Daily financial-crime intelligence · Updated 28 Sep 2026, 23:02 UTC
Money laundering
An investigation by the Paris prosecutor's office has dismantled a fraud and money laundering scheme in the optical sector. Twenty-two individuals and fifteen legal entities have been summoned before the Paris correctional court for alleged facts of fraud and organized money laundering.
Money laundering
On 25 September 2026, the Paris prosecutor and gendarmerie announced the referral to court of 22 people (ophthalmologists, opticians, health centre managers) and 15 entities for organised fraud and organised money laundering.
Sanctions
On 25 September 2026, the AMF Sanctions Commission sought €1.5 million in fines against Auris Gestion and two of its executives. The asset management firm is accused of professional violations concerning the management of customized funds.
Money laundering
Judge José Luis Calama of Spain's National Court granted bail to Simon Lendeert Verhoeven, a Dutch financier identified as the alleged 'mastermind' of a money-laundering scheme, but imposed restrictions including prohibition from leaving Spain, court attendance every two days, and home searches.
Other
Julio Martínez Sola, former president of Plus Ultra, claims through his legal team that Spain's state industrial holdings company (SEPI) demanded he surrender voting control of his 51.10% airline stake as a condition of the €53 million government bailout.
Other
Roberto Roselli, former CEO of Plus Ultra, filed a complaint with the investigating judge stating the company has refused to provide him information since his July resignation.
Other
Jacques Raynal, medical entrepreneur and political figure in Tahiti, is being tried in October 2026 in Paris for illegal conflict of interest.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office in Naples conducted searches and seizures in an investigation where a cooperative issued invoices for employee training courses that were never provided to workers.
Fraud & scams
An individual was arrested while withdrawing money from an ATM in Warsaw following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor's Office.
Swiss federal courts handled approximately 25 decisions involving nearly a dozen Ukrainian cases within one year, primarily addressing corruption and embezzlement of public funds.
Geneva's public prosecutor has concluded a thirteen-year investigation into former Almaty mayor Viktor Khrapunov and family members on money laundering charges.
A UK court ruling involving law firm Carter-Ruck may significantly limit the Solicitors Regulation Authority's ability to investigate strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).
Bribery & corruption
The National Financial Prosecutor's Office has requested dismissal of charges against Alexis Kohler, former chief of staff to Emmanuel Macron and secretary general of the Élysée from 2017 to 2025, in an investigation concerning alleged illegal conflict of interest due to his family links to shipping magnate MSC.
Other
UBS agreed to pay €5 million to the Dutch Public Prosecution Service to settle proceedings concerning former Credit Suisse's alleged assistance in filing incorrect tax returns for Dutch clients.
Trafficking
Spain's National Police dismantled a criminal cocaine trafficking organisation operating at industrial scale. The operation resulted in the arrest of 12 individuals held in judicial custody and the seizure of 61 kilograms of cocaine, €222,880 in cash, and 5 firearms.
Money laundering
An Italian-Swiss criminal known as 'Lupin del Ticino' (also called 'Gentleman-gangster' and 'Mago del cilindro') faces money laundering proceedings before the Kempten court in Bavaria.
Latvia refused to support a deal that would have removed EU sanctions against Russian businessmen Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman in exchange for extending the broader EU sanctions list affecting approximately 3,000 Russian-linked persons and organizations.
Fraud & scams
Judge Juan Carlos Peinado has ordered Begoña Gómez, spouse of Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, to trial before a jury on charges of embezzlement and influence peddling.
Money laundering
According to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Ben Delo, who donated £36 million to Reform UK, co-founded BitMEX—a cryptocurrency exchange that prosecutors alleged operated with minimal customer verification, facilitating money laundering and sanctions evasion.
Money laundering
Mohamed Sanhadji, former logistics and security manager for the French national football team (2004–December 2025), has been placed under judicial investigation on charges including receiving embezzled public funds, active corruption of public officials, influence trafficking, escroquerie, and tax fraud money laundering.
Fraud & scams
A 31-year-old man residing in the Czech Republic was arrested in Thusis, Grisons, on suspicion of repeated fraud targeting elderly victims in Ticino's Riviera and Mendrisiotto regions.
Money laundering
A 51-year-old British man, one of the 12 most-wanted fugitives in the UK, was arrested in Orihuela, Alicante. He was facing an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for fraud and money laundering.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office in Zagreb filed an indictment on 18 September 2026 against four individuals and two companies for subsidy fraud involving misuse of EU funds.
Other
The Financial Conduct Authority, working with HM Revenue & Customs and the Metropolitan Police Service, targeted three London premises suspected of operating unregistered peer-to-peer cryptocurrency businesses.
Money laundering
The UK Financial Conduct Authority opened an investigation on 17 September 2026 into Euro Exchange Securities UK Ltd (EES) over suspected failures in anti-money laundering processes.
Money laundering
Spanish National Police dismantled a money laundering operation linked to a major drug trafficker in the Campo de Gibraltar region. Operation Malibú targeted an individual who had been evading justice intermittently since 2018.
A former head of Deutsche Bank's private banking team in Frankfurt was convicted and sentenced to a two-year suspended prison term by Frankfurt Regional Court for embezzling €626,000 from affluent clients through breach of trust and theft.
Bribery & corruption
Russian Prosecutor General Alexander Gutsan announced that over 60,000 officials have faced conviction for corruption crimes in the past five years, averaging approximately 1,000 convictions monthly.
Other
According to an OCCRP investigation, a forensic report found that approximately $74 million of Ferrexpo's $110 million in donations to Ukrainian charity Blooming Land between 2013-2018 was allegedly not used for charitable purposes.
Other
Israeli tax authorities suspect investor Amir Dayan concealed his wealth behind a 91-year-old French individual to hide his fortune. Dayan owns significant real estate in Berlin, hotels in England, and maintains an account in Switzerland.
Money laundering
The Financial Conduct Authority, HM Revenue & Customs, and the Metropolitan Police Service issued cease-and-desist notices at three London premises suspected of operating illegal peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading businesses on 10 September 2026, extending the regulator's enforcement campaign against unregistered crypto trading.
Fraud & scams
Spanish Civil Guard authorities dismantled a sophisticated cybercrime network (Operation Ibermellow) that defrauded over €1 million from 43 victims across Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel provinces.
Money laundering
Gaye C., former director of Coallia (a migrant assistance organization), was convicted by the Tribunal Judiciaire de Créteil on September 11, 2026, and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
Fraud & scams
Dmitry Shushlebin, 45, a Russian citizen residing in Miami Beach, Florida, was sentenced to six years in prison, three years of supervised release, and $458,839.69 in restitution.
Money laundering
Italian authorities allege aggravated fraud and money laundering related to the estate of Felice Riva, a former textile magnate and former president of AC Milan (1960s), who died in Tuscany in 2017.
Terrorist financing
A joint investigation by Bellingcat and Jeune Afrique documented multiple drone strikes carried out by Mali's military (Forces Armees Maliennes/FAMa) with reported civilian casualties.
The EU Council decided on 15 September 2026 to prolong the restrictive measures targeting those responsible for undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine for another six months.
Money laundering
Two men from Marseille are being prosecuted in Paris for attempted fraud against a magistrate. The accused allegedly submitted false documents to a judge in order to recover seized vehicles and avoid pretrial detention.
Bribery & corruption
A trial is underway involving Madrid's government's approval of a public company acquisition allegedly executed improperly.
Fraud & scams
The Guardia Civil dismantled a cybercriminal network that defrauded over €1 million from 43 victims through a call center that impersonated banking entities.
Money laundering
The UK government announced a comprehensive anti-money laundering strategy with £500 million in funding over three years and recruitment of 500 new officers across the National Crime Agency, police forces, and Crown Prosecution Service.
Money laundering
The UK government published its Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Strategy 2026-2029 on September 15, 2026, backed by at least £550 million of investment and plans for 500 additional law-enforcement officers and specialists by end of 2029.
Other
The Upper Tribunal has confirmed a ban on Crispin Odey, founder of Odey Asset Management, from working in financial services, finding he demonstrated a lack of integrity.
Money laundering
The Financial Conduct Authority has opened an investigation into Euro Exchange Securities UK Ltd for potential breaches of anti-money laundering regulations between 1 February 2020 and 4 June 2026.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced on 14 September 2026 that nine suspects have been charged in Germany in operation Nimmersatt, investigating a criminal network alleged to have imported seriously damaged vehicles from the United States before reselling them after only superficial repairs.
Money laundering
A 25-year-old Parisian computer science graduate identified as Shimon B. was placed under judicial examination on September 11, 2026, for fraud and money laundering in an organized criminal network.
Fraud & scams
The Financial Conduct Authority has prohibited Nurul Miah from working in the financial services industry after the Solicitors Regulation Authority found that Miah, as a non-legal manager at Kingly Solicitors Limited, dishonestly caused or allowed more than £28 million of client money to be taken from client accounts without permission between April 2019 and July 2020.
Money laundering
Federal justice has convicted six Swiss banks for corruption or money laundering cases. The rulings specifically concern cases highlighting issues related to compliance and internal controls of banking institutions.
Fraud & scams
UK fintech company Revolut confirmed a customer data breach affecting approximately 680 clients through fraudulent requests using a legitimate government agency domain email.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Katowice, Poland filed an indictment on 8 September 2026 at the Circuit Court in Katowice against two suspects accused of attempting to fraudulently obtain €3.3 million in EU funding to establish nurseries across the country.
Money laundering
On 15 September 2026, the UK launched its latest Anti-Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Strategy 2026-2029.
Fraud & scams
Former Southern Water Chief Executive Officer Matthew Wright has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the Environment Agency and water regulator Ofwat, along with three former colleagues: Philip Barker, Clive Massey and Mark Gregory.
Money laundering
Spanish National Court Judge José Luis Calama, investigating the Plus Ultra airline rescue, sought judicial assistance from Swiss authorities regarding approximately 53 million euros in government rescue funds.
Money laundering
Carlos García Roldán, alias 'Charly', was arrested in Calella, Barcelona, after nine months at large. He was convicted of continued aggravated fraud, membership in a criminal group, fraudulent insolvency and money laundering to a sentence of 14 years and 9 months imprisonment.
Money laundering
A 26-year-old man is on trial at Grasse criminal court on September 10-11, 2026 for fraud and money laundering. He is accused of contacting victims by telephone while impersonating their banker, obtaining their online banking codes and transferring funds to his own accounts.
