviewed by the plenary later in 2026, assessing the UK’s implementation of anti-corruption standards at the local and regional levels…

GRECO 5th Evaluation Round Compliance Report on Croatia highlights improved police integrity and transparency but ongoing gaps in key anti-corruption measures, with a follow-up due by 30 Nov 2026

January 12, 2026

The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) reports that Croatia has fully implemented 11 of the 17 recommendations from its Fifth Round evaluation on preventing corruption in top executive functions and the police, with the remaining six only partially addressed. GRECO acknowledges progress such as new integrity training and the Lobbying Act but calls on authorities to step up efforts to complete outstanding reforms and strengthen anti-corruption measures across government and law enforcement…

UK SFO and IFBT publish ‘Foreign Bribery Indicators’, identifying red flags like secretive deals, complex intermediaries, offshore structures, and unexplained wealth fueling cross‑border corruption

January 9, 2026

The document sets out typical behavioural and transactional indicators that may signal foreign bribery, including use of third-party agents, unexplained routing of funds, inflated commissions and disproportionate entertainment or gifts. It is intended to assist reporting entities, compliance teams and law-enforcement partners in recognising potential foreign bribery risks early and improving the quality of reporting and subsequent investigation…

UK SFO returns over £400,000 to 9 victims of a 2001–02 global email advance-fee  fraud, using a groundbreaking civil recovery approach that repays stolen funds directly rather than to the Treasury

January 8, 2026

UK SFO has announced that it has successfully recovered and will return more than £400,000 to nine individuals defrauded by an international email scam nearly 24 years after the offence, despite no conviction having been secured. It used civil recovery and worked with multiple international partners—such as the Australian Federal Police, Belgian and French authorities, and the FBI—to locate victims and secure consent, representing a significant development in returning proceeds of crime directly to victims rather than to the Treasury…

GRECO’s 4th Evaluation Round report reveals that Belgium has partially implemented anti-corruption reform for parliamentarians, judges, and prosecutors, with limited progress in govt and law enforcement 

January 6, 2026

CRECO published two new assessments showing that Belgium has acted on part of its earlier recommendations—implementing eight of 15 on parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors—but several remain only partly done. It also concludes that Belgium has fully implemented only eight of 22 recommendations on preventing corruption in central government and law enforcement, with many still at the stage of consultation or intent, and has asked for progress updates by November 2026…

UK’s 2025 Anti‑Corruption Strategy, hailed by the Deputy PM as vital for national security and public trust, launches 123 commitments, stronger enforcement, and new institutions to fight corruption

January 5, 2026

The Deputy Prime Minister warns that corruption is now a direct threat to the UK’s national security, economy and democracy, fuelling instability overseas, driving illicit finance into the UK, and undermining public trust. The Security Minister reinforced this message, stressing that corruption empowers hostile states, organised crime groups and malign actors by granting them access, information and influence…

EPPO arrests four suspects in Poland, including a senior official, over alleged procurement fraud and corruption linked to an EU-funded tram project

December 22, 2025

The official is alleged to have provided confidential information to a favoured company to secure a contract worth over €1 million and is also suspected of corruption. During searches, authorities seized approximately €38,000 in cash and a gold bar. One suspect remains in pre-trial detention, while the investigation continues to clarify the facts and determine potential criminal offences. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty…

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