US: New Task Force Against Financial Crime

One of Tallinn’s most notorious corruption scandals came to a quiet conclusion this year when a case against Swedbank was thrown out on a technicality. But hundreds of newly released files show bank managers routinely flouted anti-money laundering protocols in an effort to assist high-flying Russian clients.

In authoritarian Azerbaijan, corporate ownership records are not publicly available — and transparency campaigners have raised concerns that those tasked with leading and organizing the world’s most important annual climate event do not have to declare potential conflicts of interest under the current U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.