Other
A Moscow court convicted Andrey Kushnaryov, former managing director of Russia's state nanotechnology corporation, of embezzling over 7.5 billion rubles from the Crocus project.
Money laundering
Pierre Mirabaud, former president of Switzerland's banking association, received a two-year suspended prison sentence after conviction by Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona for bribery and money laundering. The case involved approximately 82.3 million Swiss francs ($101.
Trafficking
Italian justice obtained seizure of two ancient vases held by the Geneva Museum of Art and History (MAH) and the University of Geneva. The antiquities, potentially sourced from trafficking, are held by the Geneva association Hellas & Roma, which supplies collections to the MAH.
Fraud & scams
François Bayrou, former Prime Minister, appeared before Paris Court of Appeal on 9 September 2026 in the MoDem parliamentary assistants affair. He was acquitted at first instance in February 2024, but prosecutors filed an appeal.
Tax evasion
Franco-Swiss banker Paul Hottinguer faces trial in Paris on charges of tax evasion for allegedly misrepresenting his tax residency between 2011 and 2021 to evade French taxes.
Fraud & scams
Christopher Woolcott, aged 44, from Greenwich, London, pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates' Court to fraud by false representation contrary to the Fraud Act 2006 and three counts of making false instruments contrary to the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981.
Fraud & scams
Spanish National Police arrested a suspect in the act in Madrid while he attempted to defraud a company of €120,000 by posing as a fake executive. The suspect used false documents and demanded payments to secure fraudulent contracts, building false identities to gain victims' trust.
Other
The Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal investigation into Reform UK over allegations that the party broke electoral law on foreign donations.
Money laundering
Pierre Mirabaud, former president of the Swiss Bankers Association (2003-2009), was convicted by Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court of bribery and aggravated money laundering over 82.3 million Swiss francs ($101.
Other
A former advisor to Madrid's Canal de Isabel II testified that a 2001 acquisition of a Colombian water company appeared highly suspicious. The transaction involved purchasing 75% of Inassa for $73 million, allegedly with unlawful markups between €19-29 million in public funds.
Money laundering
Pierre Mirabaud, 77, a former partner at Swiss private bank Mirabaud & Cie and former president of Switzerland's banking association (2003–2009), was convicted by Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona of bribery and aggravated money laundering.
Fraud & scams
Amit Shabi and Marco Shabi, managers of Bernheim Dreyfus & Co, an asset management firm founded in Geneva and later relocated to Paris, have pleaded guilty following an agreement with the National Financial Prosecutor.
Bribery & corruption
The social protection group Malakoff Humanis is the subject of an investigation by the National Financial Prosecutor for suspected active and passive private corruption committed on an organised basis.
Sanctions
HM Revenue and Customs has imposed a record £7,438,840 compound penalty on Illumina Cambridge Limited for breaches of Russian sanctions regulations through indirect supply of sanctioned goods.
Fraud & scams
France's financial intelligence service Tracfin (Traitement du renseignement et action contre les circuits financiers clandestins) announced on Monday 7 September it received 278,484 declarations of suspected fraud in 2025, a 32% increase compared with 2024.
Bribery & corruption
The Audiencia Nacional has begun trial against 22 people accused of alleged corruption in the acquisition of Colombian company Inassa by Canal de Isabel II in 2001. Prosecutors allege an improper overcharge of between 19 and 29 million euros of public funds.
Money laundering
Law enforcement agencies uncovered a criminal organization that systematically received bribes from fraudulent call centers and laundered millions in illicit proceeds.
Money laundering
The National Financial Prosecutor (PNF) seized €65.2 million from accounts of consulting firm McKinsey as part of an investigation into money laundering connected with tax fraud. The seized amount represents approximately 96% of the estimated fiscal damage of €68 million.
Fraud & scams
French and Belgian prosecutors announced the seizure of €65 million from US consultancy firm McKinsey as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged tax fraud. Belgian authorities seized €65.2 million on August 19, 2026, which represents 96% of the tax loss estimated by French prosecutors.
Fraud & scams
A National Court judge has summoned Cristian Corvillo—identified by the opposition as a former driver of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez—to testify as a witness in a hydrocarbon fraud investigation.
Fraud & scams
Three former directors of Ethical Forestry Limited have been sentenced for fraudulent trading: Matthew Pickard (56 years) to six years' imprisonment, Stephen Greenaway (47 years) to five years and three months, and Paul Laver (47 years) to four years and six months.
Fraud & scams
The Paris Criminal Court convicted three French companies and two directors for fraud involving €275,800 in European funding.
Trafficking
The Ticino Public Ministry opened criminal proceedings against a Lugano-based lawyer and a legal professional from his firm. According to prosecutors, the two are suspected of transmitting confidential information regarding the SkyEcc affair that allowed defendants to anticipate arrests.
Sanctions
The UK's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) imposed a monetary penalty of £4,732,830.58 on Citibank N.A., London Branch (CBNA London) on 11 August 2026, according to an announcement published on 2 September 2026.
Money laundering
The European Public Prosecutor's Office connected businessman Víctor de Aldama and associates to a suspected scheme involving the transfer of approximately €27.9 million to Portugal between 2022-2024.
Other
The Financial Conduct Authority decided to ban Daniel Thomas from working in financial services and fined him £742,700 for recklessly giving defined benefit pension transfer advice he was neither qualified nor permitted to give.
Money laundering
Paul Hottinguer, heir to a Franco-Swiss banking dynasty, is being tried at Paris Criminal Court for aggravated tax fraud and money laundering.
Sanctions
The United Kingdom strengthened enforcement actions against shadow financial networks connected to Russia's economy.
Sanctions
British authorities announced they are intensifying enforcement against those who evade Russia-related sanctions by doubling maximum penalties. The revised penalties now permit fines reaching 100% of illicitly obtained proceeds, up from the previous 50% cap.
Money laundering
On 19 August 2026, the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office, in coordination with French prosecutors, seized €65.24 million as part of an investigation into suspected aggravated money laundering linked to tax fraud by management consulting firm McKinsey.
Fraud & scams
An investigation by Follow the Money details allegations that Italian mafia organizations, including the Neapolitan Camorra and Sicilian Cosa Nostra, collaborated with financial operatives to orchestrate a €520 million VAT fraud scheme.
Bribery & corruption
French businessman Vincent Bolloré has filed a complaint against several judges of Paris Court, accusing them of obstruction of justice, abuse of authority, and breach of integrity.
According to Meduza citing Financial Times reporting, four senior managers at Gazprombank's Luxembourg branch—Dmitry Derkach, Sergey Nekrasov, Sergey Belousov, and Pavel Bolshakov—allegedly orchestrated a scheme to profit from sanctions-induced market disruption.
Other
A Bureau of Investigative Journalism investigation revealed offshore connections behind Vantage UK's trading platform.
Securities & markets
The Financial Conduct Authority banned three former senior executives at Dolfin Financial (UK) Limited for operating a scheme that enabled clients to circumvent UK investor visa requirements between 2016 and 2019.
Trafficking
Spain's National Police arrested the suspected leader of the historic 'Os Fanchos' clan and two other men in A Pobra do Caramiñal, La Coruña. Authorities seized 1,410 kilograms of cocaine and 100 grams of heroin.
Fraud & scams
The Parquet National Financier (National Financial Prosecutor) announced on August 24 that it opened a preliminary investigation into alleged embezzlement of public funds against Bally Bagayoko, mayor of Saint-Denis and member of La France Insoumise.
Fraud & scams
A London court has wound up Key Coin Assets Ltd following an Insolvency Service investigation that found the company operated a Ponzi-style cryptocurrency investment scheme. Nine investors lost more than £300,000 to the fraud.
Money laundering
Three residents of Barcelona and Buñol, Valencia were arrested on charges of membership in a criminal organization, fraud, and money laundering in a scheme involving fraudulent sales of containers adapted as prefabricated homes.
Trafficking
Ten members of a criminal organization dedicated to drug trafficking were arrested as suspected perpetrators of a firearm attack against a Civil Guard patrol vehicle during the early morning hours of August 17-18. Authorities seized two narcotics vessels and 5,926 kilograms of hashish.
Trafficking
Spain's National Police dismantled a drug trafficking operation in the Arousa estuary, A Coruña, seizing approximately 1,500 kilograms of cocaine from buildings near beaches with direct access. At least three arrests were made.
Money laundering
Spanish police captured the alleged leader of a drug network through coordinated operations with German authorities. The investigation revealed that the organization 'could have obtained profit exceeding 11 million euros.'
Trafficking
Spain's Civil Guard dismantled a criminal network dedicated to drug trafficking in A Mariña Lucense in Operation 'Zoco A7', arresting seven people accused of distributing cocaine and hashish in Lugo and Asturias.
Money laundering
National Police and Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency in Cantabria concluded a joint investigation with the arrest of a man and a woman as suspected perpetrators of offences against public health and money laundering.
Money laundering
The UK Gambling Commission announced on August 20, 2026, that QuinnBet (Gibraltar) Limited agreed to pay a regulatory settlement of £609,104 for anti-money laundering and social responsibility control deficiencies.
Bribery & corruption
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Iryna Mudra, his deputy chief of staff, after anti-corruption investigators raided premises of senior officials.
Fraud & scams
Key Coin Assets Ltd was shut down by a London court following an Insolvency Service investigation that found the company operating a Ponzi-style cryptocurrency investment scheme.
Other
A Bureau of Investigative Journalism investigation reveals how Vantage Markets, an offshore trading broker registered in Vanuatu, allegedly recruited influencers including wellness gurus and political figure Tommy Robinson to promote its platform.
Other
Former television commentator and attorney Laure-Alice Bouvier was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment (suspended) following conviction for unauthorized access to and misuse of confidential information from the Cassiopée judicial database. The ex-contributor to Touche pas à mon poste!
Securities & markets
The Financial Conduct Authority imposed an indefinite prohibition order and financial penalty of £56,400 on Demetrios Hadjigeorgiou, former chief executive of SVS Securities Plc, for failing to protect customer interests.
Money laundering
Former Motol Hospital director Miloslav Ludvik and deputy director Pavel Budinsky are accused of accepting bribes from construction companies in exchange for contracts including a 150 million euro EU-funded oncology center, with bribes allegedly laundered via a shell company in Benin, according to Follow the Money and the European Public Prosecutor's Office.
