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☆ Billionaire Bernard Arnault hits back at 'absurd' and 'senseless' money laundering allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Billionaire LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault has hit back at allegations of money laundering, after the Paris prosecutor's office confirmed it is investigating financial transactions between Arnault and Russian oligarch Nikolai Sarkisov. In a statement, Arnault's attorney, Jacqueline Laffont, said the allegations were "absurd and unfounded." The investigation, seemingly under way, will demonstrate these facts," she said in an emailed statement over the weekend. "Furthermore, who could seriously imagine that Bernard Arnault, who has developed over the past 40 years the leading French and European company, would pursue money laundering to expand a hotel? I believe the senseless nature of these allegations will be recognized by all."

Persons: Bernard Arnault, Nikolai Sarkisov, Jacqueline Laffont Organizations: Paris, Sarkisov Locations: Courchevel

☆ LVMH boss Bernard Arnault under investigation in Paris over Russian oligarch transactions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, attends a news conference to present the 2022 annual results of LVMH in Paris, France, January 26, 2023. The prosecutor's office declined to comment further on the ongoing investigations. The Paris public prosecutor's office is investigating LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault over financial transactions involving Russian oligarch Nikolai Sarkisov. "All transactions were carried out by French companies, through French notaries by French lawyers on all sides. He added that neither the company nor Sarkisov had received any request for documents from French authorities.

Persons: Bernard Arnault, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Le, Sarkisov, France's, Nikolai Sarkisov, Arnault, Igor Ivanov, Ivanov, LVMH Organizations: LVMH, CNBC Locations: Paris, France, Arnault, Belgium, Courchevel

☆ How Mexican narcos use remittances to wire U.S. drug profits home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +28 min

Now the news agency is the first to detail how Mexican drug gangs have harnessed legitimate remittance networks to repatriate their U.S. drug profits, and the factors that make this activity so difficult for authorities to detect and thwart. But authorities say Mexican drug cartels are piggybacking on this legal network to repatriate earnings from U.S. narcotics sales. A Reuters search of Mexican court records dating back to 2012 turned up no cases involving money laundering through remittances. Still, prosecutors in those cases mentioned several of those firms in court documents because they said the defendants had used their platforms to wire drug money. His office did not respond to requests for comment about law enforcement allegations that Mexican cartels are using remittances to launder drug money.

Persons: Money, ”, “, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, ” Jorge Godínez, ” Godínez, John Cornyn of, Chuck Grassley, ” Grassley, pocketing, John Horn, remitters ”, Horn, – Oscar Gustavo Perez, Bernal, Itzayana Guadalupe Perez, Susan Fiorella Ayala, Chavez –, Los, –, Jose Luis Rosales, Ocampo, Josue Gama, Perez, Thania Rosales, Dulce Rosales, – Ana Lilia Leal, Martinez, Ana Paola Banda, Maria de Lourdes Carbajal, Henri Watson, Carbajal, Sigue, Sangita Bricker, Transfast –, ” Sigue, Transfast, fanny, Juan de Dios Gámez, Rubén Rocha, BanCoppel, Banorte, hadn’t, El, López Obrador, ” López Obrador, Signos, Signos Vitales, Oquitoa, Enrique Cardenas, Tim Walz, Keith Ellison Organizations: Sinaloa Cartel, Reuters, Jalisco New, Mexican, WorldRemit, ., National Intelligence, narcos, U.S, Republican U.S, Treasury, U.S . Department of, U.S ., Financial Intelligence Unit, “, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Los Rosales, Kansas City, ”, Leal, IDT Corporation, IDT, Mastercard, Express Cellular, Prosecutors, IRS, Western Union, U.S . Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, ‘, Banco Azteca, Elektra, World Bank, Minnesota, Caborca Locations: CULIACÁN, Mexico, Mexican, Culiacán, Sinaloa, United States, Jalisco, U.S, Colorado, Union, Americas, London, John Cornyn of Texas, Iowa, Ohio, Colorado , Georgia , Ohio , Oklahoma , Texas, Virginia, Washington, Georgia, Atlanta, Columbus, Rosales, Nayarit, Michoacan, Missouri, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Miami, , New Jersey, Ria, Kansas, California, New York, Western, Sinaloan, Costa Rica, BanCoppel, India, China, Mexico City, Minnesota, Arizona , Colorado , Florida , Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, Oquitoa, Sonora

☆ Ten foreigners arrested as $735 million in cash and assets seized in Singapore
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Ten foreign nationals have been arrested in Singapore on suspicion of committing offenses such as forgery and money laundering after about S$1 billion ($735 million) worth of cash and assets were seized in raids across the country. Two gold bars, more than S$23 million ($17 million) in cash, more than 250 luxury bags and watches, more than 270 jewelry items, more than 120 electronic devices and 11 documents related to virtual assets were seized, according to police. Also targeted were 94 properties and 50 vehicles, with an estimated total value of more than S$815 million ($599 million), police added. Prohibition of disposal orders were issued against 50 vehicles and 94 properties -- with an estimated total value of more than S$815 million ($599 million). If found guilty, individuals charged with money laundering could face up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Persons: David Chew, Ho Hern Shin Organizations: CNN, Singapore Police Force, Police, Facebook, Reuters, Cypriot, Commercial Affairs Department, Financial Intelligence, Monetary Authority of Singapore, MAS, Gallup’s Global Locations: Singapore

Before he was fired by Pope Francis over another issue, Becciu was one of the most powerful men in the Vatican. The Vatican sold the building last year, taking an estimated loss of about 140 million euros. The others on trial include several Vatican employees and two outside brokers who the Vatican has accused of extortion. He asked the court to confiscate 172 million euros of Mincione's assets and 71 million euros of Torzi's. At the time of Becciu's firing, he was also stripped of what the Vatican then said were his "rights associated with being a cardinal".

