Day: March 23, 2023

It is reported today that, apparently, Panama is experiencing an unusual number of cases of malaria. Scientists from the Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies (ICGES) in Panama City made the announcement. It seems that in the province of Darién (the wild area on the Colombian border) the highest incidence of cases is because of 2 native strains which, although less aggressive, are causing asymptomatic or subclinical symptoms that contribute to the increase in contagion. It was also suggested that the increase in cases of the disease could also be associated with other factors, including the large increase in migration at the Colombian/Panamanian border. Only the anopheles genus of the mosquito transmits malaria. As I think I have mentioned before, the advent of the rainy season is when we, in the city, tend to see (or feel!) more mosquitos, and that means around this time of year.

23 MARCH 2023

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

On 22 March, ACAMS reported that the executive secretary of the FATF affiliate in Europe has left his position following revelations about his family ties to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR.  Russian national Igor Nebyvaev had led the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures, or Moneyval, since March 2020.  FATF barred Russia from participating in meetings in October and formally suspended the country’s membership in February.

https://www.moneylaundering.com/news/moneyval-chief-quits-after-report-links-him-to-russian-intelligence/

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

On 20 March, a report from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Science says that, across Latin America, transnational criminal organisations, transnational gangs, and extra-regional actors supporting authoritarian regimes are exploiting growing cracks in the region’s weak financial regulations by transferring parts of their financial holdings to cryptocurrency, thereby avoiding detection and asset seizures.  Opportunities for criminal use of crypto have significantly increased in the past few years; a growing number of high corruption governments, which also act as money laundering havens, are actively courting unvetted crypto investors with purposeful deregulation and opacity.

https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2023/03/20/the-growing-use-of-cryptocurrencies-by-transnational-organized-crime-groups-in-latin-america/

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

On 23 March, Al Jazeera published its report saying that there are rival gangs — with many different characters.  From new-age pastors to old-school smugglers, and from diplomats to the Zimbabwean president’s niece.  Al Jazeera’s investigation has uncovered a band of criminals driving gold smuggling and money laundering worth billions of dollars in southern Africa.  It some of the key individuals running the mafia.  These include a gold smuggler from Kenya who has now moved his operations to Dubai and is smuggling gold from all over Africa, mostly from Zimbabwe, under cover of running a church.  Another is one of Zimbabwe’s most influential diplomats, a special envoy and ambassador-at-large to Europe and the Americas since 2021.  Another is a pastor in Angel’s Good News Church and a musician.  Another is a woman who is the president of Zimbabwe’s mining association and a niece of President Mnangagwa.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/23/gold-mafia-godmen-conmen-president-niece

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/23/gold-smuggler-pattni-kenya-zimbabwe

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/23/top-zimbabwe-ambassador-gold-smuggling

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/23/gold-mafia-looting-southern-africa

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y