Other
The FCA has banned Howard Roland Duckett from working in financial services due to a serious lack of honesty and integrity. Duckett was a senior manager at Beauforce Corporation Limited, a debt management firm.
Money laundering
A 57-year-old Italian man is suspected of defrauding multiple gold dealers in Lyon. He allegedly posed as a Vatican representative with connections to the Pope to gain merchants' trust, obtaining jewelry, watches, and precious coins valued at approximately €100,000.
Fraud & scams
A suspect was arrested on August 6 in Jussy, Aisne, following discovery of a large-scale fraud involving the MaPrimeRénov' renovation subsidy program.
Fraud & scams
A judgment of 13 August 2026 held BNP Paribas, SFR and Free Mobile jointly liable for their responsibility in a SIM-swap fraud that cost a customer €16,964.
Fraud & scams
Paris prosecutor opened an investigation following a cyberattack on the information system of the General Directorate of Public Finance.
Money laundering
Two men have been sentenced at Bristol Crown Court for their roles in a £2.2 million money laundering operation. Patrick White (31) was sentenced to 3 years 8 months and Thomas Dainty (31) to 2 years 9 months.
Fraud & scams
Spanish National Police arrested five individuals in Algeciras for alleged document falsification and facilitation of irregular immigration.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office conducted 19 searches across Romania targeting suspected fraud involving EU-funded IT projects. The investigation focuses on 29 projects financed under the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility involving public entities including municipal governments.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office in Sofia has filed an indictment against a vineyard owner suspected of attempting to obtain €348,231.64 in EU funding through false information.
Money laundering
Santiago Hazim and nine others, including Rafael Luis Martínez Hazim, Gustavo Enrique Messina Cruz, Germán Rafael Robles Quiñones, Francisco Iván Minaya Pérez, Ada Ledesma, Eduardo Read Estrella, Cinty Acosta Sención, and Heidi Mariela Pineda Perdomo, face multiple charges of coalition of…
Money laundering
Renat Abramov, 37, of Brooklyn, New York, a former relationship manager at a U.S. bank branch in Sheepshead Bay, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Money laundering
BaFin has formally warned an unnamed former managing director of a German financial services institution over serious and persistent organizational deficiencies in arrangements designed to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.
Bribery & corruption
According to OCCRP, Albania's Special Structure against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK) is investigating the National Agency for Information Society (AKSHI), the agency that developed AI chatbot 'Diella' promoted as an anti-corruption tool.
Other
Nigel Farage and Richard Tice, leaders of Reform UK, have initiated High Court proceedings against the National Crime Agency, alleging it leaked confidential information regarding suspicious transaction reports (STRs) filed by banks.
Fraud & scams
Pierin Vincenz, former CEO of Raiffeisen Bank, appeared in Zurich High Court on August 10, 2026 to begin an appeal of his 2022 fraud conviction.
Money laundering
Spanish Civil Guard authorities dismantled a criminal organization linked to brothers José Carlos and Antonio Jesús Sánchez Castro, known narcotraffickers in the Campo de Gibraltar region.
Money laundering
Following the collapse of Market Financial Solutions (MFS) in February 2026, the UK Financial Conduct Authority announced on August 9, 2026 that it is significantly intensifying scrutiny of unregulated lenders.
Bribery & corruption
Anti-Corruption Association AC !! filed a complaint against Bally Bagayoko, mayor of Saint-Denis, on suspicion of diverting public funds and creating fake jobs.
Fraud & scams
Anti-corruption organization AC!! filed a complaint on August 7, 2026, against an unnamed defendant over suspected misappropriation of public funds and fictitious employment at RATP concerning Bally Bagayoko, an LFI mayor of Saint-Denis.
Money laundering
Spain's National Police dismantled a criminal organization dedicated to VAT fraud in the alcoholic beverages sector. According to authorities, the gang defrauded at least €11.9 million between 2018 and 2025.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) conducted raids on cryptocurrency exchange offices in Moscow City, detaining more than 20 individuals.
Trafficking
Spanish law enforcement dismantled a major Mediterranean smuggling organization through a joint operation involving the National Police, Civil Guard, and Europol. The operation resulted in 78 arrests, with 27 held in provisional detention.
Money laundering
Russian law enforcement initiated 1,145 criminal cases related to money laundering during the first half of 2026, representing a record high for the past 15 years and a 33% increase compared to the same period in 2025.
Fraud & scams
Money mule cases in the UK jumped 69% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, according to fraud prevention body Cifas. More than 13,000 recordings to the UK National Fraud Database were linked to money muling schemes.
Money laundering
Spanish authorities reported a significant uptick in economic crime, attributed to digital advancement and increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes. The National Risk Analysis 2026 identified fraud as the economic crime category experiencing the most substantial growth.
According to the Metropolitan Police, a criminal investigation has been opened into allegations that Reform UK allegedly broke electoral law regarding foreign funding.
Other
The Upper Tribunal confirmed the Financial Conduct Authority's decision to permanently ban Richard Fenech and Heather Dunne from working in financial services. Both individuals were found to have engaged in dishonest conduct by submitting a backdated appointed representative agreement to the FCA.
Money laundering
Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) issued a binding enforcement order against Norddeutsche Landesbank (NordLB), directing the Hanover-based state-owned bank to remediate critical anti-money laundering compliance failures.
Other
Patrick Steven Yaroch, a supervisory special agent with the FBI's national security investigative squad, was charged with interstate transportation of stolen goods and receipt of stolen goods after allegedly transferring approximately $925,426.
Money laundering
UBS Financial Services Inc. was fined $125 million by FinCEN, the highest penalty ever imposed on a broker-dealer for breaches of the Bank Secrecy Act, and an additional $20 million by the SEC.
Trafficking
Former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero filed an appeal requesting that judge José Luis Calama modify a judicial order authorizing investigation of his bank accounts and those of his associates.
Fraud & scams
Senator Christine Herzog (Union centriste, Moselle) contests allegations of harassment and suspected embezzlement of public funds brought by the French Senate.
Fraud & scams
An article from Pravda France dated 1 August 2026 examines corruption allegations against Karim Bouamrane, mayor of Saint-Ouen and vice-president of the Seine-Saint-Denis departmental council.
Money laundering
According to an ICIJ Coin Laundry investigation, cryptocurrency exchange HTX, sanctioned by the European Union and UK for alleged involvement in Russia's crypto ecosystem used to evade Western sanctions, reportedly generated over 750 new Tron blockchain wallet addresses in two months following sanctions, compared to 32 prior accounts.
Securities & markets
The Financial Conduct Authority published final transaction reporting rules on 3 August 2026 designed to replace and streamline existing transaction reporting requirements under the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation.
Money laundering
The UK Court of Appeal upheld the first conviction secured by the Serious Fraud Office against a solicitor for tipping off a client about a money laundering investigation. The ruling provides the first appellate guidance on the offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Securities & markets
The Financial Conduct Authority has censured Equity for Growth (Securities) Limited (EFG), a now-insolvent closed investment company, for approving financial promotions relating to minibonds that were unfair, unclear and misleading.
Trafficking
A judge at the National Court authorized the UDEF to investigate multiple bank accounts belonging to former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, his daughters Alba and Laura, and his secretary Gertrudis Alcázar.
Money laundering
The Court of Appeal of England & Wales has refused William Osmond's request to challenge his 2023 conviction for breaching anti-money laundering regulations by telling a client about a Serious Fraud Office probe into Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC).
The Swiss Federal Criminal Court on 27 July 2026 found private bank Lombard Odier & Cie guilty and ordered it to pay CHF 3 million ($3.7 million) for allegedly failing to prevent an Uzbek money-laundering network from operating through its Geneva business.
Other
Swiss financial regulator FINMA has imposed a partial sales ban on Zurich Insurance Group AG's corporate life and pensions unit in Switzerland, according to reports citing CEO Mario Greco on 27 July 2026.
Other
FINMA, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, opened enforcement proceedings against Zurich Insurance after determining that the company's Swiss corporate life insurance and pension solutions unit offered products to customers at prices lower than those previously approved by FINMA.
Fraud & scams
The European Commission has proposed requiring all Member States to adopt National Anti-Fraud Strategies (NAFS) as part of a comprehensive overhaul of how the EU prevents and investigates fraud against its budget.
Other
The Swiss financial regulator FINMA has opened enforcement proceedings against Zurich Insurance Group AG after discovering that the company's corporate life and pensions unit sold highly regulated policies to domestic customers at lower prices than those agreed upon with the regulator.
Swiss financial regulator FINMA opened enforcement proceedings against Zurich Insurance after Swiss customers in the corporate life and pensions unit were sold policies at lower prices than those agreed with the regulator. FINMA imposed a sales ban on new policies in the unit.
Other
According to franceinfo, the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) heard in voluntary interview, mid-July 2026, former Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin in connection with an investigation into the circumstances under which a statuette and bust were allegedly given to him between 2002 and 2004, while he held office, and subsequently kept by him.
Fraud & scams
The UK Financial Conduct Authority announced on 27 July 2026 that Southwark Crown Court ordered convicted fraudster John Charles Burford, 86, to pay £655,951.
Bribery & corruption
Judge Ismael Moreno of Spain's Audiencia Nacional incorporated the Belate tunnel adjudication file into the suspected public works corruption case, involving a contract worth €62.8 million.
Money laundering
According to the Dutch Public Prosecution Service as reported by ACAMS, authorities seized a record €433 million in criminal money and assets in 2025, up from €410 million in 2024. The OM currently manages €2.9 billion in seized assets and completed 3,882 money-laundering cases in 2025.
Other
The judicial inquiry into the Plus Ultra case entered a new phase examining the role of ex-president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and the levels of influence he may have exercised to secure a €53 million rescue of the airline.
Sanctions
The Insider reports that the EU Council included non-bank credit organization Platezhniy Tsentr — operator and settlement center of the Zolotaya Korona payment system — in its sanctions list as part of the 21st sanctions package.
Money laundering
The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) denied Wise's application for a national trust bank licence, citing significant supervisory and compliance concerns including longstanding deficiencies in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing controls.
Fraud & scams
National Court Judge Ismael Moreno rejected a motion from Jésica Rodríguez, former partner of ex-Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos, and upheld her charges in the 'Koldo case'.
Fraud & scams
Russia's Interior Ministry is investigating alleged embezzlement of approximately 12 billion roubles allocated for purchasing foreign aircraft parts to circumvent sanctions for Russian airlines.