Persons: Becciu, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, Pope Francis, Alessandro Diddi, Diddi, Raffaele Mincione, Rene Bruelhart, Tommaso Di Ruzza, Cecilia Marogna, Phil Pullella, Andrew Heavens, Toby Chopra, Alison Williams Organizations: VATICAN CITY, Vatican, of State, Vatican's Financial Intelligence, Thomson Locations: London, Vatican, Swiss, Mali, al Qaeda

☆ A Mexico soccer icon entered politics. Prosecutors say narcos followed
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Cuernavaca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +27 min

Regional politicians, officials and military officers gathered in the Morelos state capital of Cuernavaca for breakfast in February 2022 to mark Mexico’s annual Army day. Mexican drug lords have a long tradition of buying off politicians in exchange for government protection of their illicit trade. Attempts to reach two of the alleged drug traffickers in the photo – Figueroa and Irving Solano Vera – were unsuccessful. Prosecutors in April asked the Morelos state congress to impeach Blanco so that he could be stripped of that shield. “He likes me very much because I’m not a politician,” Blanco told Reuters, in reference to the president.

☆ U.S. Warns Banks to Watch for Russian Oligarchs Investing in Commercial Real Estate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Dylan Tokar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Banks should be on alert for Russian oligarchs attempting to circumvent U.S. sanctions by investing in commercial real estate, a U.S. Treasury Department watchdog said. Sanctioned individuals may try to use pooled investment vehicles or offshore funds to avoid due-diligence processes, FinCEN said in its alert. Sanctioned individuals could keep lowering their stakes to avoid detection, while still maintaining control of the fund, FinCEN said. Sanctioned individuals aren’t just investing in high-end or luxury properties, according to the alert. Federal prosecutors have warned that lawyers, consultants and other service providers who work for sanctioned individuals could run afoul of the law.

[1/5] Supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrate against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as security forces operate, outside Brazil?s National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, January 8, 2023. Launched in November 2020 and run by Brazil's central bank, Pix is free of charge for individuals, allowing them to instantly transfer money to others via online banking apps. Since its launch, over 133 million Brazilians and almost 12 million companies have made or received Pix transfers, according to the central bank. INVESTIGATIVE TRAILPolice, money-laundering experts and central bank officials said Pix donations will be central to investigators' efforts to uncover who orchestrated the insurrection. Pix transfers are covered by bank secrecy laws, and police can only access a suspect's transaction history with judicial authorization.

☆ Nigeria to bar cash withdrawals from government accounts - statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABUJA, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Nigerian officials will be barred from withdrawing cash from government accounts from March 1, the head of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) said in a statement. "Civil servants are becoming more and more vulnerable to money laundering and its predicate offences due to their exposure to cash withdrawals from public accounts," NFIU director and chief executive Modibbo R. HammanTukur said in the statement. NFIU analysis found that from 2015 to 2022, officials withdrew nearly 1.1 trillion naira ($2.45 billion) from government accounts - most of it exceeding previous withdrawal limits. Last month, Nigeria's central bank began circulating newly designed 200, 500 and 1,000 naira notes and limited weekly cash withdrawals in order to curb inflation and move towards a cashless economy. Almost 85% of the 3.23 trillion naira ($7.2 billion) in cash in circulation is now held outside of banks.

☆ FTX remains focus of 'active' investigation, Bahamas attorney general says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 27 (Reuters) - Collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX remains the subject of "an active and ongoing investigation" by Bahamian authorities, Bahamian Attorney General Ryan Pinder said on Sunday, as he praised the Bahamas' regulatory regime and swiftness with which it responded to the crisis. FTX, which had been among the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, is headquartered in the Bahamas. In mid-November, the Royal Bahamas Police said that government investigators in the Bahamas were looking at whether any "criminal misconduct occurred." read more"We are in the early stages of an active and ongoing investigation," Pinder said on Sunday, according to prepared remarks for the speech. Bahamas securities regulators had revoked FTX Digital's license and began involuntary liquidation proceedings the day before the U.S. bankruptcy case kicked off.

☆ Small Business Group Challenges Law Requiring Corporate-Ownership Disclosure
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Dylan Tokar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

A small business group is suing to block a law that was designed to stop money-laundering by rooting out the use of anonymous shell companies. The Corporate Transparency Act, the law’s formal name, was passed as part of annual defense spending legislation and signed into law last year. The group filed its lawsuit with Isaac Winkles of Huntsville, Ala., who owns a small business managing real-estate properties. The lawsuit poses a new challenge to FinCEN, which has already missed the mandated timeline for launching the corporate-ownership database. In addition to setting up the corporate-transparency database, the law also requires FinCEN to take a number of other steps—a whistleblower award program, among others—to strengthen the U.S.’s anti-money-laundering safeguards.

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