At its second sitting on January 23, 2023, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE, Assembly) adopted a resolution and recommendation addressing a complicated and multidimensional problem posed by the former Daesh (ISIL) foreign fighters and their families returning to the European countries.

At its 7^th sitting on January 26, 2023, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has adopted its Resolution 2482 (2023) entitled Legal and human rights aspects of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine. The debate and the Resolution is based on the Report prepared and presented by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights.^[1]

On January 26, 2023, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and Europol announced, with cooperation from twelve other governments, they have disrupted the Hive ransomware group that has targeted more than 1,500 victims in over 80 countries around the world, including hospitals, school districts, financial firms, and critical infrastructure.[1]

On January 26, 2023, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated PMC Wagner, commonly known as the Wagner Group, as a significant transnational criminal organization.  Twisting the knife, OFAC would also designate several more individuals, entities, and aircraft that support the Wagner Group and its paramilitary activities in support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.[1]

On January 20, 2023, the United States Department of Justice announced the unsealing of separate indictments against two businessmen, Vladislav Osipov, 51, a Russian national, and Richard Masters, 52, a United Kingdom national, charging them with facilitating a sanctions evasion and money laundering scheme in relation to the ownership and operation of the Motor yacht (M/Y) Tango (International Maritime Organization number 1010703).  The yacht is a $90 million, 255-foot luxury yacht owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.  The indictments charge the defendants with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and to commit offenses against the U.S., violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and money laundering.  The U.S. requested that Spain provisionally arrest Masters for purposes of extradition.  The Spanish Guardia Civil executed the arrest against Maters on January 20.  The arrest warrant against Osipov is outstanding.[1]

On January 25, 2023, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights delivered its much-anticipated decision on jurisdiction and admissibility in the interstate case of Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia (nos. 8019/16, 43800/14 and 28525/20).[1]

In December 2022, the Australian attorney-general accepted an extradition request from the U.S. for the rendition of Daniel Edmund Duggan, an ex-Marine who renounced his American citizenship to become an Australian citizen, to face charges relating to his alleged training of Chinese fighter pilots in a South African flight school.  The U.S. is charging him with unlawfully engaging in conspiracies to export defense services to China, launder money, and violate the Arms Export Control Act.  Duggan’s attorney Dennis Miralis has been actively making rounds through several media outlets to proclaim that the prosecution of his client is politically motivated and Duggan is being “singled out.”

On January 17, Artem Uss, son of Russian governor Alexander Uss, asked an Italian court to extradite him to Russia rather than the United States.[1]  Uss was arrested in mid-October 2022 at Milan’s Malpensa Airport pursuant to a request by the U.S. authorities relating to sanctions evasion, money laundering, and oil smuggling.  Soon after his arrest, Russia brought money laundering charges against Uss and said they will request his extradition as well.  While not all the details of both matters are openly known, the timing of Russia’s charges against and the notable status of the defendant has introduced the possibility that Russia is more interested in protecting the family of high-level officials and spiting America, rather than justice.

On January 18, 2023, the United States Department of Justice announced the arrest of the founder and majority owner of a cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato Ltd. (Bitzlato) the prior night in Miami for his alleged operation of a money transmitting business that transported and transmitted illicit funds, including through darknet channels, that failed to meet U.S. regulatory requirements, including with respect to anti-money laundering.[1]

On January 17, 2023, the Angolan government revealed it has already recovered $5 billion (4.6 billion euros) of assets removed illegally from the country and it is awaiting court decisions on assets worth $21 billion (19.4 billion euros).[1]