The Council of the European Union adopted its 21st package of sanctions against Russia on 23 July 2026, introducing 218 new listings—the highest number of designations in four years since the Ukraine invasion.
Money laundering
The Guardia Civil announced results of Operation 'Trajano 23 Sorela', placing eleven people in judicial custody as suspects and one under investigation for alleged money laundering, criminal organisation membership, bribery, misconduct in office, misappropriation of public funds, disclosure of secrets, misuse of privileged information and abuse of influence.
The European Union published its 21st sanctions package against Russia, which includes 48 individuals and 170 organisations, according to reports. Among those listed are the Moscow Exchange, approximately 94 banks including Dom.
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Fraud & scams
franceinfo's Guyane service reports that Serge Anelli, mayor of Maripasoula in French Guiana from 2014 to 2026, is the subject of an investigation by Cayenne gendarmes into suspected favouritism (favoritisme) and misappropriation of public funds (détournement de fonds publics).
EU ambassadors agreed on the 21st sanctions package against Russia, prohibiting transactions with 32 additional Russian banks and targeting cryptocurrency companies and oil trading platforms.
Fraud & scams
Matthew Wright, former chief executive of Southern Water, has been charged alongside three other former senior managers with conspiracy to defraud over allegations that they conspired to manipulate water quality tests to avoid tens of millions of pounds in regulatory fines.
Bribery & corruption
Infobae reports that Spain's Supreme Court has lifted precautionary measures imposed on businessman Víctor de Aldama — passport surrender, a ban on leaving the country and fortnightly court appearances — after his conviction in the 'caso mascarillas' became final, the court noting that the lapse of such measures is the logical consequence of a final sentence.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced on 22 July 2026 that, at the request of the EPPO in Riga, searches were carried out at two Latvian hospitals as part of an investigation into suspected aggravated fraud and abuse of office.
Matthew Wright, the former chief executive of Southern Water, has been charged with conspiracy to defraud alongside three former colleagues named as Philip Barker, Clive Massey and Mark Gregory, according to the Environment Agency.
Reuters reports that Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court has ordered a fresh ruling in the case of three men accused of breaching Swiss bank secrecy laws over leaked data that helped expose the cum-ex tax-fraud scandal, described as one of Europe's largest financial crimes.
Fraud & scams
Reuters reports that German prosecutors searched Deutsche Bank's Frankfurt headquarters on 22 July 2026 as part of an investigation, led by Düsseldorf prosecutors, into allegedly fraudulent 'cum-cum' dividend-tax trades carried out at its Postbank division between 2008 and 2010.
On July 22, 2026, four people were arrested and search warrants executed in Hackney, Beckenham, and Slough as part of a Financial Conduct Authority and police investigation into fraud and money laundering.
Other
On July 22, 2026, the Financial Conduct Authority published findings from its engagement with 242 asset management and alternative firms regarding their financial crime controls.
Bribery & corruption
Infobae reports that Audiencia Nacional judge Ismael Moreno has ordered BBVA, CaixaBank, Banco Santander, Caja Rural del Sur and Caja Rural de Navarra to provide complete financial records — including any suspicious-transaction reports filed with Spain's FIU, Sepblac — for former PSOE organisation…
Securities & markets
The German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) imposed administrative fines totaling €187,500 on Brown Capital Management LLC for failure to comply with obligations under the German Securities Trading Act, specifically for failing to submit voting rights notifications within the prescribed period in August 2025.
The Tribunal of Nola, Italy, convicted ten defendants of VAT fraud, use and issuance of false invoices, and related tax crimes involving a network of shell companies in the trade of industrial plastics products operating between 2018 and 2023.
Russia's State Duma passed legislation legalizing cryptocurrency circulation with significant restrictions. The law permits most Russians to hold cryptocurrencies solely as investment instruments through licensed exchanges and brokers, but prohibits using them for domestic payments.
Money laundering
The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced on 21 July 2026 that, at the request of the EPPO in Milan, around €20 million held in bank accounts and insurance policies linked to five companies has been seized in an ongoing investigation into suspected fraud involving Recovery and Resilience Facility funding.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office said on 21 July 2026 that, on behalf of the EPPO in Bucharest, seven searches were carried out at a hospital, a county council in Romania's Muntenia region, companies and suspects' residences, as part of an investigation into suspected procurement fraud and abuse of office.
Bribery & corruption
Julio Martínez, a business associate of former Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, admitted to receiving a 1% commission (approximately €530,000) for facilitating the Plus Ultra airline rescue. Martínez claims Zapatero directed the strategy for obtaining the SEPI public loan.
Money laundering
The FCA announced that four people have been arrested and search warrants executed in Hackney, Beckenham and Slough as part of a joint FCA and police investigation into suspected fraud and money laundering.
Fraud & scams
The Insolvency Service announced on 21 July 2026 that Classic Parade Ltd, which claimed to operate a supercar and chauffeur hire business from a Knightsbridge address in London, was wound up at the High Court in London on 14 July 2026 following its investigation.
Fraud & scams
The Financial Conduct Authority announced on 23 July 2026 that it has decided to ban Alec Finch and Robert Finch from working in financial services.
Fraud & scams
Hungarian prosecutors, assisted by a regional criminal directorate of the National Tax and Customs Administration, raided offices housing data servers used by Viktor Orban's Fidesz party on 21 July 2026, AFP reported.
Other
The Financial Conduct Authority has fined Paul Taylor, former CEO of Blue Horizon Asset Management, £489,000 and banned him from financial services. Former managing director Esmeralda Toni was fined £121,200 and also banned.
Money laundering
Germany's financial supervisor BaFin announced it has ordered Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale (Helaba), based in Frankfurt, to take appropriate measures to remedy deficiencies in its prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing.
Securities & markets
Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) imposed an administrative fine of €240,000 on TeamViewer SE on 16 July 2026 for violating the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR), according to the regulator.
Fraud & scams
Infobae (EFE) reports that Jéssica Rodríguez, former partner of ex-transport minister José Luis Ábalos, invoked her right not to testify when questioned as an investigated party by Audiencia Nacional judge Ismael Moreno on 20 July 2026.
Fraud & scams
According to Infobea, Seville's Seventh Section of the Provincial Court sentenced three and a half years imprisonment to the former Andalusia Innovation councillor Francisco Vallejo and former Invercaria president Tomás Pérez Sauquillo, as co-perpetrators of a crime of malfeasance concurrent with…
Money laundering
Three men were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 16 July 2026 for conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering.
Fraud & scams
Jéssica Rodríguez, former partner of ex-minister José Luis Ábalos, was questioned as a suspect by judge Ismael Moreno at the National Court on alleged charges of influence peddling and embezzlement.
Fraud & scams
On 15 July 2026, the Paris administrative court rejected an appeal by the urban community of Le Havre and confirmed the whistleblower status of a former executive who reported suspected misappropriation of public funds, favoritism, illegal interest-taking and corruption allegations targeting Édouard Philippe, mayor of Le Havre.
The Council imposed restrictive measures on July 17, 2026, on one individual and five entities involved in Russia's military-industrial complex and drone manufacturing, in response to deadly strikes on Kyiv during the nights of July 1 and 5, 2026.
Fraud & scams
The Senate Bureau pronounced on July 16 a censure with temporary exclusion against Christine Herzog, senator for Moselle, for characterized moral harassment of an employee and serious breach of principles of dignity and probity.
Fraud & scams
Spanish National Police arrested a British citizen in Tenerife who is accused of defrauding an elderly woman of over 300,000 pounds sterling. Prosecutors allege she befriended the victim between 2019 and 2023, isolated her from family, and made unauthorized withdrawals from bank accounts.
Fraud & scams
Financial Prosecutor Pascal Prache declared that the PNF intends to accelerate several investigations targeting political figures who are potential candidates for the presidential election.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office indicted 22 defendants in Greece on July 16, 2026, for allegedly orchestrating a widespread fraud scheme involving EU agricultural funds, with estimated losses exceeding €19.6 million.
Money laundering
Anthony Ikenwe (29), Kevin Nwamma (25), and Hamza Bashir (23) were sentenced on 16 July 2026 at Southwark Crown Court for impersonating police officers to steal more than £4 million in cryptocurrency from eight victims.
Bribery & corruption
The European Commission's draft 2024 Rule of Law Report identifies systemic corruption concerns in Spain, including prolonged high-level corruption proceedings (cases like Gürtel, Púnica, and Kitchen), limited capacity of conflict-of-interest oversight bodies, and risks in public procurement, according to the Commission.
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil and Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig presented a comprehensive action plan on July 16, 2026, to combat tax evasion, financial crime, money laundering and organized crime.
Other
On 16 July 2026, Woolwich Crown Court sentenced Thalha Jubair, 20, and Owen Flowers, 18, to five-and-a-half years each for hacking Transport for London's network in September 2024.
Fraud & scams
The Madrid Provincial Court ruled on July 16, 2026 that Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, will stand trial before a citizen jury on charges of influence peddling and embezzlement.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office charged 22 people in Greece, including four conservative legislators and several former officials, in connection with the alleged misappropriation of EU agricultural subsidies totaling between 200 and 230 million euros.
According to the Financial Times, Greece opposed the European Union's 21st sanctions package, which includes a ban on transporting Russian liquefied natural gas to third countries, reportedly to protect shipping company Dynagas owned by Greek businessman Georgy Prokopiou.
Other
The College of the European Public Prosecutor's Office concluded disciplinary proceedings on 15 July 2026 by imposing the penalty of reprimand against a European Prosecutor from Bulgaria. The prosecutor was found guilty of serious misconduct in the framework of ongoing EPPO investigations.
OFAC designated Dmytro Rashevskyi, administrator of FirstVPN Service (1VPNS), a VPN provider selling anonymizing infrastructure to ransomware groups, under multiple designations including for enabling ransomware attacks against Americans and facilitating illicit financial flows.
Bribery & corruption
The French Anti-Corruption Agency's Sanctions Commission issued its first-ever direct financial penalties on 9 July 2026, against SAS V. Investissements and its president for failing to implement mandatory anti-corruption compliance measures under the Sapin II law.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office in Bologna indicted six individuals for fraud involving misappropriation of €2,841,430 in EU funding for a LIFE programme sustainable mobility project in Tuscan municipalities.
Fraud & scams
The UK National Crime Agency charged Ayoub Sehailia, 28, Zakkaria Sehailia, 30, Usman Din, 30, Denis Ozmus, 29, and Fadila Salem, 53, all from London, with conspiracy to supply articles for use in fraud, acquiring/transferring/converting criminal property, and failure to provide phone passcodes, according to prosecutors.
