PEP ... PRESIDENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The president of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (UID 291) came to power in January 2001 and is now on her second term of office. She has been in World-Check since 2001. From 2005 she has been the subject of impeachment actions by the opposition and accusations of corruption involving her spouse Jose Miguel Tuason Arroyo and her eldest son Juan Miguel, although these allegations were reportedly dismissed as propaganda. Her husband has since gone into self-imposed exile in Hong Kong. Check out his profile and connections UID 35971. Arroyo has faced and overcome allegations throughout her tenure not least of which was the “Garci tape” scandal involving alleged fixing of the 2004 presidential elections returns. In August 2005, the International People’s Tribunal found her guilty of human rights violations. A further impeachment action is due to be heard this month. Keep yourself in the loop and aware of the latest developments by making use of our News-Check facility which provides up-to-the-minute news via the Online search page.

MAYOR ARRESTED FOR EXTORTION

Back in Europe in particularly Italy, authorities have been seeking out those responsible for corruption. This month in Lazio the Mayor of Pontecorvo, Riccardo Roscia (UID 415624) was arrested on charges of extortion for allegedly asking for a bribe in order to grant a construction permit, his co-conspirator was named as architect Roberto Petrilla.

INSIDER TRADING SUSPECT PLEADS GUILTY

A former investment banking analyst Stanislav Shpigelman (UID 432021) this month pleaded guilty to involvement in the Reebok/Adidas insider trading case that resulted in more than US$6.7 million in illicit gains. We featured the case in our August 2005 Intelligence Briefing when the SEC took action against others including David Pagcin and his Croatian relative Sonya Anticevic (UID 336983) who allegedly acquired US$130,000 out of the money call options on Reebok stock. Check out the co-conspirators by making use of our unique Display Graph , the relationship network can be revealed with just a click of a button.

ARREST WIPES VALUE OFF ON-LINE BETTING SHARES

Another scare has run through the on-line betting industry in the UK knocking the value of industry shares with the arrest of David Carruthers (UID 471156) from the British on-line betting company BetonSports. Carruthers was detained in Miami earlier in July whilst en route to Costa Rica. Within the US it is illegal for its citizens to engage in online betting and it is alleged that 80% of BetonSports business comprises of customers resident in the USA. Not only was Carruthers arrested but a further 8 people involved in the company were indicted by US authorities. World-Check will ensure that you are kept up to date with developments, our team of researchers and editors situated around the world monitor and update profiles 24/7 making sure you have the latest risk related information at your fingertips.

WORLD-CHECK AHEAD OF OFAC AGAIN

Once again World-Check proves its worth as an early warning system. We were three years and seven months ahead of OFAC in identifying Sanam Industrial Group (UID 100111) as a heightened-risk entity. In July 2006 OFAC added this entity to its Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction list, World-Check’s profile was created in December 2002.

30 YEARS FOR ASSISTING TERROR GROUPS

In November 2005 Pakistani, Uzair Paracha (UID 191969) was convicted by a New York court of providing material support to a terrorist group. In July he was sentenced to 30 years behind bars. That’s nearly three years after he was first profiled in World-Check. The judge insisted that Paracha was fully aware of the implications of agreeing to help Majid Khan (UID 390047) an alleged Al-Qaida operative to re-enter the USA by providing Khan with phony travel documents. Khan it is reported was planning attacks within the US, he is currently in federal custody.

JAILED AUSTRALIAN TERROR SUSPECT APPEALS

In February, Joseph Terrence Thomas (UID 263089) became the first person convicted under Australia’s counter-terrorism laws and he was jailed for five years. This month during his appeal against his conviction he was told he must serve a minimum of three quarters of his jail term before being eligible for parole. Thomas was apprehended in Pakistan and brought back to Australia to stand trial for receiving support from a terrorist group and using a falsified passport. To read the whole story, click on the hyperlinked sources on his profile.

ALLEGED TAMIL TIGER DEPORTED FROM CANADA

In 1998 Niranjan Claude Fabian (UID 295155) was jailed in Toronto for 16 months after being found guilty of fraud and having a false passport as well as conspiracy to commit murder. He has been described as ranking three within the Tamil Tiger linked VVT gang in the Toronto area. In 2001, the police raided his apartment and hundreds of credit cards were seized. This month after exhaustive appeals Fabian was deported to his native Sri Lanka. He is not the first VVT member to have been deported from Canada, check out his associates on our Display Graph to get the full picture.