Day: May 18, 2023

Given that traffic pollution in the city is so bad that one thinks about continuing using one’s Covid face mask, good news that the city bus company is trialling vehicles powered by natural gas on various routes from next week. There are also electric minibuses on order for use in the old city (which is very car unfriendly, as one can imagine).

Meanwhile, talking about Covid, the latest statistics have been released, for the week ending 13 May. Not only is the illness continuing to bubble away in the background, but the number of new cases at 664 is 10 more than the previous week. There was 1 new fatality attributed to Covid, with 1 person in ICU and 48 in other hospital wards (the latter down from the previous week’s figure of 54).

18 MAY 2023

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/KoIvM842y

The Basel Institute on Governance has issued this Quick Guide which briefly explains the unique characteristics of the art market that make it vulnerable to this type of abuse.  It also outlines steps that jurisdictions can take to prevent and combat abuse of the sector for illicit purposes.

https://baselgovernance.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/230412-quickguide_29.pdf

The Basel Institute on Governance has issued 2 new articles following the decision of FATF to remove the countries from its list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring (“grey list”) in February.  The briefings cover the main issues that led to them being grey-listed, the action plan developed to address them, and publicly available data on how it was implemented. 

https://baselgovernance.org/publications/basel-aml-index-briefing-moroccos-delisting-fatf-grey-list

https://baselgovernance.org/publications/basel-aml-index-briefing-cambodias-delisting-fatf-grey-list

On 16 May, the Environmental Investigation Agency published this report saying that Myanmar is one of the world’s biggest producers of high-quality natural teak, prized for its water-resistant properties and highly prized for decking and fixtures on the superyachts of the wealthy.  However, teak imports into US are prohibited by sanctions imposed in response to the violent military coup in Myanmar.

https://eia-international.org/report/acts-of-defiance-ii-acts-of-defiance-ii-us-companies-break-sanctions-to-import-teak-from-myanmar/

On 15 May, a report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime is the result of an organised crime-based security threat assessment of airports in the Western Balkans – though it also notes that illicit activities are also being conducted using private jets that land at minor airports and airstrips.  The focus is limited to 2 major airports, which are presented as case studies: Belgrade and Skopje’s international airports.  These seem to be the hubs for illicit activities related to human trafficking, smuggling of migrants and goods, as well as main entry points for shipments of drugs and precursors.

https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/illicit-flows-balkan-airports/

On 18 May, the GFIU advised that it had published its latest annual report and strategic plan.  The report includes strategic analysis spanning from 2019 to 2022.  It is said that a significant milestone has been the successful establishment of the Financial Liaison & Intelligence Network (FLINT), Gibraltar’s Public-Private Partnership aimed at combating Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Proliferation Financing.  The Strategic Analysis Report highlights an increase in Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR), submitted by certain sectors, such as Banks and Trust and Corporate Service Providers (TCSP), when compared to 2021.  It is said that there has been a noteworthy decrease in defensive reporting and an improvement in the percentage of SAR meeting the GFIU standards.

https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/press-releases/gfiu-publishes-2022-annual-report-with-strategic-analysis-and-its-latest-3-year-strategic-plan-3162023-8878