money laundering News

Australia’s Westpac Takes A$1.2B Charge Against Q2 Earnings for Laundering, Refunds

Westpac Banking Corp. has taken a A$1.2 billion ($871 million) charge against second-half earnings to cover a record money-laundering fine and the mounting cost of compensating customers for years of misconduct. The charge is the latest blow to Australia’s oldest …

U.S. Treasury Warns Cyber Insurers Against Paying Ransomware Demands

The U.S. Treasury Department is warning that individuals or businesses that help facilitate ransomware payments may be violating anti-money laundering and sanctions regulations. The warnings came in a pair of advisories, one from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and …

Switzerland Freezes $900M Belonging to Angolan Insurance Executive

Switzerland has frozen $900 million held in accounts belonging to a top Angolan businessman as part of a money-laundering investigation, according to court documents seen by Reuters, one of the largest personal asset freezes in Swiss history. Carlos Manuel de …

Judge Dismisses Shareholder Lawsuit Against Danske Bank and Officers

A U.S. judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit accusing Denmark’s Danske Bank A/S and four former top executives of defrauding shareholders by hiding and failing to stop widespread money laundering at its former Estonian branch. U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni …

British Court Awards $11 Million to EY Whistleblower Who Exposed Money Laundering

A British court awarded $11 million in damages and expenses on Friday [April 17] to a former partner at global accounting firm Ernst & Young who exposed money laundering at a major gold refinery in the United Arab Emirates. Amjad …

Australia’s Westpac Expects $578M Fine for Money Laundering Linked to Child Abuse

Australia’s Westpac Banking Corp said it expects a A$900 million ($578 million) fine over accusations it enabled millions of illegal payments including between known child sex offenders, the first time it has put a price on the scandal. The country’s …

Swedbank Slapped with Record $386M Fine for Money-Laundering Breaches

Sweden’s financial watchdog hit lender Swedbank with a record fine of 4 billion crowns ($386 million) on Thursday for serious deficiencies in its anti-money-laundering work and said the bank had withheld information from authorities. Sweden’s oldest retail bank saw its …

Danske Bank Ex-CEO Faces $387M Lawsuit over Money Laundering Scandal

The ousted chief executive of Danske Bank A/S, Thomas Borgen, has been personally targeted in an investor lawsuit arguing he withheld information about potential money laundering that subsequently destroyed the lender’s market value. Deminor, a Brussels-based law firm, said on …

Mortgage Company Staffer in New Jersey Who Stole $2M Gets Prison Term

A mortgage company staffer who created hundreds of fraudulent wire transfers to steal roughly $2 million from the firm has been sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison. Dilcia Mercedes of Camden, N.J., will also have to serve three …

Danske Bank Sued by International Investors over Money Laundering Scandal

A group of international investors who manage trillions of dollars in assets has filed what it says is the first in a series of lawsuits against Danske Bank in connection with the money laundering scandal engulfing Denmark’s largest lender. The …