Structuring – How Moving Funds from China to Vancouver Often Mirrors How Columbian Drug Lords Move their Money

Tweet How is Some Money Moved from China? Often with Smurfs and Structuring. I am often asked how Chinese foreign nationals who have immigrated to the US, China, or EU, or are attempting to, move millions of dollars in funds to other countries unimpeded when there are Chinese banking regulations (commonly called currency controls) that […]

China to issue guidance for light online payment solutions to preserve emerging FinTech

Tweet The Government of China has announced that it is issuing legal guidance to lightly regulate online payment systems, what it terms as “internet finance.” The guidance will be prepared by the People’s Bank of Canada and will contemplate a regulatory framework for governance. The impetus for developing guidance is driven by the explosive growth […]

Mother of the Girlfriend of Mayor of Vancouver held on corruption charges in China

Tweet In the latest twist in the continuous coverage of high-ranking Chinese foreign nationals who immigrated to Vancouver, the mother of the girlfriend of the Mayor of Vancouver has been incarcerated over corruption charges in China. Here is the story as reported in South China Morning Post. The Mayor, Gregor Robertson, has a girlfriend who […]

China and US agree to cooperate to help China track down & repatriate “economic fugitives”

Tweet Late last week, at a meeting in Beijing, the US and China agreed to continue cooperating in the removal of Chinese foreign nationals from the US who are suspected of having immigrated with proceeds of corruption. The meeting took place between Meng Jianzhu, Secretary of the Central Politics and Law Commission, and national police chief Guo […]

Two banks allegedly banked Chinese politically exposed persons with alleged proceeds of crime

Tweet PEPs from China According to this article in the Vancouver Sun, two Canadian banks opened and maintained a bank account for politically exposed persons from China who are now alleged to have laundered $900,000 in proceeds of crime from China to Canada and the US. The two politically exposed persons are Shilan Zhao (趙世蘭) and […]

Ming Pao Newspaper covers diamond smuggling trade from Hong Kong to Vancouver

Tweet Diamond smuggling into Vancouver The Ming Pao Saturday Magazine has an interesting story on the arrest of two men from Hong Kong who attempted to smuggle $120 million worth of diamonds into Canada. The diamonds were strapped to their legs and are believed to be proceeds of crime. The story discusses the issue of […]

The Chinese Way – the impact of China’s anti-corruption campaign on trade-based money laundering and Macau casinos

Tweet Money Laundering Bulletin in the UK has a good article out today on the anti-corruption drive in China and its impact on the casinos in Macau, which explores the anti-money laundering lapses and lack of legislation in the gambling industry in Macau, and the corresponding increase of trade-based money laundering in China. Trade-based money laundering […]

Asian newspaper says money mules from Asia are smuggling suitcases full of US cash to Vancouver to avoid FATCA and IRS

Tweet Suitcases full of cash muled to Vancouver by cash couriers According to this article in South China Morning Post, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA“), will result in the growth of Asia’s underground or shadow banking system, including an increase in the use of cash mules who transport suitcases full of US cash from […]

How Canadian and US immigrants from China & Hong Kong move billions of dollars overseas

Tweet Bloomberg News has a follow-up article here on last week’s story of how wealthy immigrants from China and Hong Kong use alleged money-laundering services offered by the Bank of China Ltd. to transfer funds to Canada and the US. Last week, China Central Television broadcast a story alleging that the Bank of China offered a money […]

Bank of China accused of offering a money laundering service to prospective emigrants to places like Canada and US

Tweet According to a report in the South China Morning Post here, the state television news organization of China, CCTV, has accused the Bank of China of offering a money laundering service to wealthy people in China to facilitate the removal of funds from China for immigration purposes in violation of the country’s currency restriction […]