On May 16, 2020, French law enforcement authorities arrested Félicien Kabuga, a fugitive for 26 years who was an important figure in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.  The arrest was part of a joint investigation between French authorities and the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT).[1]

On May 18, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the unsealing of a six-count indictment against Seyed Sajjad Shahidian, 33, Vahid Vali, 33, and PAYMENT24 for engaging in financial transactions in violation of U.S. sanctions against Iran.  The indictment charges the defendants with conspiracy to commit offenses against and to defraud the United States, wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft.[1]

On April 29, 2020, The World Bank debarred a manufacturing company, Mega-Mebiko JV LLC, for fraud involving the Syrdarya Water Project. Mega-Mebiko JV LLC, located in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is a small construction and vehicle repairs business. The company reportedly “misrepresented financial information, experience claims, and falsely stated that it had no conflicts of interest to win a project-financed contract, which are fraudulent practices under the World Bank Procurement Guidelines.”[1]

As the frauds and related crimes from Covid-19 occur, international organizations worldwide are providing guidance and assistance to their members to prevent, investigate, and prosecute crimes arising from the pandemic.  This article looks in particular at the efforts of the Egmont Group, IOSCO, and Eurojust.

On April 27, 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued new export control measures devised to enforce further restrictions on exports and technology transfers to China, Russia, Venezuela.[1] Two final rules and a proposed rule are expected to prevent efforts by the aforementioned countries in acquiring U.S. goods and technology for military and intelligence operations. 

On May 6, 2020, INTERPOL announced that more than 19,000 artifacts and other artworks (including a Colombian gold mask, a carved Romanian lion, and thousands of ancient coins) had been recovered during two operations.[1] These operations, Athena II and Pandora IV, included INTERPOL, Europol, and the World Customs Organization (WCO) and spanned 103 countries to focus on the dismantlement of international criminal networks of art and antiquities traffickers. 

On May 7, 2020, the European Commission issued an Action Plan to provide concrete measures over the next 12 months.[1] It will strengthen its enforcement, supervision, and coordination of the EU’s rules to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

Law 32 of 1927 on Corporations was enacted 93 years ago and has remained without changes; always requiring that all corporate charters list the name of their resident agent as a point of contact between the government and owners who could be anywhere in the world.  Decree 147 of 1966, later specified that only a lawyer or law firm accredited in Panama could act as resident agent of a corporation.  As special laws were enacted for limited liability companies, trusts, and private interest foundations, the requirement of a law firm acting as resident agent subsisted and remaining associations and charities were exempt.[1]

On April 30, 2020, Bank Hapoalim B.M. (BHBM), an Israeli bank with international operations, and its willy owned subsidiary, Hapoalim (Switzerland) Ltd. (BHS), have agreed to forfeit $20,733,322 and pay a fine of $9,329,995 to settle a criminal investigation into their participation in a money laundering conspiracy that were allegedly part of the FIFA international bribery scheme.[1]