FINANCIAL CRIME DIGEST April 2020
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FINANCIAL CRIME DIGEST April 2020 Diligent analysis. Powering business.™ aperio-intelligence.com FINANCIAL CRIME DIGEST | APRIL 2020 ISSN: 2632-8364 About Us Founded in 2014, Aperio Intelligence is a specialist, independent corporate intelligence frm, headquartered in London. Collectively our team has decades of experience in undertaking complex investigations and intelligence analysis. We speak over twenty languages in- house, including all major European languages, as well as Russian, Arabic, Farsi, Mandarin and Cantonese. We have completed more than 3,000 assignments over the last three years, involving some 150 territories. Our client base includes a broad range of leading international fnancial institutions, law frms and multinationals. Our role is to help identify and understand fnancial crime, contacts, cultivated over decades, who support us regularly integrity and reputational risks, which can arise from a lack in undertaking local enquiries on a confdential and discreet of knowledge of counterparties or local jurisdictions, basis. As a specialist provider of corporate intelligence, we enabling our clients to make better informed decisions. source information and undertake research to the highest legal and ethical standards. Our independence means we Our due diligence practice helps clients comply with anti- avoid potential conficts of interest that can affect larger bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering and other organisations. relevant fnancial crime legislation, such as sanctions compliance, or the evaluation of tax evasion or sanctions We work on a “Client First” basis, founded on a strong risks. Our services support the on-boarding, periodic or commitment to quality control, confdentiality and respect retrospective review of clients or third parties. for time constraints. We offer robust, cost-effective solutions, providing our clients with work of the highest Our investigations practice advises clients in a wide range quality at favourable rates. of complex disputes and other contentious matters, including complex cross-border asset tracing claims, Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you would litigation support, internal investigations, market like to know more about Aperio’s services or discuss how intelligence, supply chain analysis and country risk we might be able to help you: assessments. Our team has specialist knowledge of and access to a very Email [email protected] or fnd out broad range of public and proprietary data sources, as well more at: aperio-intelligence.com as a longstanding network of reliable, informed local 1 aperio-intelligence.com FINANCIAL CRIME DIGEST | APRIL 2020 CONTENTS ENFORCEMENT 3 LEGISLATION 65 SPECIAL FEATURE 18 LITIGATION 76 REPORTS AND SPEECHES 22 CONSULTATIONS 80 GUIDANCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 39 PRESS AND MEDIA 82 INTRODUCTION Welcome to the April 2020 edition of the Financial Crime Digest. News this month continues to be dominated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and in our special feature we review the fnancial crime impacts of the crisis, together with some of the responses to date from regulators, law enforcement and government agencies. Notwithstanding the volume of Covid-19 information, many other fnancial crime-related issues continue to develop and emerge; this edition of the Financial Crime Digest covers just a proportion of key updates, more of which are accessible via our online portal. We hope you fnd the Financial Crime Digest an informative read and welcome your feedback. EDITOR’S PICKS ENFORCEMENT page 3 REPORTS AND SPEECHES page 25 20 April 2020 17 April 2020 US authorities fne Korean bank $86m over North Korea using ‘clandestine’ fnancial AML failings and Iran sanctions breaches networks to transact with Iran, fnds UN experts SPECIAL FEATURE page 18 REPORTS AND SPEECHES page 35 30 April 2020 30 April 2020 The fnancial crime implications of the Chinese money laundering groups control Covid-19 pandemic: an overview hundreds of UK bank accounts, fnds NCA report DATES FOR THE DIARY see all events MAY MAY European Commission webinar on enabling an UK Joint Money Laundering Steering Group EU framework for markets in crypto-assets consultation on its crypto-asset guidance 13 18 closes MAY MAY European Banking Authority public hearing on UK Treasury Committee deadline for the call its revised money laundering and terrorist for evidence on the economic impact of the 15 fnancing risk factor guidelines consultation 27 coronavirus 2 aperio-intelligence.com FINANCIAL CRIME DIGEST | APRIL 2020 ENFORCEMENT US authorities fne Korean bank $86m over AML failings and Iran sanctions breaches US prosecutors announced on 20 April a $51 million monitoring scheme that failed to identify and prevent the $1 