On July 5, 2022, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) approved a Recommendation to strengthen INTERPOL’s ability to stop authoritarian regimes abusing its tools.[1] The Recommendation, which sets out the Parliament’s positions on the EU’s cooperation agreement with INTERPOL, received overwhelming support from MEPs with 607 voting in favor, 13 against, and 11 abstentions. It highlights the need for more transparency and effective procedures to prevent Red Notice abuse.

On June 29, 2022, Thai law enforcement authorities arrested a Malaysian national wanted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (US FWS) for allegedly trading in elephant tusks and rhinoceros’ horns.  Thai officials arrested Teo Boon Ching, 58, called by the US FWS as “the Godfather” as a result of his alleged global network of wildlife trading.  Thai authorities also obtained an arrest warrant by the Criminal Court on June 29, 2022 for trading in wildlife and money laundering.[1]

On June 28, the Group of 7 Leaders’ Communique following the meeting of the heads of government in Elmau, Germany on June 26-28, 2022 addressed several global crime threats, making many recommendations on new and deepening solutions.

On June 23, 2022, Former Nigerian senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu were charged with conspiracy to arrange or facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, “namely organ harvesting.”  Shortly after their detainment by the Metropolitan Police of London, the couple were denied bail.

On June 14-17, 2022, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) concluded four days of hybrid meetings under the German Presidency of Dr. Marcus Pleyer.  The Plenary agreed on several strategic initiatives, which this article discusses.

On May 25, 2022, French authorities arrested Jean-Luc Martinez in connection with an investigation into illicit art trafficking.[1] Martinez currently serves as France’s ambassador for international cooperation on heritage. He previously served as the director and president of the Louvre Museum in Paris from 2013 to 2021.

On May 13, 2022, the United States Treasury Department issued its National Strategy for Combating Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing (2022 Strategy).  On June 22, 2022, the House Armed Services Committee Voted to include the Enablers Act in the National Defense Authorization Act, thereby increasing its chances of passing.

On June 20, 2022, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the launch of a War Crimes Accountability Team to bolster the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to hold accountable those who have committed war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine.  Garland made the announcement after meeting Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova in a surprise visit to Ukraine.

On March 10, 2022, the Parliament of the European Union was so alarmed by the number of assassinations of Mexican journalists in the first months of the year that it passed the Resolution on the situation of journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico.  ^[1] The Resolution passed 607 votes to 2 with 73 abstentions, and referenced that “institutionalized and widespread corruption, abetted by a deficient judicial system, is engendering an endemic problem of impunity, with around 95% of journalists’ murders going unpunished.”  ^[2]

On June 2, 2022, Atul and Rajesh Gupta were arrested at their home in Dubai.[1]  The brothers are wanted in South Africa in connection with fraud and state capture.  They are being held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) pending extradition.  The arrests, and possible extraditions were made possible by newly established extradition and mutual legal assistance treaties between the UAE and South Africa. Their arrests may also be part of a larger policy shift currently underway in the UAE.