On January 7, 2025, the United States Department of State declared that the leaders of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and RSF-aligned militias in Sudan have committed genocide in the armed conflict occurring in that country. In particular, the U.S. named RSF leader Mohammad Hamdam Daglo Mousa, known as Hemedti, for his role in systematic atrocities committed against the Sudanese people. The U.S. also designated several RSF-owned companies located in the United Arab Emirates and one individual for their roles in procuring weapons for the RSF.[1]

On January 14, 2025, President Joseph Biden issued an executive order that removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and announced other steps to ease economic penalties. On the same day, Cuba’s Foreign Ministry announced that Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez would “gradually” free 553 persons after meeting with Pope Francis.[1]

The complexity of International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA) demands urgent attention. When a child is wrongfully removed or retained in another country without the other parent’s consent, swift resolution is unlikely without legal intervention. The primary goal is safeguarding the child’s best interests and avoiding psychological harm, which requires a robust international legal framework.

On January 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed an agreement, [1]in which the U.S. agreed to transfer approximately $52.88 million in forfeited assets to the Federal Republic of Nigeria in recognition of Nigeria’s help to the DOJ in an investigation into corruption in the Nigerian oil industry.[2]

On January 7, 2025, the United States Department of Justice announced it agreed to share $50 million in forfeited assets with the Republic of Estonia (Estonia) in recognition of Estonia’s help in the successful prosecution of Danske Bank and related forfeiture.[1]

The 13th Public Edition of the Basel AML Index highlights a gradual improvement in national systems to counter money laundering – at least in terms of technical compliance with global standards, and among countries with long-standing weaknesses. But the effectiveness of anti-money laundering systems in practice remains alarmingly low in the face of evolving threats from fraud and other complex, often transnational financial crimes.

On December 23, 2024, United States District Judge John P. Cronan, Southern District of New York, issued an order granting an ex parte petition for leave to serve “John Doe” summonses on entities doing business with the Trident Trust Group (TT-Group) to obtain information concerning its clients who during the tax years 2014 through 2023 may violate U.S. tax laws.[1]

Increasingly, Israeli soldiers traveling abroad are facing criminal investigations for their participation in alleged atrocities in Gaza. The investigations are partly generated by international human rights organizations that have collected and provided courts with documentation of the alleged atrocities.

On December 31, 2024, Montenegro extradited South Korean cryptocurrency entrepreneur Do Kwon to the United States. His extradition to South Korea was also requested.[1]

On December 5, 2024, McKinsey and Company Africa Ltd., a subsidiary of McKinsey & Company, agreed to pay over $122 million to settle a bribery investigation regarding schemes orchestrated between 2012-2016 to bribe South African government officials. The fine was part of an agreement to dismiss the pending bribery charges against McKinsey so long as the corporation upholds its part of the deal. This fine comes shortly after Vikas Sagar, a former senior partner at McKinsey, pleaded guilty to violating an anti-corruption law.[1]