Money laundering
The European Public Prosecutor's Office in Athens carried out searches and seizures at various locations in Attica and Kastoria on July 14, 2026, as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected VAT fraud involving the trade of small electronic devices and the laundering of proceeds from criminal activities.
Money laundering
The Regional Court of Berlin convicted three defendants on 10 July 2026 as members of a criminal organisation involved in organised VAT fraud, money laundering, and commercial forgery of documents.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office indicted 12 individuals (including four public officials) and three companies for fraud affecting EU financial interests in Recovery and Resilience Facility-funded public contracts for IT and cybersecurity equipment at educational institutions, with estimated EU losses over €3.
Money laundering
The EPPO in Athens conducted searches and seizures at locations in Attica and Kastoria as part of investigation into suspected VAT carousel fraud involving trade of small electronic goods and laundering of criminal proceeds.
Fraud & scams
The General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Anti-Fraud (DGCCRF) announced on 14 July 2026 a €300,000 fine against Banque Populaire Val de France for misleading commercial practice.
On 13 July 2026, the EU designated 28 Russian individuals and 10 entities through Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1708 under four Russia-related regimes: nine individuals and four entities responsible for cyberattacks and malicious activities against EU member states; and 15 individuals…
Sanctions
The EU sanctioned VK (parent company owning VKontakte and Odnoklassniki), OOO "Kommunikatsionnaya Platforma" (MAX messenger developer), and 11 individuals.
Sanctions
The European Union imposed sanctions against nine individuals and four organizations allegedly involved in Russian cyberattacks, attributing responsibility to Russia's FSB 16th Center.
On 13 July 2026, the EU and UK announced coordinated sanctions against Russia's FSB intelligence agency following a December cyberattack on Poland's energy infrastructure. The EU imposed sanctions on 9 individuals and 4 entities, while the UK sanctioned 24 individuals and entities.
Sanctions
The UK sanctioned 24 individuals and entities, including GRU senior leadership (Vyacheslav Stafeyev, Ivan Kasyanenko, Ivan Senin), operators of the Lumma Stealer malware (which allegedly affected at least 2,100 UK victims), personnel from Rybar LLC accused of spreading false narratives, and members of GRU Unit 29155.
Fraud & scams
The UK National Crime Agency charged five London residents in connection with Russian Coms, a caller ID spoofing platform used by fraudsters.
Fraud & scams
Law No. 2026-534 of June 25, 2026 relating to combating social and tax fraud (articles 34 and 35) strengthens the AMF's sanctioning powers.
Fraud & scams
According to France 3 Hauts-de-France, the trial of real estate developer Finaxiome was held at the Amiens correctional court from 6 to 10 July 2026. Over 300 people accuse the company of fraud following a 17-year investigation.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office in Cologne (Germany) arrested two individuals in Germany and the Netherlands on 9 July 2026 and conducted searches and seizures in Germany, Poland and the Netherlands, uncovering additional information in the large-scale VAT fraud investigation Huracán.
Spain's High Court placed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's former chief of staff and postmaster general under investigation on July 10, 2026, as part of a wide-ranging corruption probe, with authorities ordering police to seize and analyze his mobile phone data, according to reporting.
Fraud & scams
A Judicial Convention of Public Interest (CJIP) between the Public Prosecutor for Financial Crime and SHAD SA was validated on July 9, 2026 by the president of the Paris Judicial Tribunal. This is the 32nd CJIP signed by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office.
Fraud & scams
The Paris district court acquitted on July 10, 2026 Évariste N., 69 years old, who was prosecuted for fraud and abuse of weakness.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law in June 2026 taking effect September 1 allowing authorities to seize assets as a securing measure for violations categorized as offenses against the interests of the Russian Federation, including politically-motivated infractions.
Other
Former State Secretary Yves Jégo was placed under investigation on December 17, 2024 for passive trading in influence, according to an announcement by the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office on July 10, 2026.
Money laundering
Former Arsenal and Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri was questioned for 10 hours by France's financial investigative unit (BRIF) as part of a judicial investigation into drug trafficking and money laundering.
Bribery & corruption
French senator Francis Szpiner has been charged with passive corruption for allegedly conditioning the allocation of social housing to sexual favors when he was mayor of the 16th district of Paris between February and May 2023, according to the prosecutor's office.
Money laundering
Judge Julián Sánchez Melgar of the Supreme Court has ordered investigative steps to advance the investigation against MEP Luis Pérez Fernández, known as 'Alvise.'
Fraud & scams
The UK's Serious Fraud Office has dramatically reduced its use of powers to compel individuals and companies to participate in investigatory interviews, according to information obtained through a freedom of information request.
Bribery & corruption
Spain's National Court ordered the country's second-largest bank BBVA and its former chairman Francisco González to stand trial for alleged corporate espionage.
Fraud & scams
The ACPR (Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority) published on July 8, 2026 an alert against the proliferation of online financial fraud during summer.
Money laundering
The Dutch central bank (DNB) fined ABN Amro €8.5 million in July 2026 for serious failings in monitoring high-risk customers. The bank failed to investigate potential money laundering sufficiently, some linked to Russia, between September 2023 and September 2024.
Bribery & corruption
Francis Szpiner, Les Républicains senator and former mayor of Paris's 16th arrondissement, was placed under investigation on July 9, 2026 for passive corruption, according to the Paris prosecutor's office.
Money laundering
New anti-money laundering regulations announced on July 10, 2026 expand the list of entities subject to surveillance and training obligations in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.
Securities & markets
The FCA has charged Richard Bloomfield, a former solicitor at Goodwin Procter, with five counts of insider dealing.
Money laundering
On July 8, 2026, the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) published draft regulatory technical standards that would establish, for the first time, a common methodology for supervisors across the European Union when enforcing breaches of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing rules.
The court ruled in favor of Rosnano, awarding damages of 11.9 billion rubles against Anatoly Chubayis and eight other former executives.
Fraud & scams
According to France 3 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Paris's appeals court confirmed on 7 July 2026 the conviction of RN MP Julien Odoul to eight months imprisonment with probation for receiving misappropriated public funds to the detriment of the European Parliament in the National Front parliamentary assistants case.
Money laundering
Banks reported a £5 million gift to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne to the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) over suspected money laundering risks. The UK's parliamentary standards watchdog is also investigating the payment.
Fraud & scams
Mario Adinolfi, journalist, political figure and professional Italian poker player (born August 15, 1971), was arrested by Italy's Guardia di Finanza.
Other
The Paris Court of Appeal ruled on July 8, 2026 that Vincent Bolloré and Bolloré SE do not control Vivendi within the meaning of article L. 233-3 of the Commercial Code. This decision averts, for now, the threat of a mandatory takeover bid that analysts estimated between 6 and 9 billion euros.
Fraud & scams
Spain's National Police arrested a man in Madrid suspected of committing fraud over ten years.
The 1st Three-member Misdemeanour Court of First Instance of Athens convicted 57 individuals for fraud involving EU agricultural subsidies financed through the National Reserve, at the request of the EPPO in Athens.
Fraud & scams
Trader Alexis Kuperfis and his former associate Thierry Braha, active in Switzerland, were sentenced on 7 July 2026 by the Paris tribunal in proceedings pursuant to a plea agreement concluded with the National Financial Prosecutor.
Fraud & scams
The Nancy Court of Appeal confirmed convictions in the so-called 'Red Card' case, one of the largest financial fraud schemes in France involving fraudulent investments in diamonds and cryptocurrencies. The sentences imposed at first instance were confirmed for the main defendants.
Fraud & scams
The UK National Crime Agency is pursuing civil forfeiture proceedings seeking $357,000 (approximately £275,000) from a 30-year-old man sanctioned in the UK for alleged ties to the Russian government. The individual, described as Russian-Cypriot, reportedly has connections to Gazprom.
Bribery & corruption
Spanish state holding company SEPI faces a corruption investigation alleging that it designed a 'structured pattern' to manipulate corporate rescues and infrastructure concessions during the pandemic, according to anti-corruption prosecutors.
Fariba Shameli, 54, who previously owned and operated Findon Dental Care in Worthing, was found guilty at Hove Crown Court of submitting 1,037 fraudulent NHS claims worth £92,511 between March 2013 and June 2018.
On July 6, 2026, the UK sanctioned seven individuals and two leading scientific research institutes involved in Russia's chemical weapons programme, imposing asset freezes and travel bans.
Fraud & scams
The Amiens criminal court opened the trial of four former directors of Finaxiome, a real estate company specializing in tax avoidance schemes, prosecuted for fraud and advance collection of funds.
Fraud & scams
The criminal court convicted a dental practitioner from the northern districts of Marseille to five years imprisonment, two years firm and three years suspended probation, 200,000 euros fine of which 150,000 suspended, and five years prohibition from practicing as an independent practitioner, for massive health insurance fraud.
Money laundering
Seven individuals (six men and one woman) were arrested in Valencia and Alcalá de Henares, Spain, on suspicion of perpetrating the 'distressed son' scam. The accused allegedly defrauded victims by impersonating their children via instant messaging, requesting money transfers.
The French Anti-Corruption Agency published on July 6, 2026 its activity report for the year 2025, marked by the adoption of the multi-year national plan to combat corruption 2025-2029 and the strengthening of the agency's work in combating corruption.
Sanctions
The UK sanctioned seven individuals and two research institutes on 6 July 2026 for their alleged involvement in researching, developing, and producing Novichok nerve agents and Epibatidine toxin used in poisonings.
Bribery & corruption
Multiple Spanish officials face corruption proceedings: José Luis Ábalos (former Transport Minister) convicted to 24 years for bribery in mask purchases; Álvaro García Ortiz (Attorney General) sentenced to 2 years disqualification; José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (former PM), Mercedes González (Civil…
Money laundering
A 28-year-old employee of the Zeeland-West Brabant police unit was arrested on Monday and remains in pretrial detention under restrictions, according to the Dutch Public Prosecution Service.
Money laundering
Belgian police arrested a 19-year-old suspect on June 29, accused of leading phishing network that stole over €500,000 from European victims.
Money laundering
Fourteen people, including two National Police officers, were detained on suspicion of money laundering linked to drug trafficking.
Money laundering
Four individuals in Valencia, Spain (two women aged 35 and 38; two men aged 30 and 46) are alleged to be responsible for operating a pyramid scheme investment fraud.