settlement with Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) to resolve billion fraud at its New York branch. The frm entered into a criminal charges that its “defcient” AML programme 2016 written agreement with the NYDFS and Federal Reserve allowed its former client Kenneth Zong and his companies to Board to remediate longstanding compliance defciencies. funnel more than $1 billion through US fnancial institutions to the Iranian government in 2011, in violation of the According to the statement of facts, IBK has made International Emergency Economic Powers Act. “signifcant” efforts to improve its BSA/AML programme since learning of the agencies’ investigations and entering The South Korean state-owned bank entered into a deferred into the written agreement. Remedial measures undertaken prosecution agreement (DPA) with the US Attorneys’ Ofce include improving AML and sanctions compliance oversight, for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and a hiring new compliance ofcers and reworking its transaction non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with the New York monitoring processes and systems. Attorney General’s Ofce (NYAG) after they determined that IBK’s New York branch “wilfully” failed to establish, In December 2016, Alaskan prosecutors indicted Zong, a US implement and maintain an adequate AML programme citizen, for sanctions evasion and money laundering. The between 2011 and 2014, despite repeated remedial requests NYAG stated on 20 April that South Korean authorities have from its compliance ofcer. convicted Zong of “certain crimes” and that he is not allowed to leave the country. New York State’s Financial Services Department (NYDFS) separately announced on 20 April that IBK agreed to pay $35 NYDFS press release million as part of a consent order to resolve violations of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and failures to detect Zong’s alleged NYDFS consent order money laundering and sanctions evasion scheme. NY Attorney General press release The NYDFS determined that, from 2010 to 2019, IBK had “poor” internal controls, including a “defcient” transaction 3 aperio-intelligence.com FINANCIAL CRIME DIGEST | APRIL 2020 Former FSM ofcial allegedly aided fake vessel registration and money laundering scheme More than 100 foreign-fagged ship, Prosecutors allege Suniel K Sharma, including fshing vessels and oil who resides abroad, sold bogus MISR tankers, reportedly paid between $2,000 ship registrations through Jash and $14,000 for an FSM registration International Maritime Law & Business through the MISR, the Guam Daily Post Management (a unit of Ascent Navals reported on 29 April. The FSM Thailand) and then laundered some of government only allows domestic the profts. Lukner Weilbacher is vessels to fy the FSM fag. accused of peddling political infuence, while his nephew Renwick Weilbacher The illicit “fags of convenience” and lawyer Jano are charged with scheme was uncovered by Kaselehlie money laundering. Press, which reported in December The Federated States of Micronesia 2016 that Lukner Weilbacher, Secretary FSM Government press rele... (FSM) announced on 27 April criminal of the FSM Transportation, charges against four individuals who Communications and Infrastructure Guam Daily Post story allegedly conspired since 2015 to Department, asked local lawyer Martin falsely register foreign ships as FSM Jano to help “Captain Sharma” obtain a Kaselehlie Press story (D... vessels through the bogus Micronesia foreign investment permit to issue ship International Ship Registry (MISR) and registries. then laundered the proceeds. Bank of Lithuania revokes Bruc Bond UAB’s licence over systematic AML/CFT violations The Bank of Lithuania announced on The AML/CFT-related inspection The tools used to monitor 22 April that it has revoked Bruc Bond identifed customers’ business relationships UAB’s licence to operate as a payment and transactions were “ineffective institution due to non-compliance with and insufcient” to ensure timely “Serious and systematic breaches” the licence requirements, serious identifcation of suspicious of Lithuania’s Law on the Prevention infringements of its anti-money transactions and/or activities of Money Laundering and Terrorist laundering and terrorist fnancing Financing with respect to the (AML/CFT) obligations, and inadequate The company failed to manage the assessment of ML/TF risks, safeguarding of customer funds. risk of potentially being exposed to identifcation and verifcation of the ML/TF risks customer and the customer’s Following the revocation of its licence, representative, implementation of Bruc Bond UAB can no longer provide Bank of Lithuania press r... international fnancial sanctions, payment services and must return the and staff awareness of AML/CTF funds received to its customers. requirements 4 aperio-intelligence.com FINANCIAL