Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering Archives

2Oct

By Ernesto RodriguezNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, 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 nightclu...

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 it...

Interpol Cracks Down On Human Trafficking Worldwide

10Aug

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, UN Security Council, 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 situation...

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 Defend...

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 Gu...

Assassination The Latest In String Of Haitian Hardships

13Jul

By Steve BerlinNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Types of News: Analysis

Assassination The Latest In String Of Haitian Hardships

July 13, 2021—With Haiti’s political and economic future in flux following the assassination of President Jovanel Moïse last week, the GER offers a brief primer on who he was. Jovanel Moïse Age: 53 years Party: Haitian Tèt Kale Party, a center-right party Family: Married with three children Career: Politician and Banana Exporter Jovanel Moïse, center, from May 2021 Moïse, whom even critics have said wanted to end monopolies that favored the country’s elites, also reputedly looked to make money off of government contracts for his banana company (NY Times, July 7). He presented himself as a reformer and battler of corruption who wanted to change the constitution to better serve the people. The country scheduled three elections this year, including a constitutional ref...

8Jul

By Steve BerlinNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Domestic Politics: United States, Types of News: Brief

Biden Extends Emergency Designation On Transnational Criminal Organizations

July 8, 2021—U.S. President Joe Biden extended a previous national emergency designation regarding the continued threat of transnational criminal organizations to U.S. national security and private interests. The White House’s announcement said transnational criminal organizations "continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States." The order allows the U.S. government to block property of organizations involved in criminal activities in two or more countries. Extension of Obama Executive Order The declaration is actually a continuation of executive order 13581 first issued by President Barack Obama in 2011 and continued in 2016. That order named the following organizations: The Brothers' Circle, Camorra...

EU Presses Hungary To Restore Rule of Law, Human Rights

8Jul

By Steve BerlinNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Democracy, Domestic Politics: Europe, EU, Eurozone, Types of News: Brief

EU Presses Hungary To Restore Rule of Law, Human Rights

European Parliament debates a Hungarian law blocking broadcasts that include homosexuals. July 8, 2021. Source: European Commission. European Lawmakers Grow Increasingly Discontent Over Dismantling of Democracy in Hungary July 8, 2021--Six months into a new law linking EU funds to a condition requiring members to uphold the rule of law, European lawmakers are primed to use the new power in a case against member-state Hungary. Today, the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution condemning Hungary for "state-sponsorship" of censorship against homosexuals. The vote of 459 for, 147 against and 58 abstentions came as a new Hungarian law banning depictions of homosexuals in media took effect. Today's resolution condemns "in the strongest possible terms" the Hun...

Senate Panel Focuses on Crime-Related Migration at US-Mexico Border

13Nov

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Human rights, Immigration, Migration, Types of News: Brief

Senate Panel Focuses on Crime-Related Migration at US-Mexico Border

October 13, 2019--A Senate committee examining migration at the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday focused largely on crimes, such as child exploitation, drug trafficking and human smuggling. With just under a million cases of immigrants entering the U.S. border in the fiscal year 2019, the U.S. justice system of processing and detaining immigrants is overwhelmed, U.S. officials reported. Child Pawns Of primary concern are children who are used as human pawns for individuals seeking to enter the United States illegally. According to Mark Morgan, the acting commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, human smugglers use children as a "money-making commodity" by selling or renting them to migrants. "We know children are being rented and recycled and presented as fake fa...

U.S. Gov’t Charges Walmart with Foreign Corruption Violations

20Jun

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Types of News: Brief

U.S. Gov’t Charges Walmart with Foreign Corruption Violations

June 20, 2019--In an indication of the prevalence of bribery in international business, Walmart, the world's largest retailer, has agreed to pay the U.S. government $282 million to settle charges that it failed to instill anti-corruption practices for over a decade. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Walmart with with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). According to the SEC, Walmart did not sufficiently investigate or mitigate corrupt payments its subsidiaries and third-party intermediaries made to foreign governments in Brazil, China, India and Mexico. "Walmart valued international growth and cost-cutting over compliance," said Charles Cain, Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s unit on foreign corruption. "The company could have avoided many of t...