The International Enforcement Law Reporter is a monthly print and online journal covering news and trends in international enforcement law.
Since September 1985, the International Enforcement Law Reporter has analyzed the premier developments in both the substantive and procedural aspects of international enforcement law. Read by practitioners, academics, and politicians, the IELR is a valuable guide to the difficult and dynamic field of international law.
On June 5, 2020, Europol started the new European Financial and Economic Crime Center (EFECC). The European Union Anti-money Laundering Action Report[1] mentioned the start of the EFECC, partly in response to the various anti-money laundering scandals in the European Union (e.g., Danske Bank[2] and Swedbank.)[3]
On June 3, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska a forfeiture complaint[1] alleging that assets equivalent to more than $20 million are subject to forfeiture based on violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and federal money laundering statutes.[2]
[1] U.S. v. Funds in the Amount of 73,293,750AED (Approximately $20 Million) in the Possession and Control of Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA), U.S. District Court D. Alaska, Civil No. 3:20-cv-00126-JMK, June 3, 2020.
[2] U.S. Department of Justice, Justice Department Seeks Forfeiture of More than $20 Million in Assets Relating to Unlawful Use of U.S. Financial System to evade and Violate Iranian Sanctions, Press Rel., June 3, 2020.
On May 28, 2020 , the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia unsealed an indictment, charging 28 North Korean and five Chinese nationals with using more than 350 shell companies to launder over $2.5 billion in assets through the international financial system.[1]
[1] U.S. v. Col Cho Man, U.S. District Court for D.C., Case No. 1:30-cr-00032-RC, Feb. 5, 2020 https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/6971-north-korea-indictment/422a99ddac0c39459226/optimized/full.pdf#page=1
On May 26, 2020, Judge Chana Lomp of the Jerusalem District Court determined in a 40-page ruling that Malka Leifer is fit to stand trial on charges of child sexual abuse in relation to the extradition warrant from Australia.[1]
On May 28, 2020, in the case of United States v. Meng, 2020 BCSC 785, Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes of the Supreme Court of British Columbia denied Wanzhou Meng’s request for an order discharging her from the extradition process on the basis that, as a matter of law, the “double criminality” requirement for extradition cannot be met.[1]
On May 7, 2020, the European Commission published an ambitious and multifaceted Action Plan, which sets out concrete measures that the Commission will take over the next 12 months to better enforce, supervise, and coordinate the EU's rules on combating money laundering and terrorist financing. The aim of this new, comprehensive approach is to shut down any remaining loopholes and remove any weak links in the EU's rules.[1
On May 20, 2020, United States authorities detained former Green Beret Michael Taylor, 59, and his son Peter, 26, in Massachusetts on charges that they helped ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn escape Japan last December.[1]
Since, 2016, May 23, 2020 has marked the annual EU Day against Impunity for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, Eurojust, and the Network for investigation and prosecution of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes (the Genocide Network) co-organized this day.[1]
On May 4, 2020, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the transfer of $311,797.876.11 to the Nigerian government pursuant to a February 3, 2020 trilateral agreement among the governments of the U.S., Nigeria, and Jersey.[1] The agreement repatriates assets the U.S. forfeited that were traceable to the kleptocracy of former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and his co-conspirators.[2]
