On August 7, 2012, the New York State Department of Financial Services issued an order, alleging that for almost ten years Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), a wholly owned subsidiary of Standard Chartered plc conspired with the Government of Iran and hid from regulators roughly 60,000 secret transactions, involving at least $250 billion, and making SCB hundreds of millions of dollars in fees.

After successfully arguing to Interpol that Idonesia had been abusing the red notice system for political purposes, Interpol has removed the red notice for Benny Wenda, leader of the West Papuan independence movement. This removal signifies and urgent need to address the abused red notice system within Interpol. After escaping from an Indonesian prison in 2002, Wenda was granted asylum in the United Kingdom and has continued to represent the West Papuan movement as a leader in exile.

The Camorra, one of Europe's largest criminal organizations, has had five key leaders designated today by the U.S. Department of the Treasury today (under its authority to impose sanctions targeting transnational organized crime). The list of the criminal activity within the Camorra is long and recent incidents have included money laundering, extortion, alien smuggling, robbery, blackmail, kidnapping, political corruption, and counterfeiting. While based in Italy, the Camorra conducts its operations all over the world. 

France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the United States have published a "Model Intergovernmental Agreement to Improve Tax Compliance and Implemenet FATCA."  The new agreement is available as both a reciprocal and non-reciprocal form.  The six countries signed onto the Model Agreement as part of an effort to encourage tax compliance for citizens residing in those countries. 

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued a decision stating that Senegal must, "without delay," try Hissene Habre, the ex-leader of Chad who is currently under house arrest in Senegal.  Prior to being ousted from power in 2005, Mr. Habre stands accused of killing and torturing tens of thousands of his opponents during his time in power.  If Senegal does not try Mr. Habre, the ICJ insisted that he be extradited to Belgium instead.  Senegal has rejected multiple extradition requests from Belgium in the past regarding Mr. Habre.

On July 17, 2012,  a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations report and hearing reviewed how HSBC and its U.S. affiliate exposed the U.S. financial system to a wide array of money laundering, drug trafficking, and terrorist financing risks due to poor anti-money laundering (AML) controls

    On June 12, 2012, two French judges issued an arrest warrant for Teodorin Obiang, who is agriculture minister and the son of Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, on charges of money-laundering, judicial sources said on Friday.

    The judges, Roger Le Loire and Rene Grouman, suspect Teodorin Obiang of stealing state funds to buy real estate in France. Teodorin has denied any wrongdoing.

The British High Court blocked the extradition to Minnesota of Shawn Sullivan, a U.S. citizen accused of raping a 14-year-old girl and molesting two other underage girls in the 1990s.  The judges ruled that, because Minnesota's treatment program for sex offenders was too harsh.  The program allows judges in civil courts to commit peresons to the program, even if they have not been convicted of a crime or declared mentally ill.  Also, almost no one has ever been released from the program, the British court found.

On June 25, 2012, Jonathan Evans, Director of the Security Service for the United Kingdom, gave the Inauguaral Defense and Security Lecture at the Lord Mayor's in London.  Mr. Evans address, among other things, security threats posed by the Olympics, terrorism, and cybersecurity.

On June 26, 2012, the IRS announced details of its Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program by issuing a new set of Frequently Asked Questions. 

The IRS also issued two press releases.  In one  it announced that its Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program has resulted in the collection of more than $5 billion in back taxes, interest and penalties from 33,000 voluntary disclosures made under the first two programs.