Swiss Give Ex-Cayman Banker/Whistleblower a Suspended Sentence |
On August 23, 2016, a Zurich court sentenced former Swiss banker Rudolf Elmer to a 14-month suspended jail term after he was found guilty of forgery and making threats. However, the court denied... |
Bruce Zagaris |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-26 |
Cayman Islands, Switzerland |
Confidentiality, Information Exchange, Jurisdiction, Tax Crimes, Whistle-blowing |
U.S. Appellate Court Affirms Seizure of Kim Dotcom’s Assets |
On August 12, 2016, in a 2 to 1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld the seizure of Kim Dotcom’s assets, many of which are in New Zealand, rejecting the challenge to the... |
Bruce Zagaris |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-26 |
Hong Kong, New Zealand, United States |
Adjective Enforcement, Administration of Justice, Asset Forfeiture, Asset Seizure, Copyright, Freezing of Assets, Fugitive, Indictment, Jurisdiction, Money Laundering |
Legal Experts Raise Objections Against European Parliament’s Authority to Handle the “Panama Papers” Affair |
On July 1, 2016, the Council Legal Service released its analysis of the legal framework and basis of the way in which the European Parliament decided to handle an inquiry into the “Panama Papers”... |
Michael Plachta |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-26 |
European Union |
European Commission, European Union, Investigation, Treaties |
African Human Rights Court Castigates Libya for Violating Saif Al-Islam Kadhafi’s Rights to Liberty and Security of Person |
When the popular revolts in the Arab world, collectively known as the Arab Spring, reached Libya and culminated in the Revolution of February 17, 2011, the Kadhafi regime, then in power, replied, as... |
Konstantinos D Magliveras |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-26 |
Libya |
Arrest, Charged with Crimes, Comparative and International Law, Detention, Human Rights, International Cooperation, International Courts, International Crimes, International Criminal Court, International Law, International Organizations, Investigation, Jurisdiction, Warrants |
LATAM Airlines Group Enters into Deferred Prosecution Agreement with $12.75 Million Penalty for FCPA Violations |
On July 25, 2016, LATAM Airlines Group S.A. (LATAM), a commercial airline company based in Chile, agreed to pay a $12.75 million criminal penalty to resolve a scheme which including paying bribes to... |
Bruce Zagaris |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-18 |
Argentina, Chile, United States |
Administration of Justice, Bribery, Conspiracy, Corruption, Federal Code, Financial Crimes, Oversight, Penalties |
Three Asian States Agree to Start Joint Patrols and Allow Pursuit to Combat Surging Piracy |
On August 2, 2016, the defense ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines agreed to start conducting joint patrols and allow each other’s maritime forces to pursue suspected criminals in... |
Bruce Zagaris |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-18 |
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines |
Comparative and International Law, Criminal Procedure/Proceedings, Cross-Border Communication, Data Sharing, International Convention, International Cooperation, International Organizations, Law Enforcement, Maritime, Mutual Legal Assistance, National Security, Policy/Directives |
Money Launderer for the Sinaloa Cartel Extradited to San Antonio |
On July 26, 2016, Mauricio Sanchez-Garza made his initial appearance in federal court in San Antonio, TX following his extradition from Mexico the day before. In December 2010, Sanchez was charged in... |
Scott Buzzard |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-18 |
Mexico, United States |
Arrest, Conspiracy, Court Conviction, Criminal Procedure/Proceedings, Drug Enforcement, Drugs & Trafficking, Extortion, Extradition, Indictment, Money Laundering, Murder |
Current Developments in the Counter-terrorism Efforts of the European Union |
On July 7, 2016, the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs adopted a resolution on a draft new counter-terrorism directive. The resolution was passed by 41 votes... |
Michael Plachta |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-18 |
European Union |
Adjective Assistance, Research, Teaching, Adjective Enforcement, Arms Trafficking, Border Security, Comparative and International Law, Council of the European Union, Counter-terrorism, Criminal Procedure/Proceedings, Cross-Border Communication, Cybercrime, Data Privacy, Data Sharing, EU Justice and Home Affairs Council, European Commission, European Union, Europol, Evidence Gathering, Evidence Sharing, INTERPOL, Information Exchange, International Cooperation, International Crimes, Jurisdiction, Law Enforcement, Mutual Legal Assistance, National Security, Organized Crime, Oversight, Policy/Directives, Sovereignty, Targeted Killings, Terrorism |
FinCEN Extends and Expands the Reach of its Real Estate “Geographic Targeting Orders” |
On July 27, 2016, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced Geographic Targeting Orders (GTO) that will temporarily require U.S. title insurance companies to... |
Bruce Zagaris |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-12 |
United States |
Counter-terrorism, Money Laundering, Oversight, Policy/Directives, Regulation, Transparency |
