Author Archives: Kathrin Katanoba

There Is No Transparency

Posted on by

No Transparency in Kyrgyzstan’s Coronavirus Spending

The government of Kyrgyzstan is planning to spend $645 million on the COVID-19 crisis. But whether donations from its own citizens or grants and loans from international institutions, it is offering no detailed information on where the funds are going. One spokesperson said the government did not have the resources to track down the spending.
 

Credit to OCCRP: Compounding the issue, the country’s public procurement law was quietly changed in the middle of the crisis to ensure still greater secrecy.

On the very day the first COVID-19 cases were identified in the country in mid-March, the Ministry of Finance published a press release calling on “every caring citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic who sincerely wants to contribute” to donate money for the fight against the virus.

To ensure transparency, the government launched a website that would supposedly allow citizens to monitor the total amount of cash received, who it was from, and how it would be spent. It even set up a commission to distribute the funds.

“Several government bodies are members of the commission. I have no doubts about transparency,” said Amangeldi Isayev, deputy head of the ministry of agriculture and a member of the commission.

But the member of the commission from the NGO sector, Galina Chirkina, disagrees. She said that even members of the commission have not yet received all the details on how the money was spent, but the ministry of health promised to do so at the end of June.

“There is no transparency,” she said. “The government does nothing to provide transparency, nothing.”

Because the money was collected from the public, and is not technically from the government budget, there is also no oversight, she said.

“If it was state money, there is the financial police that checks the intended use. For the [donated money], only we can verify it because the financial police absolutely doesn’t care,” she said.

In practice, the information on the site is so general that it is impossible to understand what the money was actually spent on.

A total of almost $2.2 million has been collected so far, mainly from state employees who donated one day’s salary, as well as individuals, government bodies, and local businesses.

Most of the donations, over $1.8 million, were transferred to a new account in the Ministry of Health and almost all of that money was spent to pay medical workers as compensation for the risk of being infected. But the site does not reveal the names of those who were paid or any justification for their varying amounts of compensation. Moreover, some medical workers have complained that they were underpaid and that compensation was distributed unfairly.

An additional $294,000 was spent on groceries for people who needed assistance during the country’s lockdown, although it is not clear how many people received them. The rest of the money has not yet been allocated.

Citizen donations represent only a small fraction of the total amount the government plans to spend to combat the pandemic, however. It has allocated another $15.7 million for COVID-19 expenses from the state budget and received $250 million from international organizations in both grants and loans. Another $377 million are expected. But there is little information publicly available about how this money has been or will be spent, and the Ministry of Finance has not yet provided all the details to reporters.

Government spokesperson Chyngyz Esengul uulu declined to comment on why the government doesn’t reveal detailed information on spending and suggested the question be referred to the institutions, such as the ministry of health and ministry of finance, that actually spend the money.

The press secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Samat Toyaliyev, called the question “interesting” and explained that he also asked for detailed information but was told that it could not be given because of a lack of resources.

“I asked the employees of the Central Treasury, they said: ‘to figure it out, one employee has to sit for at least two weeks or a month’ … I was told that it is hard to figure it out,” he said.

When he was approached by a journalist again, he dodged the question and proposed that the reporter come and work as the head of the ministry’s press department….occrp.org

Credit- Edin Pasovic

IP Crime

Posted on by

and  its Link to other serioue crimes. Focus on Poly-Criminality.

Europol reports: The aim of this report is to inform law enforcement officials and policy makers about the various ways in which IP crime is linked to other forms of criminal activity. The report is in the form of a case book, presenting case examples where IP crime is linked to other forms of criminality.

IP CRIME AND ITS LINK TO OTHER SERIOUS CRIMES Focus on Poly-Criminality
europol-euipo_polycriminality_report

Criminals Profit From The COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted on by
New Europol report on latest developments of COVID-19 on the criminal landscape in the EU

During this unprecedented crisis, governments across Europe are intensifying their efforts to combat the global spread of the coronavirus by enacting various measures to support public health systems, safeguard the economy and to ensure public order and safety.

A number of these measures have a significant impact on the serious and organised crime landscape. Criminals have been quick to seize opportunities to exploit the crisis by adapting their modi operandi or engaging in new criminal activities. Factors that prompt changes in crime and terrorism include:

  • High demand for certain goods, protective gear and pharmaceutical products;
  • Decreased mobility and flow of people across and into the EU;
  • Citizens remain at home and are increasingly teleworking, relying on digital solutions;
  • Limitations to public life will make some criminal activities less visible and displace them to home or online settings;
  • Increased anxiety and fear that may create vulnerability to exploitation;
  • Decreased supply of certain illicit goods in the EU.

