PEP ... NIGERIA CHARGE MORE EX-GOVERNORS

This month the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria has brought charges against a number of former governors. Jolly Nyame (UID 34838) whose tenure as Governor of North Eastern Taraba ended in May has been accused of embezzling more than $10 million in state funds in the final two years of his tenure. In the meantime a former governor accused of stealing $2 million in property and more than double that amount from the state treasury failed to appear in court. Senator Chimaroke Nnamani (UID 34822) was the governor of the southern Enugu State from 1999 to earlier this year. No new date has been set for Nnamani’s court case. Are any of these PEPs or their family members hiding in your customer database? Be proactive, a client’s status can quickly change, leaving your organization exposed to risk. Join the more than 2000 government and commercial organisations who regularly screen both their new and existing customers against World-Check’s downloadable Data-file, which is updated twice daily with the latest risk related intelligence.

FORMER DICTATOR FACES FURTHER JAIL TIME

JUDGE PLEADS GUILTY TO MONEY LAUNDERING

This month David Gross (UID 346063) a former County District Judge, changed his plea to guilty of conspiring to launder money. It is alleged that Gross and co-conspirator Kim Brady Land (UID 667135) were involved in a scheme to launder the proceeds of stolen jewellery. Reports state that the pair was mixed up with at least one known member of the Genovese crime family in New York. Gross has already pledged to return jewellery, a luxury car and his cut of the laundered cash.

EX INTELLIGENCE CHIEF RE-ARRESTED

In Japan the former security intelligence chief Shigetake Ogata (UID 640977) has been re-arrested over an alleged 484 million yen fraud. Ogata was first arrested in April this year for conspiracy to commit fraud. The latest arrest centers around the aborted transfer of property belonging to the pro-Pyongyang Chongryon group. Ogata was arrested with Tadao Mitsui (UID 656029) the former president of the real estate company through which the property deal was conducted and Koji Kawae (UID 656031) a former executive of a consulting firm who was in charge of raising funds to acquire the property. In a twist the Chongron Group, have declined to press charges but the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office has nevertheless proceeded and indicted the trio. To watch developments in this interesting and complicated case use World-Check’s exclusive News-Check functionality, the profile specific risk relevant news search.

For Peter Lombardi, formerly the President of life settlement fraudster Mutual Benefits Corp., bad things come in threes. First, he settled with the SEC in a civil action, and paid out $6m. Second, he pled guilty in US District Court to securities fraud, and was sentenced to 20 years in Federal prison and ordered to pay Restitution in the amount of $839m. In the latest instance of justice being served, he has settled a class action suit brought against him for a reported $ 1.5m. …read more

Another of the medical practitioners charged with taking part in the foiled car bomb plots in London and Glasgow has appeared in court. Dr Mohammed Jamil Asha (UID 652144) joins Drs Bilal Abdullah (UID 657012)and Sabeel Ahmed (UID 662011) who have already been charged with terrorist related activities. Ahmed’s brother Kafeel (UID 662010) is in a Glasgow hospital - he suffered burns whilst inside the vehicle which crashed into the Glasgow airport terminal building. In Australia Mohammed Haneef (UID 657018) who is a distant relative of the Ahmeds and shared their house had been charged with supporting a terrorist group, however, the charges against him were subsequently dropped. World-Check’s Terrorism and Insurgency Unit (TIRU) analysts are globally situated allowing for around the clock coverage of terrorism related intelligence.

ITALY CHARGE CLERIC

This month Italian authorities in Perugia, arrested imam Korchi el-Mostapha (UID 670158) and his two aides Mohamed el-Jari (UID 670160) and Driss Safika (UID 670159) on suspicion of running a terrorist training school. Authorities state that chemicals which could be used in bomb making activities were seized from el-Mostapha’s home. Files from confiscated computer equipment are said to have contained videos and documentation on weapons training as well as bomb making instructions and other terrorism related material.

Daniel Joseph Maldonado (UID 569319) allegedly associated with Al-Qaeda operatives in a terror training camp in Somalia. Reports state that whilst there, he learnt how to use weapons and explosives. Maldonado was captured by Kenyan authorities in January this year after fleeing across the border from Somalia. Following his arrest Maldonado was returned to the US to face charges. He has since admitted to training at an Al-Qaeda camp and that he had intended to join the Somalia Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) in their efforts to overthrow the Somalian government. This month a US court sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

This month the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Court sentenced four men involved in the 1993 Mumbai bombings to death. Pervez Sheikh (UID 496985), Abdul Turo (UID 496986), Mohammed Mushtaq Tarani (UID 502979) and Mohammed Iqbal Mohammed Yusuf Shaikh (UID 501026) were found to be central to providing and deploying the explosive laden vehicles which killed 257 people and injured more than 700.

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