Financial Crime Weekly Episode 70

Hello, and welcome to episode 70 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I’m Chris Kirkbride. It’s been a busy week this week, with plenty across sanctions, fraud, money laundering and cyber-attack news. Let’s crack on.

As usual, I have linked the main stories flagged in the podcast in the description. These are:

Blackberry, Global Threat Intelligence Report: Actionable and Contextualized Intelligence to Increase Your Cyber Resilience.

Council of the European Union, Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain third countries concerning restrictive measures against cyber-attacks threatening the Union or its Member States.

Council of the European Union, Belarus: EU adopts new round of individual sanctions over continued human rights abuses and imposes further targeted measures in response to involvement in Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.

European Commission, Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine: EU agrees to extend the scope of sanctions on Belarus to fight circumvention.

European Commission, Russia's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine: EU agrees to extend the scope of sanctions on Belarus to fight circumvention (press release).

European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Lithuania: Seven indicted for fraud involving livestock farming and wellness centre.

European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Germany: Eight indicted in connection with €80 million VAT fraud involving luxury cars.

Financial Action Task Force, Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring (i.e. "grey list").

Financial Action Task Force, The United Arab Emirates' progress in strengthening measures to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing.

Financial Conduct Authority, Financial watchdog wins civil case against Ponzi-like care home investment scheme. Judgment in the case: Financial Conduct Authority v Forster and Others [2023] EWHC 1973 (Ch).

International Monetary Fund, Iceland: Financial Sector Assessment Program-Technical Note on Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism.

Joint Money Laundering Steering Group, JMLSG Guidance – Consultation – Cryptoasset transfers.

Joint Money Laundering Steering Group, Cryptoassets Transfers (‘Travel Rule’) Sector 22 Amended Guidance.

Joint Money Laundering Steering Group, JMLSG publishes a revision to Part I Paragraph 5.3.89.

National Cyber Security Centre, Sixth Annual Report: Active Cyber Defence.

Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Financial Sanctions Notice: Russia (31/07/2023).

Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Current list of designated persons: Russia.

Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licence: GTLK Companies and their Subsidiaries – Insolvency related payments and activities (INT/2023/3263556).

Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, General Licences List.

Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Publication of Mali Sanctions Regulations (press release).

Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Mali Sanctions Regulations.

Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Russian Oil Services ban: Guidance.

Serious Fraud Office, Notice of Discontinuance: R v Bluu Solutions Limited and Tetris Projects Limited.

The FCPA Blog, Creating an international anti-corruption court is a noble idea, but can it work?

The Guardian, Former minister urges UK to back international anti-corruption court.

UK government, National Risk Register 2023.

US Department of Justice, Springfield Business Owner Pleads Guilty to $14 Million Fraud Scheme.

US Department of Justice, Monroe County Man Charged With Committing Over $2.2 Million In Covid-19 Pandemic Fraud.

US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Treasury Targets Four Officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina for Undermining the Dayton Peace Agreement.

US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury Designates Leaders and Financial Facilitators of ISIS and al-Qa’ida Cells in Maldives.

US Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC Obtains Emergency Relief to Halt Utah-Based Company’s Crypto Asset Fraud Scheme Involving 18 Defendants.