Tweet Another crypto company bit the dust early this week, and with it, up to US$10 billion in customer money evaporated. BlockFi was a digital currency exchange, deposit-taking institution, and lender. BlockFi also issued and sold securities. It was not government-registered to provide any of those financial services in Canada. In early 2022, it settled […]
Tweet Anti-Terrorism Act filing against global banks Yesterday, symbolically the day before Remembrance Day, several plaintiffs filed suit against a number of global foreign banks based in the United States under the Anti-Terrorism Act (the “ATA“), including HSBC Holdings Plc, Barclays, Standard Chartered Bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland. The plaintiffs are seeking damages that could […]
Tweet FedEx Corp. has been indicted over allegations of money laundering in connection with five shipments it made of alleged illegal prescription drugs from online pharmacies in which several persons are alleged to have died. According to ABC News, FedEx faces a $1.6 billion fine if found guilty. According to the indictment, online pharmacies sent […]
Tweet Our article in Financier Worldwide, linked below, discusses the approval in Canada of the last tranche of $100 billion in infrastructure funding authorized on the unusual basis that it be used for corruption-free projects. The approval comes as Canada grapples with the fallout from the largest corruption case in the world and the first […]
Tweet Our interview on a podcast with the Association of Certified Crime Specialists regarding the criminal investigation into Brazilian soccer coach Luiz Scolari by Portuguese authorities for money laundering arising from tax fraud. “The head coach of Brazil’s national soccer team has one more thing to worry about before the World Cup held in his […]
Tweet We are participating in three sessions on digital currencies (and Bitcoin) in Amsterdam this month for those interested in joining: At the Bitcoin Foundation Conference on May 16, 2014 on a panel discussing anti-money laundering chaired by Adam Shapiro, Director of Promontory Financial Group with: Dirk Haubrich, Head of Consumer Protection and Financial Innovation […]
Tweet Today, the CEO of a Swiss trust company, Josef Dorig, pleaded guilty to defrauding the IRS for his role in helping US clients set up sham foundations and trusts and keep money in Switzerland for the purpose of tax evasion. He faces a term of incarceration in a US federal prison of five years. […]
Tweet UAE debates tougher AML laws The United Arab Emirates is proposing amendments to its anti-money laundering legislation that, if approved, may be one of the most stringent anywhere. That’ s because it will allow the incarceration of officers for failures to report transactions suspected of involving money laundering or terrorist financing without a due […]
Tweet Law Commission notes violent methods of gambling debt collection According to a Consultation Paper prepared by the Law Reform Commission of Hong Kong, debt collection in Hong Kong is a significant and violent problem, mostly arising from gambling debts incurred locally and in Macau. Loan sharks in Macau and Hong Kong account for 21.4% […]
Tweet Surprising criminal conviction of two Hong Kong tycoons In a surprising decision, the Macau Court of First Instance has convicted two high-profile Hong Kong businessmen of money laundering. Joseph Lau Luen-hung, and Stephen Lo Kit-sing, each received a sentence of five years and three months in prison and were sentenced in absentia. Mr. Lau […]