Sunday, May 5

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering

Corruption is a scourge on society, impacting both authoritarian and democratic systems. Unchecked, it gives capitalism a bad name. Corruption infects healthy business dealings and operations and produces winners and losers. It occurs through many means: money laundering, tax evasion, bribes, coercion, and other illicit activity. Corruption makes societies unequal and unfree. Let’s empower individuals and policymakers to demand accountability.

U.S. Justice Dept Sets Up Crypto Crime Office
24Feb By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Cryptocurrency

U.S. Justice Dept Sets Up Crypto Crime Office

February 24, 2022--The U.S. Justice Department established a department to investigate the criminal use of cryptocurrencies and digital assets and named its first director. The department tapped Eun Young Choi to serve as the first director of the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team. Choi has previously served the Justice Department as a senior counsel, an assistant U.S. Attorney and a lead prosecutor. "The NCET will play a pivotal role in ensuring that as the technology surrounding digital assets grows and evolves, the department in turn accelerates and expands its efforts to combat their illicit abuse by criminals of all kinds," Choi said.
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Unsealed Document Reveals New Twist In The Alex Saab Story
18Feb By Ernesto RodriguezNo Comments
Communism, Dictatorship, Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Human rights, Types of News: Analysis

Unsealed Document Reveals New Twist In The Alex Saab Story

International Corruption Case Spanning Two Continents And Two Decades Grows Even More Intriguing By Ernesto Rodgriguez @Ernestoalexan February 18, 2022—Since 2018, the mere mention of the name Alex Saab to Venezuelans at home and abroad evokes bad memories of rotten food and rice with metal.  For the rest of the world, here’s a bit of background that puts this week’s revelations in perspective. Saab is the Columbian businessman who cheated Venezuela’s starving population during the worst point of an economic and political crisis that continues to this day.  A Corrupt Food Program In terms of international intrigue, the Saab story is one for the ages. It was in 2018 when an investigations team at ArmandoInfo published a piece about corruption inside the food Ve...
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Ahead Of Honduras Critical Election, Political Violence Emerges
26Nov By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Domestic Politics, Political Systems, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Brief

Ahead Of Honduras Critical Election, Political Violence Emerges

U.S. And China Vie For Influence In Honduras As Taiwan Arises As An Issue November 26, 2021—Ahead of Sunday's election in Honduras, the people face a critical choice between a corrupt status quo and an alternative that may bring in a left-wing and perhaps "communist" agenda. The election has implications for Central America and beyond. The battle is between the conservative National Party, in power since a 2009 coup and run by a corrupt leader, versus the left-wing Libre Party. The Libre Party candidate Xiomara Castro is leading in the polls. If she wins, she's expected to usher in change. Story Update: Libre Party candidate Xiomara Castro, 62, won the election after running on an anti-corruption platform. She replaces President Juan Orlando Hernández as the country's to...
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UN Peacekeepers Under Investigation for Trafficking Diamonds And Gold
8Nov By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Types of News: Brief, UN Security Council

UN Peacekeepers Under Investigation for Trafficking Diamonds And Gold

File photo: UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic. Source: UN November 8, 2021--Over 300 Portuguese police and military officers are investigating reports that elite Portuguese troops taking part in a UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic may have engaged in the illegal trafficking of diamonds, gold, and drugs. Officers issued 10 arrest warrants and raided properties in Lisbon, Funchal, Bragança, Porto de Mós, Entroncamento, Setúbal, Beja and Faro, The Guardian and other news outlets reported on Monday. “What we are looking into now is the possibility that some soldiers taking part in the national detached force in CAR were used as couriers in the trafficking of diamonds, gold and drugs,” the army said in a statement. According to reporting by The ...
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Venezuela ‘Envoy’ Faces Day In U.S. Court
18Oct By Ernesto RodriguezNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Diplomacy, Types of News: Brief

Venezuela ‘Envoy’ Faces Day In U.S. Court

Alex Saab Faces Charges Of Money Laundering, Bribery Corruption October 18, 2021—After months in prison in Cape Verde, Alex Saab finally crossed the Atlantic on Saturday under extradition orders by the United States. Today, he appeared in federal court in Miami, Florida, where he faces charges of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Specifically, the U.S. Justice Department accuses Saab, a Columbian citizen, of laundering proceeds of an illegal bribery scheme from Venezuela bank accounts to and through U.S. bank accounts. No Ordinary Case It is not an ordinary corruption case. That is because he is a close affiliate of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, an authoritarian leader who controls much of the weak economy. The two are so close, in fact, that th...
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PROFILE: Central America’s ‘Cool’ Millennial Dictator
2Oct By Ernesto RodriguezNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Domestic Politics, Types of News: Analysis