Building upon information provided by EU Member States and in-house expertise, Europol has published today a situational report analysing the current developments which fall into four main crime areas:

CYBERCRIME

The number of cyberattacks against organisations and individuals is significant and is expected to increase. Criminals have used the COVID-19 crisis to carry out social engineering attacks themed around the pandemic to distribute various malware packages. 

Cybercriminals are also likely to seek to exploit an increasing number of attack vectors as a greater number of employers institute telework and allow connections to their organisations’ systems.

Example: The Czech Republic reported a cyberattack on Brno University Hospital which forced the hospital to shut down its entire IT network, postpone urgent surgical interventions and re-route new acute patients to a nearby hospital.

FRAUD

Fraudsters have been very quick to adapt well-known fraud schemes to capitalise on the anxieties and fears of victims throughout the crisis. These include various types of adapted versions of telephone fraud schemes, supply scams and decontamination scams. A large number of new or adapted fraud schemes can be expected to emerge over the coming weeks are fraudsters will attempt to capitalise further on the anxieties of people across Europe. 

Example: An investigation supported by Europol focuses on the transfer of €6.6 million by a company to a company in Singapore in order to purchase alcohol gels and FFP3/2 masks. The goods were never received.

COUNTERFEIT AND SUBSTANDARD GOODS

The sale of counterfeit healthcare and sanitary products as well as personal protective equipment and counterfeit pharmaceutical products has increased manifold since the outbreak of the crisis. There is a risk that counterfeiters will use shortages in the supply of some goods to increasingly provide counterfeit alternatives both on- and offline.

Example: Between 3-10 March 2020, over 34 000 counterfeit surgical masks were seized by law enforcement authorities worldwide as part of Operation PANGEA supported by Europol. 

ORGANISED PROPERTY CRIME

Various types of schemes involving thefts \have been adapted by criminals to exploit the current situation. This includes the well-known scams involving the impersonation of representatives of public authorities. Commercial premises and medical facilities are expected to be increasingly targeted for organised burglaries.

Despite the introduction of further quarantine measures throughout Europe, the crime threat remains dynamic and new or adapted types of criminal activities will continue to emerge during the crisis and in its aftermath.

Example: Multiple EU Member States have reported on a similar modus operandi for theft. The perpetrators gain access to private homes by impersonating medical staff providing information material or hygiene products or conducting a “Corona test”.

Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said: “While many people are committed to fighting this crisis and helping victims, there are also criminals  who have been quick to seize the opportunities to exploit the crisis.  This is unacceptable: such criminal activities during a public health crisis are particularly threatening and can carry real risks to human lives.  That is why it is relevant more than ever to reinforce the fight against crime. Europol and its law enforcement partners are working closely together to ensure the health and safety of all citizens”.

European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said: “I welcome this new Europol report on latest developments of COVID-19 on the criminal landscape in the EU. The EU and Member States are stepping up efforts to keep people safe: National authorities and EU Agencies like Europol and ENISA are providing valuable input into how we can tackle this challenge together. I am determined to ensure that the Commission does all in its power to support law enforcement in the face of this new threat.”
Pandemic Profiteering How Criminals Exploit The Covid 19 Crisis
@Europol

Europol

Other Ways Of Money Laundering!

Posted on by

Art World: “Panic. Absolute Bloody Panic”
Can the art world clean up its act? In the secretive art market, new anti-money laundering legislation has landed like a bomb.

Jan Dalley reports:  A senior gallerist is describing the first reaction of fellow members of the Society of London Art Dealers to new regulations to combat money laundering in the art market. I’m hardly surprised: even after 15 years of covering the art world as a journalist, I’m often amazed by its peculiar codes and customs, still substantially based on relationships, private agreements and trust.

But this old-school way of doing things, which provides a climate ripe for exploitation by the unscrupulous, is under challenge from the modern world. There has long been concern over the ease with which suspect funds can be laundered through the buying and selling of art. Now, at last, we are seeing a concerted attempt to get to grips with the issue, which — even if welcomed by most — has sparked resentment and wariness. This almost unregulated sector doesn’t take easily or kindly to attempts to legislate it. What we do not know is whether the EU initiative — the fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which spread the net to include luxury goods, property and the art market, and which became law in the UK in January — will prove equal to a problem some have considered intractable.

The art trade seems almost ridiculously tailor-made for money laundering — because of the value of some pieces, because they are usually easily portable, and most of all because of the cult of secrecy that holds sway in the sector. There’s nothing inherently wrong with secretiveness; there can be valid and innocent reasons for it. But there’s clearly room for subterfuge. At least 50 per cent of all art transactions are entirely private and handshake deals are still common; even in the auction houses, which appear to be so public-facing, the price may be disclosed but the identities of both buyer and seller are often guarded to the grave.