Other
The Paris Administrative Court of Appeal ruled on July 2, 2026, that Bernard Arnault and his spouse must pay €22.5 million in back taxes.
The EU Council imposed asset freezes, travel bans, and funding prohibitions on six Russian individuals involved in the development of epibatidine, the toxin found in samples from Alexei Navalny's body after his death in a Russian penal colony in February 2024.
Fraud & scams
Former Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, his wife María Sonsoles Espinosa, daughters Alba and Laura, and businessman Julio Martínez Martínez are under fiscal investigation by Spain's Tax Agency as of June 2026. The investigation covers income tax, VAT, and wealth taxes for 2021-2024.
Alexander Neradko, who headed Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviation) from 2009 to 2023, was arrested on July 3, 2026, on charges of fraud on an especially large scale involving alleged theft of nearly 800 million rubles during construction of a third runway at Domodedovo Airport, a project ongoing since 2014.
Fraud & scams
Spanish judge charged Jéssica Rodríguez (ex-partner of convicted former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos), Joseba García (brother of Koldo García), and Ignacio Zaldívar (former Adif official) with alleged embezzlement and influence peddling.
Trafficking
Spain's National Police dismantled a criminal organization distributing drugs to traffickers nationwide. The operation resulted in 34 arrests across five provinces. Authorities seized 126 kilograms of cocaine, 10 kilograms of hashish, 6 kilograms of marijuana, MDMA, and other controlled substances.
Trafficking
Investigation by the 'Sistema' project reveals a sophisticated cocaine smuggling operation disguised as legitimate fruit imports through Saint Petersburg's port.
The instruction chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal issued a decision on July 2 regarding Alexis Kohler, former Secretary General of the Élysée, under investigation for illegal interest-taking since September 2022 following a complaint from Anticor concerning his family ties with shipowner MSC.
Fraud & scams
Francisco Granados, former General Secretary of Madrid's PP party, has been convicted of continuous fraud and malfeasance. He received a sentence of two and a half years imprisonment plus eight and a half years disqualification from public office.
Moscow's Presnensky District Court convicted Irina Rapoport in absentia on charges of embezzlement and commercial bribery, sentencing her to 15 years imprisonment. The court additionally imposed a 300 million ruble fine and ordered confiscation of 85 million rubles in assets.
Fraud & scams
Nine individuals managing two companies based in Romorantin-Lanthenay (Loir-et-Cher) were arrested on 23 June 2026 for fraud and exploitation of vulnerable persons in an organised group targeting 235 victims, primarily elderly vulnerable persons in Centre-Val de Loire, Île-de-France and neighbouring departments.
Money laundering
An investigation by France Info reveals the alarming increase in corruption linked to drug trafficking in France, affecting prison guards, police officers, court clerks, lawyers, notaries and port agents.
Fraud & scams
The AMF-ACPR Joint Unit published its 2025 annual report, revealing an escalation of fraud threats. In 2025, more than 1,300 unauthorized websites and actors were identified and added to blacklists, and nearly 17,000 reports were processed, representing a 27% increase year-over-year.
Money laundering
National Police arrested on July 2, 2026 14 persons, including two police officers, accused of being part of a money laundering network linked to drug trafficking led by Ignacio Torán.
Fraud & scams
Peter Murrell, former chief executive of the Scottish National Party from 2001 to 2023, was sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment at Edinburgh High Court on 23 June 2026 for embezzling £400,310.65 from the SNP between 2010 and 2022.
Money laundering
Parisian lawyer Amar Bouaou, known for defending organized crime figures linked to drug trafficking, has been charged with organized money laundering and tax fraud, according to the Paris prosecutor's office.
Fraud & scams
The National Court ordered provisional imprisonment with a bond of one million euros for Gabriel Ruiz Ramírez, president of the alleged Sempi Gold pyramid scheme. According to the judge's order, the fraud affected more than 3,500 people and caused damages exceeding 50 million euros.
Money laundering
Guardia Civil dismantled in Castellón province a criminal organization specialized in scams through false cryptocurrency investments and subsequent money laundering, as part of Operation 'Tossit', detaining three persons.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced on 1 July 2026 the seizure of over EUR 23.5 million in assets in an investigation into alleged VAT fraud within Italy's fuel sector.
Money laundering
Actress Isabelle Adjani was sentenced on 1 July 2026 by the Paris Court of Appeal to 10 months' conditional imprisonment and a €10,000 fine for aggravated tax fraud and money laundering.
Securities & markets
The German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) imposed fines totalling €620,000 on battery manufacturer VARTA AG on 1 July 2026 (formally announced 23 June 2026) for violating the Market Abuse Regulation and the German Securities Trading Act.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating alleged misuse of European Parliament funds by the former Identity and Democracy group, where the Rassemblement National held 22 seats. Raids were conducted on 30 June 2026 across France, Spain, Italy, and Belgium.
Money laundering
A woman from A Coruña was arrested for orchestrating a business email compromise fraud scheme targeting a Valencia-based company. The suspect is accused of fraud, money laundering, and falsifying commercial documents.
Money laundering
La Plateforme, a digital school founded by Cyril Zimmermann in Marseille, is the subject of a preliminary investigation for fraud, breach of trust, and aggravated money laundering.
Money laundering
Guardia Civil conducted an operation on July 1, 2026 in Cádiz and Sevilla provinces investigating a businessman from El Puerto de Santa María for alleged money laundering of drug trafficking proceeds.
Fraud & scams
EPPO in Hamburg conducted searches and asset seizures investigating suspected organized subsidy fraud. According to the investigation, an association allegedly falsely claimed eligibility for Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) funding and diverted approximately €739,583.
Emmanuel Nbanga, 46, was found guilty at Worcester Crown Court of fraud and fraudulent trading, having stolen £279,000 from the National Health Service through fraudulent activity.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office conducted raids across France, Spain, Italy, and Belgium on 30 June 2026 as part of an investigation into alleged misappropriation of EU funds by the defunct Identity and Democracy group from the European Parliament. Prosecutors allege approximately €4.
Money laundering
US crypto exchange Coinbase has embarked on an aggressive lobbying campaign as the UK government prepares new crypto regulations, despite having received a £3.
Other
Andalusian president Juanma Moreno criticized former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for allegedly possessing undisclosed valuable jewelry worth millions while claiming socialist values. Tax authorities reportedly had no knowledge of these items.
Other
Judge of the National Audience Santiago Pedraz formally charged 25 individuals, including Belén Gualda, president of the State Industrial Holdings Company (SEPI), Spain's principal state-owned enterprise.
Sanctions
Follow the Money investigation revealed that more than a third of Russia's shadow fleet consists of tankers previously owned by shipowners from Western countries. 230 aging tankers were sold at exceptionally high prices, allowing former owners to pocket over $6 billion.
Sanctions
HMRC announced that Petrofac Facilities Management Limited paid a £569,157 compound settlement for breaching Russia sanctions in 2022 and 2023 while winding down Russian operations.
Money laundering
The European Public Prosecutor, based in Luxembourg, conducted a wave of raids in the Paris region in late June 2026 as part of an investigation into large-scale carousel-type VAT fraud.
Sanctions
Petrofac Management Solutions became the first entity to be named in a compound settlement announcement for Russia sanctions breaches under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
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Fraud & scams
The National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) requested 3 years suspended imprisonment, €100,000 fine, and 5 years of ineligibility with immediate enforcement for Guadeloupean politician Ary Chalus, tried in Paris for alleged misappropriation of €255,531 in public funds.
Money laundering
The European Prosecutor is investigating a network suspected of VAT fraud involving 26 companies operating primarily in Île-de-France. The scheme involves companies used as successive layers to obscure financial flows.
Sanctions
The European Central Bank imposed an administrative penalty of €3,255,000 on Banque Internationale à Luxembourg (BIL) for intentionally failing to apply its approved internal models for the calculation of expected loss for retail and corporate exposures in default.
Money laundering
The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) conducted six raids in the Paris region on June 25 and questioned six persons in an investigation into carousel-type VAT fraud.
A UK-based Gambian crime gang was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court between 26-29 June 2026 for receiving more than £1 million for doctoring passports to enable hundreds of people, mainly from Gambia, to come to the UK illegally between January 2022 and July 2025.
Other
FINMA concluded enforcement proceedings against Swiss Fund Management AG and BZ Berater Zentrum AG for serious breaches of conduct rules under the Financial Services Act.
Bribery & corruption
The National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) opened a preliminary investigation targeting Malakoff Humanis group for active and passive corruption committed in an organized network, revealed by Mediapart.
Money laundering
A business lawyer was indicted on Thursday, June 25, 2026 for organized fraud and aggravated money laundering and placed in provisional detention, according to the Nanterre prosecutor confirmed on Saturday, June 27. Xavier C. was arrested Monday, June 22, alongside three individuals.
The National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) opened a preliminary investigation targeting Malakoff Humanis, a major player in supplementary health and provident benefits, for suspected "active and passive private corruption committed in organised crime", according to Mediapart revelations of June 26, 2026.
Sanctions
The AMF Sanctions Commission imposed a fine of €800,000 on investment services provider Bourse Direct and €50,000 on its president Catherine Nini. The Commission found that 96,000 transactions had not been reported to the AMF between January 1, 2021 and November 30, 2023, representing €2.
Money laundering
National Police dismantled on June 26, 2026, a criminal network operating from Bétera (Valencia) that defrauded approximately €3 million from roughly 500,000 victims across Spain using the 'son in distress' scam method. Ten persons were arrested, of which 6 remain in preventive detention.
Other
A judge found evidence of malfeasance in the hiring of Francisco Salazar, a former Socialist Party official, who allegedly received a monthly salary of €2,000 beginning July 2012 without performing work duties for Dos Hermanas municipal government.
Money laundering
The ACPR (Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority) organized its first Anti-Money Laundering Meetings on June 16, 2026, bringing together supervisors, representatives of European institutions, compliance professionals, and financial sector actors.
Money laundering
Spanish National Police arrested two Ceuta residents, B.I.M. (age 33) and N.G.K. (age 26), on charges of fraud and money laundering involving social media schemes.
Money laundering
Spanish National Police dismantled an organized crime network operating between the Balearic Islands and Catalonia that allegedly laundered over €9 million derived from European fraud schemes.
The EU Council renewed restrictive measures against the Russian Federation for a further 12 months, until 31 July 2027, in view of Russia's continuing actions destabilising Ukraine.
