A report from the Wildlife Justice Commission says that, as wildlife crime has increased in seriousness and profitability as a crime type, so too have reports of its convergence with other forms of organised crime.  However, these reports have been mostly anecdotal, and the nature of this relationship is still largely undocumented.  Now the Wildlife Justice Commission has collected evidence of criminal networks that are dealing in wildlife alongside other illicit commodities.  The report sets out 12 case studies that illustrate a range of converging crime types and typologies that have transpired in different regions of the world to increase the understanding of how these intersections can occur on the ground.  It says that the clear and frequent intersection of these crimes highlights the need for financial and corruption investigations that run in parallel or in response to wildlife crime cases; however, few countries are currently undertaking these types of investigations.  As with other similar reports, this report calls for intelligence collection and sharing in a timely and secure manner, and for governments to develop their own comprehensive wildlife crime information systems.

https://wildlifejustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Crime-Convergence-Report-2021.pdf

 

 

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An opinion piece from The Sentry on 25 March says that independent audits on conflict minerals have been around for a decade, but asks if companies actually using them in their supply chain decisions?  According to new research by The Sentry, a majority of the largest electronics, jewellery, and automotive companies are still not requiring suppliers to source from conflict-free refiners and smelters – despite legal requirements to monitor supply chains.  It is said that the number of companies sourcing only from conflict-free refiners and smelters has increased, which is encouraging, although they are still a small minority, but the majority of the largest companies in each sector still do not require their suppliers to source from conflict-free refiners and smelters.  It also notes that many companies continue to list smelters and refiners that have failed or have not undergone credible, independent conflict minerals audits in their supply chains.  It suggests what consumers should look for from companies in the new 2021 SEC filings?

https://thesentry.org/2021/05/25/6004/op-ed-conflict-minerals-companies-sourcing-conflict-free-refiners-smelters/

 

 

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On 28 May, the EU Neighbours website reported that the EU and the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) present a new study on Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) and Asset Recovery in Libya.  The report sheds light on the significant damage being caused to Libya as a result of unchecked IFF and on the importance of prioritizing the capture of illicitly-obtained assets linked to such IFF.

https://www.euneighbours.eu/sites/default/files/publications/2021-05/study%20Libya.pdf

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EU Regulation 2021/848/EU removed 5 entries from its sanctions list, on the grounds that these are deceased, and the existing entries for 25 individuals and 3 entities have been amended.

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2021.188.01.0018.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:2021:188:TOC

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/AUTO/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2021.188.01.0090.01.ENG&toc=OJ:L:2021:188:TOC

 

 

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A new Occasional Paper from RUSI details the financial behaviours of “self-activating” terrorists in planning their attacks and assesses why counter-terrorist finance controls have been ineffective in detecting them.  “Self-activating” terrorists involve so-called “lone wolf” attacks.  It is said that much of the current ‘conventional wisdom’ around these kinds of actors assumes that terrorist financing and a CFT response are not relevant to this growing threat and involving little to no preparation or financial resourcing.  In light of this, the European Commission commissioned RUSI Europe to carry out this research study to answer 2 related research questions –

How do self-activating terrorists operating in Europe conduct their financial attack preparations?

How should the CTF regime be changed to meet this pervasive terrorist threat?

The research findings included that self-activating terrorism can have a financial and commercial dimension and any financial activity is not necessarily negligible or invisible.  It also said that current CFT collaborations are not structurally flexible or wide-ranging enough to tackle the self-activating terrorist problem proactively.

https://www.projectcraaft.eu/s/A-New-Normal-Countering-the-Financing-of-Self-Activating-Terrorism-in-Europe.pdf

 

 

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On 26 May, The Art Newspaper reported that, after lobbying from art organisations, the UK Government has made last-minute decision that creators who sell their work direct to clients will not be classed as “Art Market Participants” and will not therefore not be liable under the revised AML regulations.

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/artists-will-not-be-subject-to-anti-money-laundering-regulations-uk-treasury-says

 

 

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