European Parliament Adopts a Resolution Against Impunity for War Crimes in Ukraine
On May 19, 2022, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on accountability for crimes committed by the Russian military during the Ukrainian invasion.
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On May 19, 2022, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on accountability for crimes committed by the Russian military during the Ukrainian invasion.
On May 25, 2022, the European Commission announced two proposals aimed at strengthening restrictive measures adopted by the European Union.
On April 28 and 29, 2022, the Organization of American States (OAS) Ministers of Justice and Attorneys General (REMJA) Working Group on Cybercrime held its 10th Meeting in virtual format, exchanging best practices, experiences, and challenges experienced by OAS member States in connection with cybercrime. Attending the meeting were government experts on cybercrime, representatives of international organizations, and the private sector. The meeting addressed the importance of updated cybercrime legislation, training, and legal cooperation.[1]
[1] OAS, Recommendations of the REMJA Working Group on Cybercrime as a result from the 10th meeting, Legal Cooperation/Cybercrime/REMJA Newsletter (May 2022).
On May 18, 2021, a French appellate court has confirmed that the multinational enterprise Lafarge must face charges of complicity in crimes against humanity over alleged payoffs to the Islamic State group and other jihadist organizations during the Syrian civil war.[1]
[1] AFP, French court upholds Syria ‘complicity in crimes against humanity’ charge against Lafarge, https://www.france24.com, May 18, 2022.
On May 24, 2022, Glencore International A.G. (Glencore) and Glencore Ltd., both part of a multinational commodity trading and mining company headquartered in Switzerland, each pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $1.1 billion to resolve the U.S. government’s investigations into violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and a commodity (i.e., fuel oil) price manipulation scheme. The guilty pleas in the U.S. are part of coordinated resolutions with criminal and civil authorities in the United Kingdom and Brazil.[1]
[1] United States Department of Justice, Glencore Entered Guilty Pleas to Foreign Bribery and Market Manipulation Schemes Swiss-Based Firm Agrees to Pay Over $1.1 Billion, May 24, 2022.
On April 19, 2022, the criminal trial of a German ISIS returnee, Jalda A., began in the Higher Regional Court of Hamburg. She is accused of abusing and enslaving a Yazidi woman in her Syrian home and being charged with aiding and abetting genocide as well as with war crimes and crimes against humanity, including torture, enslavement, religious and gender-based persecution and aiding and abetting rape.
On May 5, 2022, British and Spanish authorities arrested David Ungi in Coín, Spain. Ungi was wanted in connection with the 2015 killing of Vinny Waddington in Liverpool, as well as his connection to heroin trafficking.[1] Ungi is facing prosecution in Spain, and potential extradition to the UK.
[1] Nacho Sánchez, Detenido en Málaga otro de los británicos incluidos en la lista de los más buscados, El País (May 9, 2022, 1:22 PM), https://elpais.com/espana/2022-05-09/detenido-en-malaga-otro-de-los-britanicos-incluidos-en-la-lista-de-los-mas-buscados.html.
During the third week of May, several developments on accountability for atrocities in the Russo-Ukraine war converged. On May 17, 2022, International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan QC announced he was sending a team of 42 investigators, forensic experts, and support personnel to Ukraine to continue the ICC investigations into crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC and furnish support to Ukrainian national authorities. On May 18, during the first war crimes trial in Ukraine Russian Sgt. Vadim Shidhimarin pleaded guilty to killing an unarmed 62-year-old civilian in the Sumy region of Ukraine. On May 19, 2022, a quintet of Attorneys General issued a statement of support for the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and investigations and prosecutions for Russian war crimes.
On May 17, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Allianz Global Investors U.S. (AGI) will plead guilty to securities fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud investors, many of which were pension funds. Simultaneously, the DOJ unsealed the guilty pleas of Trevor Taylor and Stephen Bond-Nelson in connection with their respective roles in the scheme. In addition, an indictment was unsealed in the Southern District of New York, charging Gregoire Tournant, the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) and co-lead Portfolio Manager for a series of private investment funds managed by AGI.