On October 15, 2019, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that an indictment was returned, charging Túrkiye Halk Bankasi A.S (“Halkbank”) in a six-count indictment with fraud, money laundering, and sanctions offenses concerning the bank’s participation in a multibillion-dollar scheme to evade U.S. sanctions on Iran.[1] The indictment alleges that from approximately 2012 through 2016, Halkbank was a foreign financial institution organized under the laws of and headquartered in Turkey.

On October 7, 2019, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for the wife of a United States diplomat involved in an automobile crash that killed a British teenager riding a motorcycle to return to Britain.[1] After the crash, the British police talked to 42-year-old suspect Anne Sacoolas.  At the scene of the accident, Sacoolas, whose 12-year-old son was reportedly a passenger in the SUV, was hysterical and immediately took the blame, giving all her details including her British and U.S. cellphone numbers.[2]

At its thirtieth sitting held on October 1, 2019, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted the Resolution and Recommendation on the protection of whistle-blowers. The debate, as well as recommendation and resolution, were based on a Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights report.^[1]According to the research carried out by the rapporteur, less than 20 Council of Europe Member Countries (Albania, Croatia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Slovakia, Sweden, and United Kingdom) have a comprehensive law protecting whistle-blowers. In the remaining EU countries, the protection granted is partial; it covers only public servants or only specific sectors (e.g., financial services) or only specific types of wrongdoings (e.g., corruption). 

At its 3717^th meeting on October 7 and 8, 2019, the European Union’s Justice and Home Affairs Council discussed and adopted a position on a number of criminal justice, home and law enforcement issues.[1] The Council exchanged views on the topic of EU action against corruption. The overall majority of ministers supported the principle of a new comprehensive EU strategy or action plan to fight and prevent corruption both in the EU institutions and the Member States. In this respect, delegations emphasized the need to focus on areas where the EU work can bring added value and the need to look for possible synergies with existing international instruments, in order to avoid parallel actions in this field.[2]

The Israeli Justice Minister Amir Ohana said he hoped United States authorities would intervene on behalf of Na’ama Issachar, 26, who was sentenced to 7 and a half years in Russia after one-third of an ounce of hashish was found in her luggage when she was transiting in the Moscow airport from India to Tel Aviv on April 10.[1] Israeli President Reuven Rivlin appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning Issachar, asking that she be released from prison in Russia.[2]

On October 10, 2019, United States District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco said special circumstances required the release of former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, pending the adjudication of Peru’s extradition request concerning corruption charges.[1] Toledo, 73, has been held in solitary confinement in a county jail about 40 miles east of San Francisco since his arrest on July 15.  Judge Chhabria observed a staff psychiatrist’s report, stating solitary confinement had caused a marked decline in Toledo’s mental state.[2]

During the last 18 months the United States government has halted the U.S.-Cuba Enforcement Dialogue and Cooperation, first allegedly due to the health problems experienced by U.S. diplomats in Cuba and then Cuban support for the Maduro administration in Venezuela. On January 16, 2017, the United States and Cuba signed a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Law Enforcement Cooperation.  On January 16, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes traveled to Cuba for official meetings and witnesses the signing of the MOU.^[1]

On September 25, 2019, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Honduras government announced an asylum agreement that will enable U.S. immigration authorities to send asylum applicants from the border to Honduras.[1]  The agreement was signed by Honduras’ minister of foreign affairs during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.[2] A joint statement announced both countries commitment to implementing the Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Republic of Honduras for Cooperation in order to continue building stronger border security and law enforcement cooperation.[3]

On October 3, 2019, the United States and United Kingdom concluded the first ever CLOUD Act Agreement.[1]  It will permit U.S. and British law enforcement agencies, with appropriate authorization, to demand electronic data concerning serious crime, including terrorism, child sexual abuse, and cybercrime, directly from tech companies based in the other country, without legal barriers.  Simultaneously, both governments and Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs published an open letter to Facebook, asking it to stop plans to implement end-to-end encryption across its messaging services.  On October 7, 2019, the U.S. and Australian governments announced they started negotiating a CLOUD Act Agreement.  Australia and the U.S. also held a roundtable on trusted technology ecosystems.

On October 7, 2019, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for the wife of a United States diplomat involved in an automobile crash that killed a British teenager riding a motorcycle to return to Britain.[1] After the crash, the British police talked to 42-year-old suspect Anne Sacoolas.  At the scene of the accident, Sacoolas, whose 12-year-old son was reportedly a passenger in the SUV, was hysterical and immediately took the blame, giving all her details including her British and U.S. cellphone numbers.[2