On December 20, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the unsealing of terrorism charges against Samuel Salman El Reda, aka Samuel Salman El Reda, Salman Raouf Salman, Sulayman Rammal, Salman Ramal, Salman Raouf Salman, and Hajj, 58, a dual Colombian-Lebanese citizen and member of Hezbollah’s Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO), in connection with El Reda’s alleged role leading decades of terrorist activity on behalf of Hezbollah and the IJO.

On November 30, 2023, the Office of the Prosecutor at the Int’l Criminal Court (ICC) issued a report on the situation in Colombia (https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/2023-11/2023-11-30-otp-report-colombia-eng.pdf). This report determined that potential cases on alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes during the six-decade Colombian civil war are likely inadmissible to the ICC, due to genuine proceedings by the Colombian government aimed at handling all the cases. 

On December 15, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced it has begun the process to return 16 Khmer sculptures – 14 to Cambodia and two to Thailand.  The return will effectively remove from its collection all Angkorian sculptures works which the Met knows are linked with the dealer Douglass Latchford. 

On December 21, 2023, the United States and Venezuela agreed to a major exchange of prisoners, which has significance for the state of U.S.-Venezuelan relations.  The U.S. released Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in exchange for 10 jailed Americans and a fugitive defense contractor known as “Fat Leonard,” who has been convicted in U.S. District Court in San Diego for corruption involving the U.S. Navy.

On October 12, 2017, the Regulation establishing the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) was adopted by  Member States which are part of the EPPO “enhanced cooperation.”[1] The EPPO is in charge of investigating, prosecuting, and bringing to justice the perpetrators of offenses against the Union's financial interests.

On December 15, 2023, the Japanese authorities transferred to the United States U.S. Navy officer Lt. Ridge Alkonis, pursuant to a prisoner transfer treaty between both nations. Alkonis was imprisoned in Japan as a result of negligent homicide resulting in the death of two persons.[1]U.S. officials have stated that Alkonis has been remanded to U.S. custody, where he will eventually have a hearing before the U.S. parole commissioner to determine his future disposition.

 On November 30, 2023, a court sentenced a British solicitor to nine months of suspended imprisonment for 18 months following his conviction for “tipping off” his client about a money laundering investigation. The court sentenced William Osmond, 69, and ordered him to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

On December 4, 2023, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of three petitions by siblings to quash IRS summonses issued for their bank records at the request of Peruvian authorities.  The appellate court in a per curiam decision found that the court did not err in denying an evidentiary hearing with respect to bad faith by the requesting Peruvian government and properly refused to hold a hearing.

As part of Saudi Vision 2023, the Financial Sector Development Program seeks to strengthen financial sector institutions. This initiative, which was introduced in 2018, intends to contribute to the accomplishment of 21 more Vision 2030 strategic goals in an indirect manner. 

In July 2023, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) published its second-ever Conflict Index (acleddata.com/acled-conflict-index-mid-year-update). The index, which updates every six months and was first launched in January 2023, measures the intensity and intractability of political violence in more than 240 territories and countries around the world.