Securities & markets
On 23 June 2026, France's Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) Enforcement Committee fined investment services provider Bourse Direct €800,000 and its director Catherine Nini €50,000 for failings in their professional obligations committed between 1 January 2021 and 30 November 2023.
Money laundering
The French financial regulator ACPR (Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution) has deployed artificial intelligence for several years to oversee anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing compliance systems at banks and insurers.
Fraud & scams
Ary Chalus, president of Guadeloupe region, stood trial at Paris criminal court from 24 June 2026, accused of embezzlement of public funds and fictitious jobs.
Money laundering
Binance confirmed it will not obtain MiCA approval before the deadline of 30 June 2026 and will cease its services in France from 1 July 2026.
Following a June 16, 2026 operation in Cassis involving 120 gendarmes and police, twelve people were arrested and five formally charged on June 18 with money laundering, organized undeclared work, human trafficking, and fraud against public authorities.
The Tarbes correctional court convicted three opticians and one ophthalmologist for a system of fictitious eyeglass billing that defrauded Health Insurance and supplementary health providers of at least 150,000 euros.
Fraud & scams
Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, surrendered her passport to courts on June 24, 2026, complying with precautionary measures ordered by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado.
Money laundering
A 45-year-old police officer in Rouen was placed under judicial examination on June 11, 2026 with charges of corruption, misuse of data systems, professional secrecy violations, and money laundering.
Money laundering
FCA issued public censure to CACEIS Bank (UK Branch) on June 19, 2026 (published June 25) for serious failings in anti-money laundering and client due diligence controls between October 2020 and April 2023.
Bribery & corruption
A former administrative and financial director of oil company SMP reported suspected corruption, and was subsequently fired. The Orleans Court of Appeal convicted the company of moral harassment, having used aggressive tactics to eliminate the whistleblower who sent emails deemed problematic.
Money laundering
Civil Guard detained on June 23, 2026, six persons, including Yolanda Santos, Commerce Councilor of the socialist municipal government of Soria, after searching City Hall in an investigation for alleged offenses of trafficking in influence, administrative misconduct, negotiations and activities…
Fraud & scams
The Eure CPAM revealed its 2025 anti-fraud report on June 22, 2026. Hearing aid professionals rank first with 1.65 million euros in fraud, organized in multi-departmental criminal structures.
Fraud & scams
The Papeete correctional court in French Polynesia held a hearing for Sabine Boiron, a former teacher, who fraudulently obtained 895,000 francs in aid from the COVID-19 Solidarity Fund while incarcerated.
Other
Eleven commodity futures traders have proposed to donate £1 million to a crisis fund to conclude a three-year FCA investigation into potential competition law breaches.
Money laundering
Cyprus' Independent Anti-Corruption Authority has referred former President Nicos Anastasiades to prosecutors for potential criminal charges, alleging he misused his office to influence corruption investigations, intervened in a Russian oligarch's citizenship application, and potentially obstructed anti-money laundering probes involving his former law firm.
Fraud & scams
The Nanterre judicial court sentenced two men on June 9 for creating 1,018 fake RSA files in 75 different family allowance offices, embezzling 190,000 euros over ten months through a system exploiting digital vulnerabilities.
Money laundering
OCRGDF announced the dismantling of four criminal groups allegedly engaged in money laundering connected to drug trafficking.
Sanctions
The UK's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) imposed a monetary penalty of £4,732,830.58 on Citibank, N.A., London Branch following serious breaches of UK financial sanctions rules linked to Russia. In total, 970 payments worth approximately £19.
Russia's three largest online marketplaces—Avito, Ozon, and Wildberries—implemented fuel sales bans at the Federal Antimonopoly Service's request amid a fuel crisis triggered by Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian petroleum infrastructure, with 53 Russian regions imposing purchase restrictions as of mid-June 2026.
Other
Supreme Court condemned José Luis Ábalos to 24 years imprisonment for leading criminal group in 'Caso Mascarillas' (Masks Case) involving distribution of commissions in pandemic mask procurement.
Money laundering
Two Algerian nationals arrested in Paris region on June 16, 2026 for operating an alleged €34 million money laundering scheme through shell companies in Poland and other European countries.
Other
French authorities arrested four suspects on 13 June 2026 involved in an attempted hostage-taking targeting cryptocurrency assets in the 13th arrondissement of Marseille. The perpetrators entered a residence at around 3 a.m.
Money laundering
Trial opened June 22, 2026 at Marseille criminal court for 18 defendants accused of possession, production, and sale of counterfeit goods in organized gang, money laundering, and corruption.
Fraud & scams
Begoña Gómez (spouse of Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez), businessman Juan Carlos Barrabés Cónsul, and government advisor María Cristina Álvarez Rodríguez will stand trial for influence trafficking, business corruption, misappropriation, and embezzlement of public funds related to creation and management of competitive social transformation chair at Madrid's Complutense University.
Money laundering
FINMA published Guidance 04/2026 supplementing its 2023 money laundering risk analysis framework for banks and FinIA institutions.
Bribery & corruption
An ongoing investigation examines corruption allegations within France's Ministry of Interior, targeting eight distinct entities including the service achats (purchasing service), multiple suppliers, consulting firms, and regional divisions.
Money laundering
Two men were arrested on June 16, 2026, in Argenteuil and Bagnolet and formally charged in Paris for organized money laundering and criminal association.
Spanish tax authorities dismantled a criminal network's operations that laundered funds for Italian and Albanian mafia organizations through an illegal hawala banking system.
EU leaders agreed June 19, 2026 to extend sanctions on Russia for a full year—the first time they have done so, breaking from previous six-month renewal cycles. Hungary and Slovakia did not object this time, shift linked to Viktor Orbán's departure as Hungarian Prime Minister.
Fraud & scams
Military court convicted Sergey Efimov, former FSB research institute head, of inflating component costs for the Obereg drone-suppression system by 12 million rubles. Defense argued cost increases were necessary due to supplier reluctance stemming from fear of sanctions.
On June 18, 2026, France's Constitutional Court issued a decision on the Law on Combating Social and Fiscal Fraud, declaring it partially unconstitutional with interpretive reservations.
On January 29, 2026, Paris's correctional court convicted 5 individuals (Jean-Charles Naouri, Franck-Philippe Georgin, Nicolas Boudot, Jacques Dumas, Nicolas Miguet) and 5 legal entities for private corruption, organized market manipulation, and insider trading violations.
Moscow's Tverskoy District Court convicted blogger Alexandra Mitroshina of money laundering under Article 174.1 of the Russian Criminal Code for legalizing over 127 million rubles obtained through tax evasion by purchasing real estate in Moscow.
Money laundering
FSB detained St. Petersburg crime boss Ilya Traber ('the Antiquarian'), 75, longtime Putin associate, on contract murder charges. Beyond homicide case, law enforcement sources told TASS that Traber potentially faces additional charges for fraud and money laundering.
Sanctions
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced Bulgaria will block a new EU sanctions package targeting Russia, objecting to provisions threatening Lukoil (Bulgaria's sole refinery in Burgas and key fuel supplier) and restrictions on Patriarch Tikhon Shevkunov, considered Putin's spiritual advisor.
Money laundering
Spanish authorities arrested a 58-year-old resident of Mijas under a European Detention Order issued by Denmark for leading an alleged money-laundering operation.
Fraud & scams
Grizzly Research published a report on June 18, 2026 alleging 2CRSi is "almost entirely a fraud," claiming nearly all revenues are likely fabricated through undisclosed related-party arrangements.
Fraud & scams
A 45-year-old man from Pornic was convicted by the Saint-Nazaire tribunal correctionnel for tax fraud after concealing €272,000 in drug trafficking proceeds between 2018-2021. The tax authority imposed a total demand exceeding €320,000 including penalties. He received a six-month prison sentence.
Other
The Administrative Tribunal of Dijon rejected Égalité et Réconciliation's challenge to its corporate income tax assessment for 2019-2020.
Bribery & corruption
Cyprus' Independent Authority Against Corruption recommended criminal charges against former President Nicos Anastasiades after a two-year investigation involving over 200 hearings.
Fraud & scams
European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) launched investigation into EU-backed clean tech investor InnoEnergy following complaint by Swedish entrepreneur Lars Wallden alleging financial irregularities and fraud.
Money laundering
Four individuals were formally charged on June 17, 2026, for breach of trust, undeclared work, and aggravated money laundering of tax fraud following an investigation into the association Les Pelloux, a medico-social housing facility for vulnerable minors in Lozère.
Fraud & scams
An 18-year-old from Orléans was convicted and sentenced to 30 months imprisonment (15 months firm, 15 suspended) via expedited court procedure for a spoofing fraud scheme combined with home invasion.
Money laundering
Clarissa La Porta, a 41-year-old Italian woman, was arrested in Rome under a European arrest warrant issued by Luxembourg authorities for her alleged involvement in the fraud and money-laundering scheme that embezzled more than €60 million from Caritas Luxembourg.
Money laundering
French authorities dismantled an organized money laundering operation in the Narbonne area on June 9, 2026, seizing approximately €2.7 million in bank accounts, 14 luxury vehicles, a boat, gold, and jewelry.
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Money laundering
A 49-year-old police officer stationed in Martinique was formally charged on June 15, 2026, for criminal association, passive and active corruption, aggravated money laundering, violation of professional secrecy, receiving goods from a crime, and misuse of personal data.
Fraud & scams
Spanish National Police dismantled a Ponzi scheme network operating fraudulent cryptocurrency investments, arresting 23 individuals across Madrid, Guadalajara, and Barcelona.
Fraud & scams
Begoña Gómez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, appeared at a preliminary hearing on June 15, 2026, facing allegations of traffic of influence, corruption in business dealings, embezzlement of public funds, and improper appropriation.
Money laundering
Five persons were charged and placed under judicial supervision on June 12 in connection with organized money laundering. Law enforcement seized approximately €2.7 million as well as 14 luxury vehicles, a boat, gold and jewelry.
The Crown Prosecution Service announced on 15 June 2026 that Ajay Pant, 38, has been charged with contravening Regulation 46Z9B under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, namely directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited Russian oil or oil products to a third…
EU announced new sanctions targeting 34 individuals and 47 organizations in Russia, including Metropolitan Tikhon (alleged spiritual advisor to Putin) accused of spreading propaganda, Prosecutor General Alexander Gutsan, and medical officials connected to Alexei Navalny's 2020 poisoning.
