Article: Fed Govt seeks seizure, repatriation of illicit funds

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Fed Govt seeks seizure, repatriation of illicit funds

Nduka Chiejina, 19 May 2021

The Federal Government yesterday appealed to countries that are the main destination for illicit financial flows (IFFs) to freeze, seize and repatriate such funds. Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning Mrs. Zainab Ahmed made the appeal during a virtual International Conference on Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) and Asset Recovery.

According to her, countries that are the main destination for IFFs and their proceeds should take urgent steps to assist in combating this scourge, by preventing the inflow of illicit funds, freezing or seizing assets already in the country, and by ensuring that illicit funds and any proceeds are repatriated. The government is also leading the call for African countries to be present when decisions on IFFs are taken at a global level. Continue reading “Article: Fed Govt seeks seizure, repatriation of illicit funds”

Article: Fraud, money laundering and the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Fraud, money laundering and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tracy Molino, Anthony Scalia, 19 May 2021

As discussed in our four-part series, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a trend away from using cash and other “touch-based” payment methods. This acceleration has been coupled with an increase in digital and contactless payment methods. The ongoing lockdown measures and stay-at-home orders have directly impacted consumer habits, resulting in consumers conducting their shopping online and away from retail stores, ordering their meals via delivery apps instead of dining in restaurants, and banking online as opposed to stopping by the teller on their commute home from work.

While the continued shift toward digital and contactless payments has been a driving force behind economic recovery, it is not without its risks for consumers and businesses, potentially creating an online environment ideal for fraudsters and money-launderers. In this insight we examine recent developments in this space in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading “Article: Fraud, money laundering and the COVID-19 Pandemic”

Article: Fitch Maintains Rating Watch Negative on Australia’s Crown Resorts

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Fitch Maintains Rating Watch Negative on Australia’s Crown Resorts

Fitch Ratings, 19 May 2021

Fitch Ratings has maintained the Rating Watch Negative (RWN) on Australian gaming operator Crown Resorts Limited’s ‘BBB’ Long-Term Issuer Default Rating and senior unsecured rating.

Fitch placed Crown’s ratings on RWN in November 2020 to reflect an increased risk of severe regulatory action, which could have a significant impact on the company’s business or financial profile, following a delay in the approval to open its Sydney casino. These risks were highlighted when Crown was deemed unsuitable to hold a gaming licence in New South Wales (NSW) in February 2021, followed by the commencement of royal commissions in Victoria and Western Australia (WA) into Crown’s activities.

Crown is working with NSW’s Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA) on its remediation, but the final impact of the regulatory action remains unclear.

The regulator said in mid-May 2021 that it has reached an agreement with the company on several matters relating to the Sydney casino and is appointing an independent monitor to review Crown’s structural changes to allow it to make a final decision on suitability. Fitch will resolve the RWN once the outcomes of the regulatory actions are known and we have assessed the impact on Crown’s operations and financial profile.

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Article: Court of Appeals dismisses all but 2 allegations in Hunter vs. Crosby case

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Court of Appeals dismisses all but 2 allegations in Hunter vs. Crosby case

Jennifer Kraus, 19 May 2021

The Minnesota Court of Appeals Monday, May 17, dismissed 29 of 31 claims made by Crosby Mayor James Hunter against Crosby city officials — sending the remaining two back to district court for review.

Hunter, who was elected mayor in the November 2020 election, appealed the Crow Wing County District Court’s Aug. 7 decision to dismiss his defamation case. Hunter filed the defamation case Sept. 9, 2019, stating he lost his reputation, his elected office and spent over two years of his life charged with serious crimes as a result of the actions of Crosby city officials. Continue reading “Article: Court of Appeals dismisses all but 2 allegations in Hunter vs. Crosby case”

Article: What links cybercrime, terrorism and illegal trade? Dark money

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What links cybercrime, terrorism and illegal trade? Dark money

Oliver Bullough, 18 May 2021

In March, the government published its review of all the threats facing this country, and how it would respond to them, from hostile autocracies and cybercrime to terrorism and trade. Running through the pages of this huge and complex document, like lead through a pencil, is one consistent vulnerability: dark money.

No matter who you identify as our adversaries – mafia groups, al-Qaida, whoever – they all hide their wealth in the shadows of the financial system: by obscuring ownership with shell companies, or using dodgy banks, or by holding wealth in the form of physical assets, such as fine art. And shining light on those shadows will expose their secrets and help make us all safer. It will also make us more prosperous: more than 2,200 acts of fraud are reported every day in Britain. Those crimes cost us billions upon billions of pounds, and often most affect older and vulnerable people. Continue reading “Article: What links cybercrime, terrorism and illegal trade? Dark money”

Article: Police Across Europe Crush Ponzi Schemes, Recover Lost Money

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Police Across Europe Crush Ponzi Schemes, Recover Lost Money

ZDRAVKO LJUBAS, 18 May 2021

Authorities in Europe have dismantled several investment fraud schemes across the continent and recovered some of the money victims lost. Confiscation of proceeds from crimes is a strategic priority of the European Union, Europol said.

With the help of U.K. law enforcement and Europol, Spanish police recovered some of the over 15 million euro (US$18,2 million) hundreds of victims had lost in a ponzi scheme after a Spanish national living in the U.K. tricked them into making seemingly safe investments with high returns.

