On July 26, 2018, Jessie K. Liu, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and other law enforcement officials, announced that El Salvador has extradited Raul Rodriguez, also known as Ricardo Vidaurre Chicas, 45, on a charge of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated) for allegedly killing a man in a drive-by shooting in May 1995 in Southeast Washington.

Since the May 9, 2018 Presidential elections in Malaysia, in which the then Prime Minister Najib Razak was defeated, governments around the world have continued to progress on criminal investigations,prosecutions, and asset forfeiture cases.

Since late July 2018, the Trump administration has been embroiled in a bitter conflict with the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. The conflict has reached a fever pitch this week, escalating into a full-blown trade war between the two NATO allies, and sending Turkey’s currency, the lira, into a ten percent dive.

  On July 24, 2018, for the first time the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) published a  project  on professional money launderers (PMLs) that specialize in enabling criminals to evade anti-money laundering (AML) and counter terrorist financing (CTF)  safeguards and sanctions in order to enjoy the profits from illegal activities.   The report aims to describe the functions and characteristics that define a “professional” money launderer, namely those individuals, organizations and networks that are involved in third-party laundering for a fee or commission. Therefore, the report focuses on money laundering threats as opposed to vulnerabilities.  It addresses criminal actors, including organized crime groups that specialize in the provision of professional money laundering services and complicit actors who are knowingly involved, or are deliberately negligent, in the laundering process. While PMLs may act in a professional capacity (e.g. lawyer, accountant) and serve some legitimate clients, the report aims to identify those actors who serve criminal clients whether on a fulltime or part-time basis.

  On August 8, 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the U.S. is imposing sanctions against Russia under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Act.

On July 16, 2018, the Islamic Republic of Iran (“Iran”) filed an application with the International Court of Justice (“ICJ”) in the Hague to institute proceedings against the United States.[2]  This was done in response  to the United States’ decision to withdraw from the 2015 U.S.-Iran nuclear deal, titled Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA”), because it was “one-sided” and “disastrous” for the U.S.[3]  Iran’s application is still pending and the ICJ will hold a hearing where the U.S. will contest the merits of the suit.

On July 25, 2018, U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte for the District of Maryland, in a 52-page opinion, denied President Trump’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s Amended Complaint for failure to state a claim.  The Court determined that Plaintiffs have convincingly argued that the term “emolument” in both the Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clauses means any “profit,” “gain,” or “advantage” that that accordingly they have stated claims to the effect that the President, in certain instances, has violated both the Foreign and Domestic Clauses.”

On July 25, 2018, U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte for the District of Maryland, in a 52-page opinion, denied President Trump’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s Amended Complaint for failure to state a claim.  The Court determined that Plaintiffs have convincingly argued that the term “emolument” in both the Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clauses means any “profit,” “gain,” or “advantage” that that accordingly they have stated claims to the effect that the President, in certain instances, has violated both the Foreign and Domestic Clauses.”

On July 25, 2018, U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte for the District of Maryland, in a 52-page opinion, denied President Trump’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s Amended Complaint for failure to state a claim.  The Court determined that Plaintiffs have convincingly argued that the term “emolument” in both the Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clauses means any “profit,” “gain,” or “advantage” that that accordingly they have stated claims to the effect that the President, in certain instances, has violated both the Foreign and Domestic Clauses.”

On July 22, 2018, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria and Argentina’s Minister of Treasury Nicolás Dujovne presided over a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a center of the OECD Academy for Tax and Financial Crime Investigation in Buenos Aires, Argentina.