Forthe past year reporters from The Times, The Sunday Times and News Corp Australia have been unlocking the secrets of the global cocaine industry for a new podcast, Cocaine Inc. This is the inside story of the British beauticians recruited as cash mules by a criminal mastermind. In Dubai’s gold souk two British drug dealers...
The Bulgarian businesswoman and other founders of the cryptocurrency that turned out to be yet another pyramid scheme were even able to complete luxury real estate transactions after the scandal had already broken. The reign of the “cryptoqueen” was short-lived, but it was, however, very lucrative. In 2014, Bulgarian businesswoman Ruja Ignatova launched OneCoin, a...
European parliamentarians are questioning whether the United Arab Emirates should have been taken off the “gray list” of countries at risk of money laundering and terrorist financing, following revelations that Dubai property owners include a host of dubious characters like drug lords and sanctioned businessmen. In mid-May, OCCRP and more than 70 international media outlets...
The UAE has been accused of being a leading recipient of tens of billions of dollars worth of gold smuggled out of Africa every year, reflecting growing concern over the illicit trade in the region’s precious metals. In a comprehensive study, Swissaid estimated that about 435 tonnes of gold worth about $31bn were exported undeclared...
The Dubai Unlocked investigation reinforces the need for ongoing scrutiny of efforts by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to prevent and detect dirty money being invested in the country, Transparency International said today. Authorities in the UAE should now investigate the revealed cases and take action if there is suspicion that properties were purchased with...
In 2023, Caoimhe Robinson bought a 20,569-square-foot villa, still under construction, for about $2.1 million in an upscale section of Dubai, close to Zayed University. Even unfinished, the structure’s white walls, arched doorways and red roof call to mind an elegant Mediterranean retreat, one befitting an area that one real estate website describes as “a...
Opinion: How the UAE’s mafia-style tactics are hurting both Sudans. The UAE has signed agreements with Sudan and South Sudan, strangling the two countries economically and politically, while openly supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A report by the United Nations Panel of Experts on Darfur, under Security Council Resolution 1591, accused the UAE of supporting...
East London money launderer on the run after smuggling suitcases stuffed with cash to Dubai. An east London money launderer is on the run after smuggling an estimated £5 million in cash stuffed in suitcases out of the country. The National Crime Agency this week appealed for help to find Abdul Fahad, of Meads Lane, Ilford, who absconded on bail...
Iran has been living with Western sanctions for almost 40 years, and never have so many sanctions been imposed so quickly as against Russia. Although their effect is limited, there is little alternative. Iran knows it, China knows it and apparently, so does the US government: despite existing sanctions against the oil industry of the Islamic Republic,...
Advocate Shamila Batohi, the National Director of Public Prosecutions of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), disclosed ongoing struggles faced by the South African government in its attempts to extradite Atul and Rajesh Gupta. The Gupta brothers, who are wanted in South Africa on charges including fraud and money laundering linked to State Capture, are currently...