Panama Covid-19 update – once more today, too early for the daily news conference. However, it might be worth saying that these news conferences are very thorough, with all the facts and figures, new and important information, and with updates from the health and social services ministry and police. Compared to those in the UK and US, they are sober, authoritative and delivered with a lack of spin. Following the announcements, a Q&A session follows, with reporters asking questions by video or audio link. This is the first of another complete 2-day lockdown, which has upset a few men, those on the ex-pats forums whinging that it is discriminatory, and that announcing it at the news conference on Thursday evening is too late for men on their own to make preparations.
18 April 2020
US: PASTOR SET TO PLEAD GUILTY TO MORE THAN $33 MILLION FRAUD
On 17 April, The Orange County Register in California reported that a church pastor accused of swindling more than $33 million from investors has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges, according to the US Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors allege that he ran the Church of the Healthy Self – along with a related investment arm known as CHS Trust – out of a strip mall. He directed church representatives to appear on TV and at live seminars – appearances that were recorded and frequently uploaded on YouTube – in order to solicit investments, promising them a 12% rate of return, a guaranteed return of principal with no risk due to federal insurance and a claim the organization was audited by an accounting firm.
IMPORT AND EXPORT CONTROLS IMPOSED ON FENTANYL PRECURSOR
In an announcement dated 20 April, Sandler Travis Rosenberg reported that a final rule from the DEA will prohibit the import into the US from 18 May of the precursor chemical norfentanyl (N-phenyl-N-(piperidin-4-yl)propionamide) as an immediate precursor for the schedule II controlled substance fentanyl.
https://www.strtrade.com/news-publications-import-export-control-norfentanyl-DEA-042020.html
HOW FENTANYL AND OTHER SYNTHETICS ARE DRIVING THE OPIOIDS SURGE
The RAND Corporation in the US has a page devoted to the opioid crisis in the US, with articles and videos.
GULF OF GUINEA: STEPPING UP TO THE MARITIME-SECURITY CHALLENGE?
On 17 April, the International Institute for Strategic Studies published a blog post saying that, despite recent efforts to boost naval capacity in the Gulf of Guinea, maritime-security challenges persist. Meeting these will require both the involvement of local states and international support. It is estimated that the Gulf of Guinea is now the source of 2.7% and 4.5% of the world’s reserves in gas and oil respectively. It has also become a focal point of piracy – including ‘petro-piracy’ – and acts of armed robbery at sea. It is also reported that nearly half of the 111 incidents at sea reported in the area in 2019 took place less than 12 miles from the coast. It also says that illegal fishing and port security are also major challenges for regional states.
https://www.iiss.org/blogs/military-balance/2020/04/gulf-of-guinea-maritime-security-challenges
NORTH KOREA’S REFINED PETROLEUM IMPORTS EXCEEDED UN LIMIT UP TO 8 TIMES
On 18 April, Yonhap News reported than a UN panel had revealed that North Korea’s imports of refined petroleum products exceeded the annual limit imposed by the United Nations by up to 8 times in the first 10 months of last year, a UN panel of experts said in a new report.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200418000200325?section=nk/nk
EVOLUTION OF UAV EMPLOYED BY HOUTHI FORCES IN YEMEN
One of a series of booklets produced by Conflict Armament Research is this one which tracks the evolution of Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), which have become increasingly lethal and powerful. It finds that the Yemeni group is able to domestically manufacture some components while procuring more sophisticated electronic items from foreign supply networks.
https://www.conflictarm.com/download-file/?report_id=3185&file_id=3189
CORRESPONDENT BANKING DUE DILIGENCE QUESTIONNAIRE – NEW VERSION
On 17 April, the Wolfsberg Group of banks announced that it had released an updated version of the Correspondent Banking Due Diligence Questionnaire (CBDDQ) along with updated supporting FAQ, Completion Guidance and Capacity Building Guidance. The Group says that the CBDDQ aims to provide an enhanced and reasonable standard for cross-border and/or other higher risk Correspondent Banking Due Diligence.
ILLICIT TRADE AND THE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDG)
The Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade has produced a report saying that, from smuggling, counterfeiting and tax evasion, to the illegal sale or possession of goods, services, humans and wildlife, illicit trade is compromising the attainment of the UN SDG in significant ways, crowding out legitimate economic activity, depriving governments of revenues for investment in vital public services, dislocating millions of legitimate jobs and causing irreversible damage to ecosystems and human lives – but that insufficient attention has been given to the substantial impact that illicit trade has on holding back progress.
https://www.tracit.org/publications_illicit-trade-and-the-unsdgs.html
http://www.tracit.org/uploads/1/0/2/2/102238034/tracit_sdg_summary_16pg_highres.pdf
CONTAGION AND EXTORTION IN CENTRAL AMERICA
On 17 April, the Global Initiative Against Organized Crime published an article asking how is COVID-19 impacting the extortion economy of the Northern Triangle countries (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras)? A local network of experts assess how gangs in the region are adapting to the conditions imposed to contain the spread of the disease – as gangs – known locally as maras – have seen their capacity to extort restricted by the measures imposed to contain the disease. It is reported a 9% decrease in the number of extortion incidents reported by the police in Guatemala. In El Salvador and Honduras, the figures show a 16.6% and an 80% decrease, respectively. The forced changes include gangs having raised their ‘rents’ (i.e. protection money) to businesses that are still permitted to operate by law, such as food delivery or drinking water supply services, to compensate for their losses in other industries, though elsewhere gangs appear to have gone into hiding for self-preservation.
https://globalinitiative.net/covid-extortion-central-america/
JAPANESE BANK SWINDLE BIGGEST OF YEAR SO FAR FOR HONG KONG POLICE’S ONLINE CRIME SPECIALISTS
On 11 April, the South China Morning Post reported on a HK$310 million scam, but said that 80% of the involved funds were intercepted before scammers can transfer it out of city bank accounts. The case involved a US branch of a Japanese bank being tricked into transferring US$40 million into 5 Hong Kong bank accounts, but bank staff realised it was a scam when they contacted the genuine client.
UK REPORT: TAX EVASION AND TAX AVOIDANCE
On 18 April, the House of Commons Library published a briefing paper which sets out to provide an introduction to the issue of tax avoidance, looking in detail at the development of follower notices and accelerated payments, before discussing the current Government’s approach.
http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7948/CBP-7948.pdf
OLAF – CONSORTIUM SIPHONED OFF EU FUNDS EARMARKED FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME WHICH ENDED UP BEING PUMPED INTO A CASINO/HOTEL PROJECT IN CYPRUS
On 18 April, the Cyprus Mail reported that the European anti-fraud office has said a European consortium siphoned off EU funds earmarked for an environmental programme which ended up being pumped into a casino/hotel project in Cyprus. A project that aimed to improve forest fire detection had in fact focused mainly on attempting to defraud the European Commission’s Research Executive Agency (REA) out of more than €400,000.
https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/04/18/cyprus-link-to-attempt-to-defraud-eu-out-of-more-than-e400000/
AUDIO REVEALS PRESSURE ON EY DUBAI GOLD WHISTLE-BLOWER
On 18 April, Al Jazeera claimed an exclusive, saying that it has obtained evidence that reveals how senior managers at EY tried to force Amjad Rihan to return to his job in Dubai, knowing that he feared for his safety. He was recently awarded $11 million in damages and lost earnings by the High Court in London, and was a former partner of accountancy firm Ernst & Young (EY) and was forced to resign after exposing money-laundering and serious compliance failures at Dubai’s largest gold refinery.
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