Australian authorities said they dismantled a Chinese-Australian money-laundering syndicate and seized assets worth more than A$150 million ($106 million) in one of the country’s biggest operations of its kind.
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The Kleptocracy Initiative
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For more updates on US efforts to seize Russian assets frozen after the invasion of Ukraine—and whether these funds can be transferred to Kyiv for assistance and reconstruction—check out our recent event.
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Brilliant news that a US judge approved the first confiscation of frozen oligarch assets.
Yes $5.4 million is peanuts, but its just the start and more importantly about demonstrating accountability.
This was teased at our recent event:
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For the first time, a US judge approved the confiscation of Russian assets frozen after the invasion of Ukraine.
Konstantin Malofeyev - an oligarch who wants Putin to be declared Tsar - will forfeit $5.4 million that will likely be transferred to Ukraine.
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For years, a secret organization run from inside Russia’s parliament successfully interfered with European policies on occupied Ukraine.
Leaked emails show how European Union politicians who helped push Moscow’s agenda were offered cash and perks.
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Delighted that UK security minister will join and me to deliver a speech on state threats, illicit finance, and economic security.
Watch our event live on Feb. 10th at 10:00AM (ET) at the link below.
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Haiti's Acting Prime Minister landed in the capital after a foreign trip to be greeted by police rioting, diminishing political credibility, ever-stronger gangs, and no promise of the international military aid he has pleaded for.
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Chinese ownership of US farmland has jumped from $81 million in 2010 to $1.8 billion in 2020.
What does it mean for American food security when foreign adversaries expand their footprint in the US agriculture industry? |
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The paradox of corruption: The more scandals you hear about, the more confident you can be that it is being dealt with.
Ukraine is a democracy fighting against the entrenched legacy of communist corruption. It deserves our continued support.
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Feb 7: Join and US experts to discuss new information about the corrupting influence of Chinese development aid in Angola.
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As the Russian military expands, one group of Russians will remain exempt: children of the elite.
It’s a pattern that is well documented but not sufficiently well known—and one the US should do far more to publicize.
Good ideas here from .
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If you are hoping to gain more knowledge on the influence and implication of #Chinese #development #aid, in both #Angola and the broader context of #Africa, please join us February 7th, 3pm (EST) both online and in-person!
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Feb 7: Join @RafaelMdeMorais and US experts @HudsonInstitute to discuss new information about the corrupting influence of Chinese development aid in Angola. hudson.org/events/corrupt
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Feb 7: Join and US experts to discuss new information about the corrupting influence of Chinese development aid in Angola.
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Credit Suisse reportedly loaned hundreds of millions of dollars to Roman Abramovich’s offshore companies, which used US stocks as collateral.
The secretly-owned firms loaned each other massive sums that were mysteriously returned or written off.
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The top US sanctions official will visit Turkey and the Middle East next week, warning countries and businesses there that they could lose access to G7 markets if they do business with sanctioned Russian entities.
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Iran reportedly contracted senior figures in the Russian mafia to assassinate human rights activist Masih Alinejad.
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The Niger Delta has been entangled in a brutal conflict sowed in competing visions of who owns #Nigeria’s oil. W/ the bunkering enterprise expanding, unpacks how this has battered the environment, exacerbated corruption, & empowered militants.
newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-
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The UK now knows that China owns chunks of critical infrastructure using offshore companies.
Can you imagine how much it owns here in USA, given we a) still have no basic beneficial ownership register and b) no register of overseas real estate ownership?
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China Investment Corporation is a sovereign wealth fund controlled by the Communist Party.
It owns £580M in UK property, including facilities critical to infrastructure.
A serious national security risk. But at least UK transparency has now revealed it.
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The UK's new register of overseas entities reveals how Gulf royals and states such as China have legally bought up billions of pounds of London property, often via jurisdictions such as the BVI and Channel Islands.
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The chairman of the UK Conservative Party is embroiled in a tax scandal - now he's facing questions over his business dealings and political work with Kurdistan's powerful Barzani family.
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The trial of a former Mexican official in New York could expose how the state plays just as important a role as cartel leaders in bringing billions of dollars’ worth of drugs to American users—and in creating a bloodbath as rivals fight over the profits.
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Exiled Russian tycoon Boris Mints failed to block a pair of state-run Russian banks from pursuing an $850 million lawsuit against him, in one of the first major UK court tests of its sanctions regime.
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Wagner is not just a transnational criminal organization, as designated by the US on Thursday.
It is something more akin to a terrorist group like ISIS—and Biden can do more to disrupt its activities. |
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The former chief of Venezuela’s highest court has been charged in Miami with granting legal favors for bribes—that he diverted through local bank accounts and spent on private jets, expensive watches, luxury goods, and Florida real estate.
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Honored to host the indefatigable @thecfhk @MarkLClifford @OliviaEnos @MarkSabah at @HudsonInstitute.
Their new policy roadmap is outstanding—a realistic US plan for holding bad actors accountable, supporting HK residents, and helping those who’ve fled: thecfhk.org/post/a-policy-
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Honored to host the indefatigable at .
Their new policy roadmap is outstanding—a realistic US plan for holding bad actors accountable, supporting HK residents, and helping those who’ve fled: thecfhk.org/post/a-policy-
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Illegal oil bunkering poses a crisis for Nigeria, with up to a third of total production lost each day to theft and vandalism.
It thrives because of high-level collusion among those responsible for Nigeria’s oil industry. |
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Sergei Adonev, sanctioned today, is a Russian elite who was previously convicted of fraud by the US.
He was also reportedly investigated for cocaine trafficking - and today we learn one of his yachts is called "Addiction."
home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/
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Xi Jinping’s decision to dismantle Covid travel restrictions is accelerating an exodus by wealthy Chinese, who could fuel billions in capital outflows as they plow cash into property and assets abroad.
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A London law firm who represented Russian mercenary Yevgeniy Prigozhin in threatening to sue a British journalist is under investigation for allegedly breaching rules to protect free speech.
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FinCEN says that Russian elites are likely exploiting pooled investment vehicles, shell companies, and trusts to avoid detection—often investing in inconspicuous US commercial real estate projects outside major financial centers that provide small but steady returns.
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New Treasury alert: “FinCEN assesses that sanctioned Russian elites and their proxies are likely attempting to evade sanctions by exploiting vulnerabilities in the U.S. commercial real estate market.” fincen.gov/news/news-rele
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As authoritarian actors adapt to the changing landscape, democracies must elevate the issue of fighting kleptocracy to other pressing national security threats and adapt accordingly. |
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For Prigozhin, those who know him say, neither money nor power has been the sole motivating factor.
Instead, he is driven by the thrill of the chase, the belief he is battling corrupt elites on behalf of the common man, and a desire to crush his rivals.
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The usual clowns will likely use this to try undermine US support for Ukraine. But acting decisively against graft is not what corrupt leaders do.
Russia is an authoritarian kleptocracy. Ukraine is a democracy fighting the legacy of communist corruption.
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A federal judge in Miami has awarded $153 million in damages to the family of an exiled Venezuelan lawyer lured back home by his father’s kidnapping only to end up imprisoned for two years on trumped-up charges of working as a “financial terrorist.”
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In the , highlighted Hudson's recent event with the Director of Task Force KleptoCapture Andrew Adams. Director Adams shared that the US is "poised to begin the transfer of forfeited assets for the benefit of Ukraine."
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