Police recovered about six million euro ($7,28 million) or some 40 percent of the money people invested, according to Europol. Continue reading “Article: Police Across Europe Crush Ponzi Schemes, Recover Lost Money”

Article: Sofa exporter Zoy, named in pump-and-dump scam, exposes underbelly of China’s US$11 trillion stock market

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Sofa exporter Zoy, named in pump-and-dump scam, exposes underbelly of China’s US$11 trillion stock market

Zhang Shidong, 18 May 2021

Zoy Home Furnishing, an exporter of sofas and furniture in Zhejiang province spurned by most securities analysts, has become the public face of China’s crackdown on financial malfeasance, offering the nation’s 186 million investors a peek into the underbelly of Asia’s largest capital market. The 1.4 billion yuan (US$218 million) company, based in Anji county, was named on May 16 by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) as the subject of an investigation into pump-and-dump price manipulation based on a whistle-blower’s report.

The scam came to light when Ye Fei, a hedge fund manager working for Huaibei Yitian Investment, wrote on his Weibo microblog that he had been owed 50,000 yuan in commission promised by Zoy for helping to prop up the stock’s prices. The asset management units of several Chinese state-owned brokerages including Shenwan Hongyuan Group and Minsheng Securities were also involved, playing the warehousing role of locking up the stocks in their portfolio to facilitate the ramping of prices, Ye said. Continue reading “Article: Sofa exporter Zoy, named in pump-and-dump scam, exposes underbelly of China’s US$11 trillion stock market”

Article: Iron ore’s most volatile week: How we got here and what comes next

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Iron ore’s most volatile week: How we got here and what comes next

Peter Hannah, 18 May 2021

How did we get here? Of course, steel demand and iron ore supply do not change by multiple percentages over these daily timeframes. Mature markets trade as much on expectation as on current fundamentals, and changes in sentiment triggered by news and gossip can drive jarring session-to-session swings. However, panning out to a noise-reducing resolution, the explanations for iron ore’s current high price levels are very apparent.

Regular attendees to industry conferences in recent years will have repeatedly heard the major iron ore producers laying out supply plans based on anticipations of Chinese crude steel production reaching the mythical 1-billion-tonne-per-year mark by 2025 at the earliest. Not only was that level exceeded a full five years sooner in 2020, but various production issues meant that iron ore supply also undershot projections. Continue reading “Article: Iron ore’s most volatile week: How we got here and what comes next”

Article: IRS Special Agent: Scammers using Tax Day to steal filers personal information

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IRS Special Agent: Scammers using Tax Day to steal filers personal information

Anne McCloy, 18 May 2021

May 17th is Tax Day, and while you may be rushing to meet the deadline, the Internal Revenue Service is warning you to watch out for scammers.

Jonathan Larsen is Special Agent in Charge at IRS Criminal Investigations. This tax season, Larsen says scammers are using fear about COVID-19 and mishaps with stimulus money to fool you into handing over personal information. Continue reading “Article: IRS Special Agent: Scammers using Tax Day to steal filers personal information”

Article: Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance faces scrutiny from UK’s Serious Fraud Office

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Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance faces scrutiny from UK’s Serious Fraud Office

Stuart Burns , 18 May 2021

The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has gone public investigating charges that Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance (Gupta Family Group Alliance) holding company and subsidiaries, such as Liberty Steel, has been involved in fraud, fraudulent trading and money laundering.

As such, that has almost certainly put the end to refinancing efforts, at least for parts of the group in the UK. Continue reading “Article: Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance faces scrutiny from UK’s Serious Fraud Office”

Article: Crown ‘lied’ in Victoria, evidence of money laundering in Perth

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Crown ‘lied’ in Victoria, evidence of money laundering in Perth

Elouise Fowler and Brad Thompson, 17 May 2021

Crown Resorts management “lied” and used delay tactics to stymie an investigation into the 2016 arrests of 19 China-based staff, the Victorian gambling regulator told the Crown Resorts royal commission on Monday.

Timothy Bryant, an investigator at the gambling watchdog, told the Victorian inquiry that Crown’s stonewalling meant it took longer to uncover the truth about the gambling giant’s failure to protect its staff, 16 of whom were jailed for illegally promoting gambling in China.

“I certainly consider that they [Crown], at times, they lied to me at interviews about what they were aware of and what they weren’t aware of,” Mr Bryant revealed to the inquiry, which is examining Crown’s suitability to hold its Melbourne casino licence. Continue reading “Article: Crown ‘lied’ in Victoria, evidence of money laundering in Perth”

Article: GFG Alliance: Fraud investigation now looms

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GFG Alliance: Fraud investigation now looms

Brian Taylor, 17 May 2021

An investigation being undertaken by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) of the government of the United Kingdom may shed light on to what extent metals producer the GFG Alliance has been affected by the former Greensill Capital, or to what extent the two firms worked in tandem to create financial irregularities.

According to online reports from The Guardian and other U.K.-based media, the announcement by the SFO that it was looking into GFG “immediately caused the collapse of a rescue deal for Liberty Steel and raised fears over thousands of British jobs.” Continue reading “Article: GFG Alliance: Fraud investigation now looms”