The Obama Administration has quietly slapped travel bans on 60 Russian officials accused of assisting in the arrest of deceased Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.
The decision mandates asset freezes and travel bans for the Russian judges, prosecutors, prison officials and others from the Interior Ministry and the Federal Security Service (FSB) who the U.S. believe to be linked to Magnitsky’s persecution.
Mexican authorities arrested more than 1,000 people allegedly involved in human trafficking in the northern city of Juárez on the US-Mexican border over the weekend.
Average Russian Bribe Payment Increases Sharply
A Russian crackdown on corruption has dramatically pushed up the cost of bribes, according officials from the Interior Ministry. In the first half of the year, the average amount bribe money paid to a government or corporate official rose to 293,000 rubles ($10,573) from 30,500 last year, according to Business Insider.
Almost 95 percent of Latvians voted to dissolve their parliament over the weekend, citing rampant corruption as the reason for the no confidence vote.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Authorities apprehended alleged Kyrgyz organized crime leader, Kamchy Kolbaev, in Abu Dhabi on Thursday where he fled after being released from prison in Kyrgyzstan last month. Kolbaev was arrested along with another crime figure, Almambet Anapiyaev, on unspecified charges.
Illegal betting and match-fixing officially became crimes in Bulgaria today. Two amendments criminalizing the offenses were passed in Bulgaria’s Parliament, Novinite reports.
A former deputy of Russia’s state-controlled nuclear energy company Rosatom has been detained on accusations of embezzlement, announced the Interior Ministry yesterday.
The Interior Ministry of Bulgaria announced Tuesday that authorities arrested Goran Vuković, the leader of a criminal group responsible for defrauding more than 60 companies in 5 countries out of more than €1.5 million. Novinite reports that four Bulgarian citizens have also been arrested for allegedly being members of Vuković’s organized crime group.
U.S., U.K., and Dutch authorities arrested 21 people for their association with Anonymous, a politically motivated hacking group that authorities are calling a cybercrime group. The suspects, men and women ranging from ages 20-42, are wanted for involvement with the group which authorities say are responsible for numerous cyber attacks on business and government agencies.
The head of Ukraine’s primary financial watchdog has been detained on suspicion of corruption, reports Reuters. Vasyl Volga, the head of a state commission monitoring non-bank financial companies was detained by Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday, announced the state prosecutor’s office.