PEP ALERT ... ITALIAN MINISTER RESIGNS

This month Mario Clemente Mastella (UID 1987) the Italian Minister of Justice and UDEUR Christian Democratic faction leader resigned from office. Mastella stepped down after he, his wife Sandra Lonardo (UID 783996) president of the regional council of Campania, and others were implicated in a corruption scandal. The scandal revolves around allegedly securing appointments for associates. To see who else is under investigation check out Lonardo’s profile.

An investigation has commenced into alleged money laundering and tax evasion by some of Romania’s top football executives’ including the former deputy Prime Minister and current member of the senate Gheorghe Copos (UID 269710). It is reported that the investigation centres on the transfer fees of Romanian players sold to top foreign clubs. There are reports that the transfer fee amounts were understated by the club officials, with initial estimates of the monies lost to state coffers amounting to around US$2.5 million. In addition the ten people involved in the alleged scam have been accused of diverting more than US$14.5 million into the accounts of offshore registered companies. The investigation continues and our multilingual research analysts are following developments closely and will update the relevant profiles accordingly.

SPAMMER INDICTED ON FRAUD CHARGES

Kingpin spammer Alan Ralsky (UID 776436) and 10 others have been indicted for fraud, computer fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy. It is alleged that in 2005 Ralsky and his co-accused made more than three million dollars from their spamming operation by using a scheme promoting Chinese penny stocks in an attempt to artificially inflate the stock prices. Check out Ralsky’s profile to see his co-accused.World-Check recommends regular screening of your entire customer base as a best practice procedure.

FORMER MEXICAN POLICE COMMANDER CONVICTED

In January Carlos Landin-Martinez (UID 667598) - aka the Puma - was convicted by a Texas court of drug trafficking, conspiracy and money laundering. Landin-Martinez was connected to the Gulf Cartels cocaine operations in Reynosa. Reports state that Martinez oversaw a ‘trade-route’ where the narcotics were distributed to major US cities including Dallas, Atlanta and New York and in return US currency and guns were smuggled back over the border into Mexico. Martinez will be back in court in three months time when he will be sentenced, he is currently in federal custody.

LAWMAKERS FACE BRIBERY CHARGES IN TAIWAN

This month eight former and current lawmakers were charged for allegedly taking bribes from a Chinese Herb Medicine supplier and disguising them as political donations. They are Chao Yung-ching (UID 96343), Chiu Tsui-jeng (UID 96395 ), Lee Chun-yi (UID 139211), Lin Guang-hua (UID 267733), Chen Hung-chi (UID 737317), Fung Ding-guo (UID 96414), Hsu Shu-po (UID 96406) and Liao Fu-peng (UID 784103). The amounts of the individual bribes involved were as much as US$300,000. All eight pleaded not guilty but if convicted they could face a maximum of 20 years behind bars.

Compliance officers at international banks whose clients could be trading with the Islamic Republic of Iran through third countries should watch carefully for an upcoming announcement that the United Nations has imposed additional sanctions. These new punitive measures may increase your bank's level of risk, and serious consideration should be given to implementing policies and procedures to ensure that circuitous transactions with Iran are not paid through the bank. …read more

Former congressman Mark Deli Siljander (UID 784048) has been indicted for involvement in a terrorist fundraising ring. Siljander has been charged with money laundering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. It is alleged that Siljander lobbied senators on behalf of the charity the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA) (UID 119950), which authorities believe was sending funds to terrorists. The terrorist ring is reported to have sent more that US$130,000 to an Al-Qaida and Taliban supporter, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (UID 48251) who is a Specially Designated global terrorist.

In January, Karachi police arrested Younus Mehsud (UID 788013). Younus is reported to be the brother of Wahab Mehsud (UID 788014) who is the spokesman of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) (UID 770348) leader Baitullah Mehsud (UID 556874). Younas is believed to be Baitullah’s right hand man. During the arrest police also removed weapons and explosives from the scene. The TTP is reported to be a new coalition of Islamic militants based along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border with Al-Qaeda affiliations.

Abu Hamza aka Imad al-Hussein (UID 687042) a former mujahadeen leader will be expelled from Bosnia within the next few weeks. The Bosnian court has overturned al-Hussein’s plea for asylum. Al Hussein is the leader of the mujahadeen veterans' association; he reportedly came to Bosnia to fight during the 1992-1995 civil war. It is reported that he used falsified documentation when applying to stay in Bosnia. This latest ruling will mean he will either be returned to his homeland Syria, or deported to bordering Croatia, the country he had originally crossed over from into Bosnia.

In December 2007, four French tourists were killed in Mauritania. Authorities have now charged a number of people in connection with the attack. They arrested and charged Moustapha Ould Abdel Kader (UID 774558) who in 2007 was convicted and received a one year suspended sentence for belonging to a terrorist group the Salafist Group for Call and Combat (UID 39178). Kader is believed to have offered logistical support to the murderers of the tourists. Three others were also charged, Taghi Ould Moulaye Sinni (UID 788061), Mohamed Moustapha Ould Maham Saleh (UID 788060), and Hamed Madi Guisse (UID 788059). To read the full story and find out the roles that the four accused played in the murders check out the verification hyperlink sources.

World-Check, is proud to announce that it recently celebrated 2500 clients. On an annual basis 19 million names are manually queried by our client base in 153 countries within World-Check Online, while many millions more are automatically screened against the World-Check Data-file. Read the full press release here.

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