13.11.23 – Decline in effectiveness of fincrime systems globally as countries lose trillions to organised crime, corruption – Basel AML Index finds. By Alisha Houlihan for AML Intelligence there has been a continued decline in the effectiveness of AML/CFT systems globally, according to an international report released today. Effectiveness scores dropped from the already low level of 30 percent to 28 percent over the last two years, says the ‘Basel AML Index’.
14.11.23 – Nigeria, Eurojust signs pact on organised crime groups. Nigeria and the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, (Eurojust), have signed a working arrangement to enable structured and closer cooperation in the fight against organised crime groups, (OCGs). According to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, (UNODC), communique,made public by Nigeria’s Attorney General, Lateef Olasunkanmi-Fagbemi, (SAN), signed the pact with the EU agency while at Netherlands funded conference ‘Transnational Organised Crime affecting West Africa and Europe’, Monday in The Hague.
15.11.23 – Eleven arrested for smuggling migrants from Greece to Northern Europe. A Greek-Belgian investigation supported by Europol and Eurojust has led to the dismantling of a criminal network that smuggled migrants by air from Athens to Northern Europe. The operation, which involved the Belgian Federal Police (Federale Politie/Police Fédérale) and Public Prosecutor’s office of Halle-Vilvoorde, and the Hellenic Police (Ελληνική Αστυνομία) and the Court of Athens, was also assisted by Norwegian and Swedish authorities.
16.11.23 – Europol and Eurojust support Czech and Ukrainian police in taking down multi-million euro voice phishing gang. The Czech and Ukrainian police have disrupted, with the support of Europol and Eurojust, a prolific phishing gang believed to have defrauded victims across Europe of tens of millions of euros. In Czechia alone, the damage caused by this criminal group is estimated at over EUR 8 million (CZK 195 000 000). As a result of this investigation, six suspects were already arrested in Ukraine and four in the Czech Republic in April this year. Locations in Czechia (Domazlice, Rokycany and Plzen) and Ukraine (Dnipropetrovsk) were searched during the raids, including the homes of the accused, vehicles and call centres.
16.11.23 – Kenya tops charts in organised crime, alarming trends unveiled in 2023 ENACT Crime Index. The 2023 ENACT Organised Crime Index, a comprehensive tool assessing organised crime levels and resilience in African countries, was launched in Nairobi, Kenya. The Index, a collaborative effort by the Institute of Security Studies, Interpol, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, highlights Kenya as a significant hub of criminal activity on the continent. According to the latest findings, Kenya demonstrates alarmingly high levels of organised crime, with an average criminality score of 7.02 out of 10, significantly exceeding the continental average of 5.25.
