On 28 October, a news release from US DoJ advised that the former president of Transport Logistics International Inc. (TLI), a Maryland-based transportation company that provides services for the transportation of nuclear materials to customers in the US and abroad, was sentenced today to 48 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for his role in a scheme to bribe a Russian official in exchange for obtaining contracts for the company.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-president-nuclear-transportation-company-sentenced-prison-foreign-bribery-and-other 

 

 

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A news release from the US State Department on 28 October advised that the US has barred 2 current and former members of Guatemala’s Congress from traveling to the US, accusing them of being involved in significant corruption.  The action targeted First Secretary in the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala, Felipe Alejos Lorenzana, and former Deputy Delia Bac.

https://www.state.gov/public-designation-of-current-and-former-members-of-the-guatemalan-congress-due-to-involvement-in-significant-corruption 

 

 

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A news release from the US DoJ on 28 October announced 3 separate indictments charging 60 defendants for their roles in a $300 million nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims. The charges include conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, and violating the Senior Citizens Against Marketing Scams Act of 1994 (SCAMS Act).  The defendants are located in 14 states, 16 judicial districts, and 2 Canadian provinces.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/sixty-defendants-charged-300-million-nationwide-telemarketing-fraud-scheme

 

 

 

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On 28 October, Agriland reported that authorities in Italy, assisted by the EU’s anti-fraud office OLAF, have arrested 48 people in connection with a scheme to defraud EU agricultural funds of over €16 million.  The criminal group purchased machinery with the support of EU funds at an inflated price. The machinery was declared as new but was in fact either second-hand or purchased at a much lower price than what was officially declared.  Fictitious companies were set up outside Italy to cover the traces of fraud and facilitate money laundering.

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/over-75-of-marts-have-online-bidding-in-place-icos/

 

 

 

 

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On 28 October, the EU Sanctions Blog reported that Cuba’s Foreign Ministry has announced that Western Union will close its 407 agencies located in Cuba because new US sanctions measures prevent it from working with its counterpart Fincimex, which is run by the Cuban military.

https://www.europeansanctions.com/2020/10/western-union-to-close-407-offices-in-cuba-following-new-sanctions/ 

 

I had omitted the following link (as it did not seem to generate much interest!), but it seemed time to add it again and say that, if you would like to make a (polite) gesture and help me with my removal and computer costs, I have a page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

On 28 October, a post on the FCPA Blog advised that Beijing-based China Electric Design and Research Institute Co Ltd (CEDRI) is now ineligible to participate in World Bank-financed projects during its 18-month debarment.  CEDRI is a subsidiary of the China National Electric Engineering Co Ltd (CNEEC), a state-owned international engineering company, which was also sanctioned by the World Bank.  The debarment is connected allegedly fraudulent practices linked to a $210 million World Bank-funded project in Zambia.

https://fcpablog.com/2020/10/28/world-bank-debars-unit-of-state-owned-china-construction-company/

The post also provides a list to all current World Bank debarments –

http://www.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/procurement/debarred-firms 

 

I had omitted the following link (as it did not seem to generate much interest!), but it seemed time to add it again and say that, if you would like to make a (polite) gesture and help me with my removal and computer costs, I have a page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

On 27 October, an article in Ecojust said that thousands of tonnes of bushmeat are estimated to be smuggled into Europe each year, both for personal use and commercial trade.  It says that bushmeat trafficking not only impacts wildlife populations in source countries, but there are also proven risks of infectious disease spill-over.  It says that European authorities should do more to tackle this illegal trade – particularly as most scientists agree that the Covid-19 virus most likely originated in a bat and may have been transmitted to humans via an intermediate host, possibly a pangolin, which was sold at a market.  It is said that available information suggests significant quantities of bushmeat are smuggled on passenger flights into major European airports from key source countries in West and Central Africa, and that in the last decade, several studies have estimated the scale of illegal bushmeat imports by examining seizures of bushmeat from personal luggage of passengers arriving in European airports in France, Switzerland and Belgium.  Whilst there is no doubt many passengers bring in bushmeat as a ‘taste of home’ for their own use, there are also indications of systematic, organised smuggling.

https://www.ecojust.eu/bushmeat-trafficking-in-europe-a-ticking-time-bomb/

 

 

I had omitted the following link (as it did not seem to generate much interest!), but it seemed time to add it again and say that, if you would like to make a (polite) gesture and help me with my removal and computer costs, I have a page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

On 28 October, a news release from Gibraltar says that the Government is to publish the Limited Partnerships Bill and the Protected Cell Limited Partnerships Bill as part of the modernisation of the jurisdiction’s funds legislation.

https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/press-releases/government-introduces-new-statutory-framework-for-limited-partnerships-7542020-6335

 

 

 

I had omitted the following link (as it did not seem to generate much interest!), but it seemed time to add it again and say that, if you would like to make a (polite) gesture and help me with my removal and computer costs, I have a page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

On 28 October, SBC News reported that the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has announced action against BGO Entertainment, GAN Plc and NetBet Enterprises Ltd after reviewing their licences following a number of failures which included not doing enough to keep consumers safe and failing to prevent money laundering and criminal spend.  2 of the businesses have had new conditions imposed on their licences and all 3 will now improve their policies and procedures as well as making payments to progress the work of the National Strategy to Reduce Gambling Harms.  The Commission will also be reviewing the actions of the individual Personal Management Licence holders in all 3 of these cases.

https://www.sbcnews.co.uk/latestnews/2020/10/28/ukgc-takes-action-on-bgo-gan-and-netbet-for-significant-aml-and-duty-failures

 

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On 28 October, the European Commission proposed a new initiative that will make it easier for different authorities involved in goods clearance to exchange electronic information submitted by traders, who will be able to submit the information required for import or export of goods only once.  It aims to enhance cooperation and coordination between different authorities, in order to facilitate the automatic verification of non-customs formalities for goods entering or leaving the EU.  The Single Window aims to digitalise and streamline processes, so that businesses will ultimately no longer have to submit documents to several authorities through different portals.

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/sites/taxation/files/201028_commission_proposal_single_window.pdf

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/sites/taxation/files/201028_single_window_factsheet.pdf

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_20_1969

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1970

I had omitted the following link (as it did not seem to generate much interest!), but it seemed time to add it again and say that, if you would like to make a (polite) gesture and help me with my removal and computer costs, I have a page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y