On July 15, 2020, President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General William P. Barr announced several indictments related to Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), an initiative started in August 2019 aimed at disrupting, dismantling, and ultimately destroying MS-13.[1]

                On July 15, 2020, the United States Department of Justice brought a civil forfeiture complaint,[1] demanding the forfeiture of a mansion in Potomac, Maryland on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. Yahya Jammeh, the former president of The Gambia, acquired the property with approximately $3.5 million in corruption proceeds through a trust established by his wife Zineb Jammeh.[2]

On July 17, 2020, European Union High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell made a statement on United States sanctions.[1] The sharp criticism is the latest shot across the bow of U.S. unilateral sanctions.

On July 16, 2020, Essentra FZE Company Limited (Essentra FZE), a global supplier of cigarette products, which is incorporated in the United Arab Emirates, entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and defrauding the United States in connection with evading sanctions on North Korea.[1]

On July 18, 2020, Cyprus extradited two individuals to the United States in unrelated cases. The most important for Cyprus was the extradition of Joshua Polloso Epifaniou, 21, a resident of Nicosia, Cyprus.  He is the first Cypriot national that Cyprus has ever extradited to the U.S. The second case concerned Ghassan Diab, 37 a Lebanese citizen, wanted in Florida for conspiring to engage in, and actually engaging in, laundering of drug proceeds through the black market peso exchange in support of Hezbollah’s global criminal-support network.[1]

On July 17, 2020, Emilio Lozoya, former CEO of Mexico’s oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) arrived in Mexico after Spain extradited him on corruption-related charges. Upon his arrival, a medical expert detected that he suffered from anemia and general weakness due to his esophagus. As a result, he was brought to a hospital and was being treated and remained under strict watch by the police.[1]

On July 3, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released the 133-page A Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (hereafter “Guide”) (Second Edition 2020).[1] The Guide contains detailed information and analysis regarding the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and related enforcement. Experts at the DOJ and SEC have worked extensively on the guide. Professionals at the Departments of Commerce and State have also contributed to the guide. The Guide tries to provide useful information to the public, including practitioners and enterprises of all shapes and sizes—from small businesses transacting abroad for the first time to multinational corporations with subsidiaries around the world.

On July 6, 2020, the United Kingdom Government issued the “Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations” and for the first time designated individuals under the Regulations for their participation in gross human rights violations.[1]  The U.K. Treasury issued the regulations pursuant to the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (the “SAMLA”). 

The Virtual Counter-Terrorism Week organized by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism concluded its discussions on Friday July 10, 2020.

On July 10, 2020, the European Parliament adopted with 534 votes to 25 and 122 abstentions a resolution on a comprehensive Union policy on preventing money laundering and terrorist financing.[1]