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Wall Street Journal: Turkey’s Halkbank is required to face US prosecution regarding charges related to Iran sanctions violations

The decision comes as the Biden administration intensifies efforts against Iran’s oil sales and follows extensive legal battles, including considerations by the U.S. Supreme Court, regarding the bank’s trial for alleged sanctions violations. A  US based attorney for Halkbank and a Turkish Embassy representative in Washington did not provide comments on the ruling…

AML Intelligence: Five Monaco bankers fined in ML probe into Italian mafia; CEO of Havilland Monaco bank cleared

Two of the bankers received suspended prison sentences and €10,000 fines each for laundering millions in cash. The case stemmed from a large-scale investigation in Italy into mafia-linked financial networks…

Euro News: The Strasbourg court has upheld the bribery conviction of a former Romanian MEP

The European Court of Human Rights upheld the bribery conviction of former Romanian MEP implicated in a 2011 cash-for-influence scandal. In 2016, Severin was sentenced to over three years in prison for accepting money from undercover reporters to propose amendments in the European Parliament. The Strasbourg court ruled that Severin’s trial provided adequate safeguards for his defense rights…

Reuters: FATF places Lebanon on financial crime watchlist

FATF announced that it has placed Lebanon on its grey list for countries under increased scrutiny. Lebanon, which has been grappling with a financial crisis since 2019 exacerbated by Israeli airstrikes and operations against Hezbollah, has received some leeway regarding deadlines in its action plan. Prime Minister acknowledged that Lebanon’s grey listing was anticipated due to the ongoing challenges in approving essential financial legislation…

AP News: Albania’s former left-wing President Meta has been arrested on corruption charges

Albanian prosecutors have arrested former President on charges of corruption, ML and concealing personal income and assets. President contends that the allegations are politically motivated, while former EU ambassador welcomed the arrest as evidence that no one is above the law. The Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime reported that President’s arrest followed a five-year investigation…

BBC: Ireland has signed extradition treaties with the UAE

The Republic of Ireland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed two bilateral treaties focused on extradition and mutual legal assistance. Irish Justice Minister finalized the agreements in Abu Dhabi with UAE counterpart after negotiations initiated last year to address organized crime and drug trafficking. These treaties are anticipated to enable the extradition of a prominent member of the organized crime gang back to Ireland…

AML Intelligence: Banks urge social media platforms to intensify efforts against fraud

UK Finance revealed £571 million was stolen in card payment fraud during the first half of 2024 with 72% of APP scams originating on social media. Despite a slight decrease in fraud from 2023, social media and telecom platforms are still key enablers. UK Finance and the UK Payment Systems Regulator are pressing these sectors to intensify their anti-fraud measures, as existing efforts are insufficient against advanced scams…

Wall Street Journal examines efforts by US regulators to modernise US AML rules

TD Bank’s $3 billion settlement over money-laundering failures has underscored the difficulty banks have in preventing financial crimes. Banking groups say regulators haven’t gone far enough with a proposal to reform the financial system’s safeguards.

Politico: EU’s three biggest countries push for bank deregulation

The letter calls on the EU executive to prepare legislation to change the global bank capital standards, called the Basel rules after their origination at the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, in case the U.S. decides to “diverge significantly” from the internationally agreed rules….

The Guardian: Trump fundraising efforts raise corruption concerns

Trump’s fundraising strategy has increasingly become transactional targeting major donations from influential figures like Elon Musk and wealthy fossil fuel and cryptocurrency donors in exchange for favourable federal policies. Musk’s America Pac had spent nearly US $60 million and fossil fuel contributors had added over $20 million to pro-Trump Super Pacs and his campaign raising concerns about corruption…

Politico: Germany, Italy and France call for watered down banking regulations

In a bid to improve economic competitiveness with the US and China, European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, are calling for a more protectionist approach to prevent the EU from lagging. The three major EU nations are pushing for a regulatory pause on financial rules to prioritize banking sector competitiveness and reconsider the implementation of the Basel capital standards…

The Globe and Mail: Canadian banking regulator says AML risks have risen

TD Bank is under intense regulatory scrutiny regarding its AML program with a potential record fine of over US $3 billion from U.S. regulators. The bank’s issues, exacerbated by its failed US $13.4 billion acquisition of First Horizon Corp highlight broader challenges in the banking sector as criminal organizations grow more sophisticated and operate internationally…