Day: October 27, 2022

On 27 October, the EU Commission advised that is proposing to update EU rules on the import, export and transit of firearms for civilian use. As many as 35 million illicit firearms are estimated to be in the hands of civilians in the EU, and around 630,000 firearms are listed as stolen or lost in the Schengen Information System.  The revised rules are intended to enhance security and address firearms trafficking, and will enable coordinated controls and risk assessments to improve the traceability of firearms.  It is now for the European Parliament and the Council to examine the proposal. Once adopted, the rules will be directly applicable across the EU.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_22_6427

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/QANDA_22_6428

Factsheet –

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/files/attachment/873824/Factsheet%20firearms.pdf.pdf

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On 27 October, ICIJ announced a widespread series of reports and an ICIJ investigation examines networks of companies, people and business practices that draw profit from cross-border labour trafficking and sex trafficking.  It says that the UN estimates, nearly 28 million adults and children around the world are trapped in jobs that are so oppressive that they amount to modern slavery or human trafficking.  The new investigation – “Trafficking Inc – by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and other media partners has begun examining human trafficking in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the US.

https://www.icij.org/investigations/trafficking-inc

https://www.icij.org/investigations/trafficking-inc/about-trafficking-inc/

FOREIGN WORKERS FOR DEFENCE CONTRACTORS ON AT LEAST 4 US MILITARY BASES IN THE PERSIAN GULF ARE TRAPPED IN THEIR JOBS BY ABUSIVE EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES

https://www.icij.org/investigations/trafficking-inc/us-military-bases-trafficked-workers/

MASSACHUSETTS: VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING ARE HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT IN THE STATE

https://www.icij.org/investigations/trafficking-inc/human-trafficking-perpetrators-in-massachusetts-almost-never-held-accountable/

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

On 27 October, the EU Sanctions blog reported on the release of this annual report and what it says about sanctions enforcement.  It says that additional guidance is due from the SRA in November, and in the coming year, the SRA will increase its work on sanctions compliance.

https://www.europeansanctions.com/2022/10/sra-publishes-2021-22-anti-money-laundering-annual-report/

https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/research-publications/aml-annual-report-2021-22/

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

On 20 October, a report from Global Financial Integrity says that international trade system has witnessed the rapid growth of various types of free trade zones (FTZ) in recent decades.  While the major attraction for companies operating in FTZ is the reduced or omitted import taxes on goods, traders are also drawn to the speed provided by streamlined procedures and limited customs oversight in many of the zones.  This report documents how some of these very attributes that attract companies to the zones – less regulatory oversight, reduced paperwork, streamlined procedures – also help facilitate illicit activity by smugglers, money launderers, and organised criminal networks.  It argues that steps must be taken to improve customs oversight of the zones.  To assist in this process, Global Financial Integrity (GFI) makes several recommendations directed at international organisations and national governments to improve the oversight of FTs and reduce the current degrees of opacity.

https://gfintegrity.org/report/blind-spots/

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The NSW Crime Commission published this Report on 26 October.  The Project was established to:

• investigate the nature and extent of money laundering that may be occurring in licensed premises in New South Wales with particular reference to the use of gaming machines;  
• identify potential vulnerabilities within the regulations and legislation governing gaming machines which could be exploited for the purpose of laundering; and
• furnish reports about matters relating to money laundering through electronic gaming machines to government.

It says that across the state, $95 billion was gambled (turned over) in electronic gaming machines (EGM) in pubs and clubs in the year ending 30 June 2021.  There are almost 100,000 EGM licenced to be used in NSW, with 86,747 of these currently available in gaming rooms.  From corner pubs in regional towns to large multi‐venue conglomerates of registered clubs, EGM are broadly accessible.  The Inquiry found that a significant amount of money which is put through poker machines is the proceeds of crime, or ‘dirty money’, and assesses that billions of dollars gambled in NSW in the year to 30 June 2021 was dirty money. 

https://www.crimecommission.nsw.gov.au/final-islington-report.pdf

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This 8-page booklet is intended for reporters of Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR), produced in line with the NCA commitment to share perspectives on the SAR regime.  It contains a sanitised summary of feedback from law enforcement agencies (LEA) on their use of SAR and includes pertinent information and updates from the UKFIU.

https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/who-we-are/publications/617-sars-reporter-booklet-oct-2022/file

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On 27 October, the UN Office for Drugs and Crime said that, despite being listed as one of the forms of exploitation in the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, to date human trafficking for organ removal has received scant attention from anti-trafficking stakeholders and the international community.  However, this new Toolkit is designed to encourage the proactive investigation of possible cases or red flag indicators.  It focuses on organised criminal networks and the illicit financial flows stemming from them.

https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act2/tip-for-or-toolkit.html

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On 26 October, 2 news releases advised that –

North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, align themselves with Council Decision 2022/1367/EU re EU Tunisian sanctions;

North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, align themselves with Council Decision 2022/1986/EU which adds 3 individuals and 1 entity involved in the development and delivery of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to Russia.

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/10/26/statement-by-the-high-representative-on-behalf-of-the-eu-on-the-alignment-of-certain-countries-concerning-restrictive-measures-directed-against-certain-persons-and-entities-in-view-of-the-situation-in-tunisia/

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022/10/26/statement-by-the-high-representative-on-behalf-of-the-eu-on-the-alignment-of-certain-countries-concerning-restrictive-measures-in-respect-of-actions-undermining-or-threatening-the-territorial-integrity-sovereignty-and-independence-of-ukrain/

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

The Toolkit is a dynamic interactive web-based resource for legal professionals who work with matters at the intersection of international law and cyberspace.  It consists of 28 hypothetical scenarios.  Each scenario contains a description of cyber incidents inspired by real-world examples, accompanied by detailed legal analysis.  The aim of the analysis is to examine the applicability of international law to the scenarios and the issues they raise.

https://cyberlaw.ccdcoe.org/wiki/Main_Page

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On 26 October, an article from Mayer Brown said that the Department maintains a list of goods and their source countries which it has reason to believe are produced by child labour or forced labour in violation of international standards, as required under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act 2005 (TVPRA).

https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/perspectives-events/publications/2022/10/us-department-of-labor-publishes-10th-edition-of-list-of-goods-produced-by-child-labor-or-forced-labor-focus-includes-china

https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ILAB/child_labor_reports/tda2021/2022-TVPRA-List-of-Goods-v3.pdf

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y