“I am an average guy from Inverness who works in his local hospital on a zero-hours contract.” But when the fraud squad came knocking, David MacMillan found his modest home had been used as the registered address of 600 Scottish Limited Partnerships - the UK’s “home-grown secrecy vehicle…” (Herald Scotland)
The U.S. Treasury may be preparing a more comprehensive crackdown on money laundering in real estate. (Real Deal)
A New York court sentenced a former Guinean minister to seven years’ imprisonmentfor accepting bribes from a Chinese conglomerate. (Reuters)
The Trump Organization reportedly pursued plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow while Trump himself was running for president. (WaPo)
A Chinese entrepreneur allegedly helped North Korea acquire nuclear weapons parts. Japan joined the U.S. in sanctioning Chinese and Namibian firms. The U.S. search for financial leverage “may end on the doorsteps of China’s biggest oil companies and banks.” (WaPo, Japan Times, Bloomberg)
The Chinese military warned against a return to the “evil begotten” by corruption. Chinese state lottery officials were arrested for bribery, as was a top graft-buster at the finance ministry. (Reuters, Straits Times)
Chinese television’s focus on corruption is a double-edged sword. (Economist)
The entrepreneur son of Russia’s prosecutor general, who is accused of graft by Navalny, is expanding his business to China. The wives of Russia’s top public officialsare doing well - despite their spouses’ modest salaries. (Moscow Times, Forbes/Russian)
Russian cybercriminals are increasingly nervous as U.S. law enforcement pursues them across borders. Bill Browder says EU states should put financial pressure on the Kremlin to stop it abusing Interpol alerts. (NYT, EUObserver)
Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the nation’s biggest lender, has been hit with asecond money laundering probe. (CNBC)
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