Perhaps most significantly of all, there is no registration of ownership of artworks, as there is with shares or property — we don’t know for certain where even some of the most famous pictures are held, or who in fact owns them. Take Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”, one version of which sold in 1987 for a then spectacular $39.9m to a Japanese buyer (or possibly his company): does anyone know where it is now? …..FT.com
Financial Times: @FT

ft.com

 

Josef Ackermann’s Leadership Changed The Bank In 2002

Posted on by

Dark Towers’ exposes chaos and corruption at the bank that holds Trump’s secrets.
Deutsche Bank was willing to work with Donald Trump when others would not. In his book, David Enrich details Deutsche Bank’s quest to become the world’s largest bank — and how its corporate culture led to countless.

Dave Davies reports: In the 1990s, long before he became president, Donald Trump was known as a cash-strapped New York City businessman with shaky credit.

“His record of defaulting on loans and stiffing his business partners was very long and very well-documented,” New York Times finance editor David Enrich says. “Any mainstream financial institution that had competent risk management systems in place — there is no way they were going to do business with Donald Trump.”

Enter Deutsche Bank, which Enrich says was a “second-tier player” in the banking world in the 1990s. Seeking to make a name for itself, the bank was willing to work with Trump when others would not.

“The bank was so hungry for profits, for short-term profits, and so hungry to make a name for itself in the United States that it was really eager to just disregard any red flags that presented themselves with clients,” Enrich says. “Trump would default on a bond offering. He would default on a loan. He would sue the bank. And yet, time after time, Deutsche Bank executives kept going back to him for more business.”

On Deutsche Bank’s concerns about Trump holding political office…
On Deutsche Bank’s ties to the Nazi regime…
On Deutsche Bank’s transformation in the 1990s…
On Deutsche Bank violating American sanctions…
On Deutsche Bank laundering money for Russian customers…
On the chaos at the Deutsche Bank office in Jacksonville, Fla., which analyzes suspicious transactions…
mprnews.org

www.paolo-calleri.de/

Women in the Service of Jihad

Posted on by

 – Buds of Gender Equality?

Keren Shein Daskal and Dr. Eitan Azani report:  One of the most surprising developments in female involvement within various Islamic terrorist organizations is the way Jihadi organizations have allowed women to assume various roles, including battlefield positions and execution of terror attacks. These women are integrated into an arena that from a historical and classical perspective has been a male dominated-arena (Von Knop, 2007).

The number of women in Jihadi organizations has gradually grown since 1976. Between 1985-2010 female terrorists have perpetrated over 275 suicide bombing, about 25% of the total attacks, on behalf of various organizations around the world. These women have killed hundreds of men, women and children and injured scores of others (Bloom, 2011). It is evident that the common denominator between female motivation to partake and terror organizations’ motives to let them in has expanded and enabled this phenomenon.

Even though classic Islam has consistently frowned upon female participation in Jihad, radical Islam takes a different approach and tries to justify their participation. For example, to date, there are a number of Fatwas that allow female participation in Jihad and even female suicide bombers (Von Knop, 2007; Davis, 2013). Terror is perceived as a male-dominated field, among other reasons, due to the fact that the percentage of terror attacks perpetrated by women, although on an upward trend, is still very low. This number leads to a flawed analysis of the phenomenon and belittles women’s’ contribution to Jihad’s survival and the scope of terrorism.

A large body of research is dedicated to the “male” Jihad that often includes violence and terror attacks whereas most of the women who identify themselves as radical Muslims adopt a “feminine” Jihad that is perceived as “softer” than its male counterpart because it is far less violent. Women’s’ long-term contribution to Jihad is in some respects even harder to eradicate than the “male” Jihad (Von Knop, 2007). The classic “female” Jihad is manifested in many “soft” fields such as fundraising, indoctrination and incitement trough education and of course steering the private household (husband and children) towards Jihad…Women in the Service of Jihad .ict.org.il

signetoons.com

WEF: Live

Posted on by

Fighting against “Organised Crime, Money Laundering, Offshore Structures and Corruption” would be very important for climate and environment.

W-T-W Women and Finance is writing and speaking to inform women worldwide.
Women Networks Fight Against Corruption and Money Laundering

Environment and Climate in the Grip of Organised Crime:
Finanz-Treff / Umwelt im Griff der Organisierte Kriminalität

Follow the WEF Sessions:  Live Annual Meeting-2020 / 21—24 January 2020

Foto: Christopher Hunt/GQ Magazine/Press Association Images/dpa

The Diamond Deal That Rocked Angola

Posted on by

For Sindika Dokolo and Isabel dos Santos,
a stake in De Grisogono was a status symbol.
But Angola claims it has been left to foot a $200m bill

Hilary Osborne and Caelainn Barr report: The jeweller De Grisogono may not be a household name, but it has cachet among the stars. Its annual party at the Cannes film festival is a sparkling occasion, and not just for the A-listers who get to wear the diamond necklaces the company produces.