Second Circuit Rejects Forfeiture of Building Controlled by Government of Iran in Violation of Economic Sanctions |
On July 20, 2016, the Second Circuit overturned the District Court for the Southern District of New York’s decision to forfeit an approximately $1 billion dollar New York City office building on the... |
Scott Buzzard |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-12 |
Iran, United States |
Asset Forfeiture, Asset Seizure, Compliance, Conspiracy, Criminal Procedure/Proceedings, Economic Sanctions, Evidence Gathering, Law Enforcement, Lawsuits, Sanctions |
Equatorial Guinea Brings France Before the International Court of Justice on Corruption Charges Against First Vice-President |
On June 14, 2016, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced that Equatorial Guinea had instituted proceedings against France before the Court. Equatorial Guinea’s claims arise from the... |
Michael Plachta |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-05 |
Equatorial Guinea, France |
Asset Forfeiture, Charged with Crimes, Corruption, International Courts, International Crimes, International Criminal and Comparative Law, International Law, Money Laundering, Sovereignty, Warrants |
Malaysia Extradites Lebanese National to the U.S. on Currency Counterfeiting Charges |
On July 22, 2016, Louay Ibrahim Hussain made his initial appearance in the United States Court for the Eastern District of New York before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom in connection with his... |
Bruce Zagaris |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-05 |
Lebanon, Malaysia, United States |
Comparative and International Law, Counterfeiting, Extradition, International Cooperation, Investigation, Undercover Operations |
European Union Adopts Directive on Legal Aid in Criminal Proceedings and in European Arrest Warrant Proceedings |
On July 7, 2016, the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), agreed to adopt the Legal Aid Directive by a vote of 44 to 1. The amended text was presented... |
Michael Plachta |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-05 |
European Union |
Administration of Justice, Arrest, Civil Rights, Criminal Procedure/Proceedings, European Commission, European Union, Legal Ethics, Legislation, Warrants |
London: “The Money Laundering Capital of the World” |
The UK has developed a huge body of law designed to prevent and punish money laundering. In the 30 years since its first anti-money laundering (AML) statute, the Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986,... |
Monty Raphael QC |
32 |
8 |
2016-08-05 |
United Kingdom |
Comparative and International Law, Compliance, Corruption, Counter-terrorism, Financial Crimes, Financial Enforcement, Financial Supervision, Money Laundering, Offshore Banking, Offshore trusts, Oversight, Policy/Directives, Transparency |
U.S. and Singapore Bring Forfeiture Actions in 1MDB Scandal |
On July 20, 2016, U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a civil complaint seeking to forfeit and recover more than $1 billion in assets associated with... |
Bruce Zagaris |
32 |
8 |
2016-07-28 |
Malaysia, Singapore, United States |
Asset Forfeiture, Asset Seizure, Economic Crimes, Information Exchange, Investigation, Law Enforcement, Money Laundering, Organized Crime, Penalties, U.S. Federal Government, White Collar Crime |
Europol Releases Its EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT) |
On July 20, 2016, Europol released its annual “European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report (TE-SAT)” |
Michael Plachta |
32 |
8 |
2016-07-28 |
European Union, Europe |
Counter-terrorism, Crimes, Cross-Border Communication, EU Justice and Home Affairs Council, European Union, Europol, Immigration, Information Exchange, Intelligence, International Cooperation, International Crimes, Investigation, Law Enforcement, National Security, Prosecution, Terrorism |
Turkey Formally Seeks U.S. Extradition of Muslim Cleric Fethullah Gülen |
On July 19, 2016, Turkey formally requested that the United States extradite Fetullah Gülen, a 75-year-old, self-exiled Muslim cleric who resides in rural Pennsylvania, for allegedly... |
David A. Sadoff |
32 |
8 |
2016-07-28 |
Turkey, United States |
Arrest, Civil Rights, Cross-Border Communication, Extradition, Fugitive, International Cooperation, Protests, Treaties, U.S. Federal Government |
EU Presidency Has Released Roadmap to Enhance Information Sharing in the Justice and Home Affairs |
On May 30, 2016, the Netherlands Presidency has presented the “Draft Roadmap to enhance information exchange and information management including interoperability solutions in the Justice and... |
Michael Plachta |
32 |
8 |
2016-07-22 |
European Union, Europe, Netherlands |
Counter-terrorism, European Union, Information Exchange, Terrorism |
U.S. Judgments Enforced Against Iranian Property Located in Canada |
Five American citizens who alleged injury in one of eight Iranian terrorist attacks between 1983 and 2003 brought their claims to court in Ontario, Canada. Each of these plaintiffs had previously... |
Peter Bowal and Michael Carroll |
32 |
8 |
2016-07-22 |
Canada, Iran, United States |
Charged with Crimes, Court Conviction, International Cooperation, International Courts, International Crimes, International Criminal and Comparative Law, Lawsuits, Terrorism |