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]

On July 10, 2020, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) issued its World Wildlife Crime Report 2020.[1] The report underscores the threat wildlife trafficking poses to nature and the biodiversity of the planet. The report discusses the trafficking of some wild species, such as pangolins, birds, turtles, tigers, bears, etc. According to the report, trafficking wild animals increases the potential for transmission of zoonotic diseases, which are spread from animals to humans.

On June 17, 2020, the Trump Administration imposed new sanctions on the Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad. The sanctions are intended to prevent private and foreign investors from supporting reconstruction and revenue-producing efforts in the country, which has been ravaged by a civil war.[1] The stated purpose of the sanctions is to create accountability for the Assad regime’s violence against the Syrian people through the use of diplomatic and coercive economic measures. The Caesar Act was sponsored by Senator James Risch (R-Id.) and signed into action by President Trump in December 2019.  

In June, 2020, the European Parliament released a report authored by Wouter van Ballegooij on the implementation of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW), EU’s “flagship instrument” of international cooperation in criminal matters.[1]

On July 2, 2020, Europol and Eurojust, together with French and Dutch law enforcement and judicial authorities, announced the results of a joint investigation, dismantling EncroChat, an encrypted phone network employed by criminal networks, and arresting thousands of individuals and seizing the instrumentalities and proceeds of crime.[1]