PROFILE: Central America’s ‘Cool’ Millennial Dictator

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele. Source: Instagram El Salvador's Nayib Bukele Went From Being A Fresh Face In Central America To A 'Cool' Dictator October 2, 2021—For many El Salvadorians, Nayib Bukele seemed like a new hope when he won the presidency in 2019. He was a young guy, just 38 years old when he won the presidency. With a career as mayor of San Salvador, the country’s capital, his entrance to the political stage looked like the start of a brand-new generation of Central American and Latin American politicians. A Talented Publicist Prior to launching a career in politics, Bukele had already gained a reputation as a talented publicist in the capital city. An El Salvadorian of Palestinian descent, he merged skills in business and marketing well. He owned a nightcl...
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Haitian Gangs Disrupted Lives Before the Quake; Now They’re Disrupting Relief Efforts
23Aug By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Foreign Aid, International Development

Haitian Gangs Disrupted Lives Before the Quake; Now They’re Disrupting Relief Efforts

August 23, 2021--Even before the 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook Haiti and dislocated tens of thousands of people from their homes, thousands of others fled the safety of their homes imperiled by violent clashes between gangs. In fact, the small country experienced an "unprecedented rise" in gang violence this Summer. In June alone gang violence uprooted 5,000 people from their homes. "Widespread incidents of gang violence and the burning of hundreds of houses in the metropolitan area has led to numerous victims, deaths, and injuries," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported in June. Gangs Disrupting Aid Distribution Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Its population is heavily reliant on humanitarian aid, with about 40 percent of i...
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Interpol Cracks Down On Human Trafficking Worldwide
10Aug By Patti MohrNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, Types of News: Brief

Interpol Cracks Down On Human Trafficking Worldwide

Interpol launched a five-day effort to crack down on trafficking of persons this Summer. Five-Day Operation Shows Scope of Human Trafficking Worldwide August 10, 2021--Interpol investigators rescued 430 victims of human trafficking and arrested 286 suspects in a collaborative sting operation against criminal trafficking this Summer. It was a five-day enforcement operation in July that included law enforcement officials from 47 countries. They called it "Operation Liberterra." The result was a crackdown that identified 4,000 irregular migrants from 74 countries. That's in addition to making arrests of suspected traffickers and helping victims. Five-Day Snapshot of Global Trafficking “Operation Liberterra is a five-day snapshot of the global trafficking and smuggling situatio...
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Mexico Sues U.S. Gun Manufacturers, Saying Defendants ‘Knowingly Sell to Criminals’
5Aug By Patti Mohr1 Comment
Arms Sales, Military Industry, Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

Mexico Sues U.S. Gun Manufacturers, Saying Defendants ‘Knowingly Sell to Criminals’

It is illegal to sell military-style weapons in Mexico. Lawsuit Sheds Light On Gun Sales And Criminal Cartels August 5, 2021--The government of Mexico filed a personal injury lawsuit against 10 U.S. gun manufacturers yesterday. It's significant that the lawsuit accuses U.S. gun manufacturers of knowingly and willingly selling their products to criminals. "The flow of guns from Defendants’ U.S. manufacturing plants and stores to the streets of Mexico is not an inevitable, natural phenomenon like the migration of monarch butterflies," the lawsuit says. "The flow of guns into Mexico is a foreseeable result of Defendants’ deliberate and knowing decisions to design, market, distribute, and sell guns in ways they know with virtual certainty will supply criminals in Mexico." 10 Defen...
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Corruption Comes Into Focus After Special Prosecutor Flees Guatemala
2Aug By Spencer HayesNo Comments
Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Types of News: Brief, Types of News: Infographic

Corruption Comes Into Focus After Special Prosecutor Flees Guatemala

August 2, 2021--Corruption has long plagued Guatemala, as well as the broader Central American region. It's one of the root causes of mass migration from the region to the United States. Moreover, it has a corrosive effect on the political and economic systems in Northern Triangle. Occasionally, we come across one incident or event that illustrates the larger problem. That happened this Summer as a special prosecutor fighting corruption in Guatemala fled for his life after getting sacked from his position. Who Is Juan Francisco Sandoval? And Why Does He Matter? Juan Francisco Sandoval worked as a special prosecutor fighting corruption in Guatemala. On July 23, he fled Guatemala for his safety after losing his job. Photo credit: La Hora Juan Francisco Sandoval is a respected G...
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