Senior White House officials are being investigated for their role in a potentially criminal and secret lobbying scheme in which a bribe was offered in exchange for a presidential pardon, an unsealed court order from a federal judge revealed on Tuesday.

Belarus continues to crack down on public dissent following the controversial presidential election this summer, with authorities now starting to bring serious criminal charges against the hundreds of journalists arrested since demonstrations began.

A coalition of NGOs is calling on the European Union to protect civil society watchdogs from abusive private legal action designed to frustrate and obstruct their pursuit of public interests.

In two massive operations that spanned three continents, authorities in North America, Europe and Brazil cracked down on transnational organized crime groups and drug traffickers, arresting nearly 750 suspects.  

Last week’s arrest of 226 people, mainly a mix of public and private sector officials, is part of a campaign initiated by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to curb corruption in Saudi Arabia, Saudi journalists told OCCRP on Monday.

One of the highest ranking members of Group America, a prolific US-Serbian drug gang, may soon be set free from his prison cell in Peru after a criminal court of appeals ruled that he was denied due process, local media reported on Friday. 

With the support of Interpol and the cybersecurity company Group-IB, Nigerian police have apprehended three cybercrime suspects who are alleged to have developed phishing links, domains, and mass mailing campaigns, the international police agency said on Wednesday.

The European Commission said on Thursday that it fined Teva pharmaceuticals, the largest generic drug manufacturer in the world, €60.5 million (US$72 million) for illegally delaying the entry of a cheaper generic version of a drug for sleep disorders. 

Maltese authorities said on Thursday that they have arrested 15 people in connection with a highly sophisticated money laundering case. Media in Valletta claim the group smuggled fuel in cooperation with the Italian mafia and Libyan armed forces.

During a three months-long operation targeting dark web marketplaces, Europol and law enforcement agencies from Italy, Hungary and the U.K. analyzed 90,000 pieces of credit card data and prevented nearly €40 million (US$47.7 million) in losses.