This is a glamorous world – and one in which Isabel dos Santos, Africa’s richest woman and daughter of the former president of Angola, and her husband, Sindika Dokolo, have had a place since he acquired a stake in the Swiss company in 2012. But this share of one of the world’s most prestigious jewellery makers, and the money behind it, is now part of an investigation in Angola, where prosecutors have said they are looking at allegations that the couple enriched themselves at the expense of the country….Theguardian.com

LUANDA LEAKS
How Africa’s richest woman exploited family ties, shell companies and inside deals to build an empire.
Isabel dos Santos made a fortune at the expense of the Angolan people, Luanda Leaks reveals.

  • Two decades of unscrupulous deals that made Isabel dos Santos Africa’s wealthiest woman and left oil- and diamond-rich Angola one of the poorest countries on Earth.
  • A web of more than 400 companies and subsidiaries in 41 countries linked to Isabel dos Santos or her husband, Sindika Dokolo, including 94 in secrecy jurisdictions like Malta, Mauritius and Hong Kong.
  • How a cadre of Western business advisers moved money, set up companies, audited accounts, suggested ways to avoid taxes and turned a blind eye to red flags that experts say should have raised serious concern.
  • Directed hundreds of millions of loans and contracts to her companies.
    ….icij.org

Engineering an Empire

Luanda Leaks exposes decades of insider deals that made Isabel dos Santos Africa’s richest woman. The trove of more than 715,000 records also reveals a vast network of shell companies used by dos Santos and her husband, Sindika Dokolo, to hold money, buy real estate and purchase stakes in banks, telecom, energy companies and more. Hit the play button to see their empire grow, or use the toggles at the top to explore by jurisdiction or industry.  Download the Data:

  • How Africa’s richest woman exploited family ties, shell companies and inside deals to build an empire
    icij.org/investigations/luanda-leaks

Malta Gets New PM Amid Daphne Caruana Galizia Murder Probe

Posted on by

Malta has a new prime minister following the resignation of the former leader, Joseph Muscat, whose top adviser was linked to the car bomb murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

One of Caruana Galizia’s sons, Andrew, told The Guardian that Abela was a political unknown who had just days to prove whether he would break with Muscat’s legacy, or seek to defend it.

Hamish Boland-Rudder reports:  Malta’s new prime minister has promised to strengthen the rule of law on the tiny island nation, following the resignation of his predecessor whose top adviser has been linked to the car bomb murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Lawmaker Robert Abela was sworn in as the country’s new prime minister at a ceremony on Monday. His predecessor, Joseph Muscat, resigned shortly beforehand, after six years in the role.

Abela defeated Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne in a Labor Party leadership ballot on Sunday. The son of a former Maltese Prime Minister, he has little political experience. He is a first-term lawmaker, who was elected to Parliament in 2017.

Abela vowed that he would strengthen the rule of law in the country, according to local media, while steering clear of addressing the probe into Caruana Galizia’s killing. He has
also promised to focus on social issues….icij.org

Malta: Robert Abela must initiate political restart

MEP Sven Giegold, financial and economic policy spokesperson of the Greens/EFA group, comments on the assumption of office of Malta’s new Prime Minister Robert Abela:

“Abela faces the great challenge of initiating a political restart in Malta. A restart is only possible if he clearly distances himself from the old system of corruption and clientelism. Abela deserves a chance, but scepticism is appropriate. He was a legal advisor to former Prime Minister Muscat and thus part of the old system. Malta must finally comply with European rules when it comes to anti-money laundering, the independence of the judiciary and banking supervision. Corruption and clientelism in public procurement and in planning procedures in the construction industry must be consistently prosecuted.

The new government must tackle all the problems that led to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. To this end, the Maltese Government must fully implement the recommendations of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission. The European Commission should immediately start the dialogue with the new Maltese leadership in the context of the rule of law procedure. Europe can no longer ignore the culture of impunity for money laundering and corruption. The EU Commission must initiate an Article 7 procedure if no progress is made by the Maltese government”…sven-giegold.de

cleaning up?

W-T-W Women and Finance Congratulates the Winner of the Cartoon of the Year 2019

Posted on by

W-T-W Women and Finance Founder Dagmar Frank announces the winner of W-T-W.org Women and Finance Cartoon of the Year.

Congratulations to Liza Donnelly for her outstanding work.

Each and every one of our cartoonists deserves a prize.  W-T-W Women and Finance is proud to publish their important and tantalizing work. From a large pool of distinguished cartoons, voters selected this year Liza Donnelly.

She is a writer and award-winning cartoonist with The New Yorker Magazine, where she has been drawing cartoons and writing about culture and politics for over thirty years.
@lizadonnelly
Liza Donnelly.com
Alone we are invisible together we are invincible