The European Council adopted a 'mini-package' of restrictive measures introducing asset freeze listings on 34 individuals and 47 entities.
Money laundering
Five individuals were placed under judicial examination on June 12, 2026, in connection with organized money laundering in the Marseille region. The investigation involved searches on June 9 that yielded approximately €2.7 million in seized cash, 14 high-end vehicles, a boat, gold, and jewelry.
Sanctions
The European Union prepared a new sanctions package targeting 52 individuals and 180 organizations including Moscow Exchange (the country's largest exchange platform and central element of Russian financial infrastructure), Patriarch Kirill, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, businessman Mikhail…
Fraud & scams
Spain's National Court opened an investigation into former President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for alleged tax fraud and smuggling after discovering €1.3 million in jewels in his office safe.
Money laundering
Police conducted raids on June 9-10, 2026 in the Ajaccio region under a magistrate from the Interregional Specialized Court (JIRS) in Marseille. The inquiry focuses on suspected money laundering and asset sales around 2018-2019 involving AC Ajaccio football club.
Money laundering
Internal Affairs of Spain's Guardia Civil has accused Lieutenant Colonel Miguel Ángel E. T.
Fraud & scams
Judge José Luis Calama opened a separate proceeding on June 12, 2026, investigating former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero for possible tax fraud against the public treasury and potential smuggling violations involving jewelry valued at €1,323,915 seized from his office safe on May 19, 2026.
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Money laundering
A police officer stationed in Martinique was placed under investigation (mis en examen) on June 11, 2026, and placed in provisional detention following an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Division (DNAC).
Bribery & corruption
Spain's Podemos party secretary general Ione Belarra was ordered by Madrid court to pay €9,000 in damages to retired judge Manuel García-Castellón after calling him 'corrupt' on social media and claiming he engaged in judicial misconduct. The court found her accusations crossed into defamation.
Money laundering
A 45-year-old patrol officer from Rouen's main police station was formally charged on June 11, 2026 with corruption, data system misuse, professional confidentiality violations, and organized money laundering.
Money laundering
Four men sentenced to combined 27 years for laundering £23.4 million in criminal cash into cryptocurrency for organised crime groups between January 2018 and June 2020. Michael Konnor (27, 4.5 years), Shiraz Khan (47, 11 years), John Geddes (76, 6.5 years), Carlos Zapata (58, 5.75 years).
Money laundering
French authorities dismantled a major money laundering operation linked to drug trafficking spanning France, Belgium, and Mauritania in early June 2026. Operations on June 5-6, 2026 led to 15 arrests, seizure of €8 million in assets, 50 kg of cocaine, and €500,000 in cash.
Bribery & corruption
Concern about corruption in Spain increased by 9.3 percentage points in June CIS poll following indictment of former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (charged with criminal organization, influence peddling, and document falsification in Plus Ultra case).
Sanctions
European Central Bank imposed two administrative sanctions totaling €12,180,000 on J.P. Morgan SE for incorrectly calculated risk-weighted assets. First sanction (€10.15M) concerned credit risk-weighted assets misclassification over 15 reporting periods (Dec 2019-June 2023). Second sanction (€2.
On June 8, 2026, the Paris Criminal Court convicted seven individuals of organized fraud targeting France's MaPrimeRénov' energy-renovation program, which receives EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funding.
EPPO in Rome conducted searches in Cassino over alleged EU subsidy fraud involving a municipal park redevelopment funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
Fraud & scams
France's audit court (Cour des comptes) estimated in a report revealed by Les Échos that approximately 10% of apprenticeship funding faces exposure to fraud and misappropriation, totaling roughly €1.5 billion annually out of a €15 billion budget. The pre-report circulated since June 3, 2026.
Money laundering
Federal authorities in Philadelphia charged Igorevich Tkachuk (37, Ukraine) and Alexander Vladimirovich Ledenev (25, Russia) with running the AudiA6 cryptocurrency mixing service that laundered approximately $389 million over five years.
Money laundering
The High Court confirmed the appointment of special administrators for Euro Exchange Securities UK Limited (EES) following the FCA's enforcement action.
Money laundering
A Franco-Belgian police operation resulted in the seizure of 8 million euros in cash, three luxury vehicles and luxury watches on 6 June 2026 in Brussels.
Money laundering
Audiencia Nacional Judge Ismael Moreno summoned subteniente José Luis Rodríguez García for questioning on July 8 as investigated party in Koldo mask corruption scheme. Rodríguez served as security chief at Transportation Ministry under José Luis Ábalos.
Money laundering
Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority ordered Instinet Germany GmbH, a Nomura subsidiary, to rectify extensive deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and terrorist financing prevention measures.
Sanctions
FCA fined Carlos Ricardo Fuenmayor, Chief Executive of BancTrust, £99,600 for failing to disclose three separate matters to FCA including December 2017 investigation and June 2019 sanction by US Financial Industry Regulatory Authority until December 2021.
Fraud & scams
According to an explosive report from France's Court of Accounts revealed by Les Échos, nearly 10% of spending on apprenticeships presents risks of fraud and misappropriation. Out of an annual budget of €15 billion, about €1.5 billion is exposed to fraudulent practices.
Fraud & scams
The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) imposed a €170,000 penalty on Dutch online bank Bunq for failing to timely address complaints from seven fraud victims in 2023-2024. The bank was required to respond within 15 working days but frequently delayed substantive replies by weeks.
Sanctions
European Commission proposed 21st sanctions package targeting Russia's shadow fleet (30 vessels blacklisted, bringing total above 660) and support vessels providing bunkering services.
Money laundering
A. P., the brother of former judoka Hugo Peszynski, was convicted by the 32nd Correctional Chamber of the Paris Judicial Court of aggravated money laundering involving organized tax fraud. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment with 18 months suspended, plus a €250,000 fine.
Dutch Customs launched a major investigation involving raids on premises in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, searches on board a container vessel and the arrest of the captain.
Money laundering
Russia added Alexander Browder, a 17-year-old British student and son of Kremlin critic Sir Bill Browder, to its sanctions list on June 3, 2026, after he published a Henry Jackson Society report exposing the A7A5 cryptocurrency network.
Other
ICIJ investigation based on Paradise Papers documents reveals that Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a Trump administration intelligence adviser who recently resigned from senior national security positions, previously helped her father secure approximately $12 million from Renaissance Capital, a Moscow-based…
Fraud & scams
According to a report by the Court of Accounts revealed by Les Échos, approximately 10% of apprenticeship funds, approximately 1.5 billion euros per year, could be exposed to risks of misappropriation or abuse.
Fraud & scams
The Paris criminal court ruled on June 8, 2026, regarding LFI deputy Sophia Chikirou's legal case stemming from her involvement with the media outlet Le Média, which she had co-founded. The court acquitted her of fraud charges but found her guilty of theft.
EPPO in Naples seized €305,500 in assets (cars, real estate, bank funds) from suspects who allegedly obtained a €300,000 non-repayable EU Recovery and Resilience Facility loan intended for SME digital/ecological transition through false financial documentation, then diverted the funds to unauthorized purposes.
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Fraud & scams
In June 2026, two pharmacists in Martinique were convicted of aggravated fraud after the CGSS fraud service discovered they were billing health insurance for very expensive drugs (600 euros and over) without actually dispensing them.
Money laundering
Five men were indicted on June 5, 2026 in Paris for money laundering of suspected drug trafficking proceeds in the Paris region. Search operations led to discovery of €270,000 in cash. All five suspects placed under formal investigation.
Securities & markets
FCA froze Euro Exchange Securities citing serious concerns about its operations, including systemic weaknesses in the firm's financial crime framework and safeguarding arrangements.
Fraud & scams
The Fort-de-France criminal court convicted 5 individuals for extensive fraud involving the compensatory disability benefits scheme (PCH) causing damage of €3.2 million.
EPPO offices in Bologna, Turin and Palermo seized assets worth over €6 million in a suspected VAT carousel fraud involving luxury vehicles.
Money laundering
HSBC Holdings Plc's Swiss unit was charged in Paris in June 2026 as part of an investigation into suspicions it helped former Lebanese central bank Governor Riad Salameh embezzle funds.
Fraud & scams
At a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on 5 June 2026, Daniel Pugh was ordered to pay £452,286.80. Pugh, 36, is serving a 7 years and 6 months prison sentence for defrauding investors out of £1.3 million.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office in Milan, working with Italian Financial Police and Customs, seized assets worth over €23.5 million (including €13.5 million in properties and €10 million in bank accounts) in an investigation into a VAT fraud scheme.
Other
Daniel Alberto Rivera, former Director General of Work and Social Security of Andalusia, was convicted of prevarication and malversation of public funds for authorizing an irregular payment of €37,500 in 2010. Sentenced to one year imprisonment, five years disqualification, and €37,500 restitution.
Money laundering
Danish prosecutors lodged charges against Nordea Bank and demanded a 6.6 billion DKK (€880 million) fine for anti-money laundering failures between 2012-2015. The bank allegedly processed over €3.5 billion in suspicious transactions largely linked to Russian clients.
Russian presidential aide Maksim Oreshkin stated at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum that Russia should not expect sanctions to be lifted and needs to move from defensive tactics to a proactive approach in responding to sanctions. This indicates ongoing systemic sanctions evasion infrastructure.
Other
The FCA opened an enforcement investigation into Consultation Claims Limited (CCL) following concerns about its conduct from April 2025 to December 2025, investigating allegations that consumers may have been signed up without consent and that signatures may have been forged.
Other
The UK Insolvency Service announced on 4 June 2026 that Lex Greensill, 49, founder of the collapsed Greensill Capital, will be disqualified from acting as a company director in the UK for nine years, with the ban taking effect on 23 June 2026.
Sanctions
On May 28, 2026, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published its findings after reviewing 150 authorized firms' sanctions systems and controls, concluding that while firms have materially improved since 2022, significant gaps remain.
Money laundering
Spanish National Police arrested four people in Puerto Real (Cádiz) for money laundering linked to drug trafficking. Operation Odín seized one property, three vehicles, 16 bank accounts, and traced €261,925 in assets.
Fraud & scams
Spanish Civil Guard arrested the alleged ringleader of a major pyramid scheme on June 4, 2026, in Tenerife.
Other
The Supreme Court summoned Sumar Deputy Félix Alonso Cantorné on June 15 to testify as an accused party for alleged administrative prevarication in contract awards when he was mayor of Altafulla (Tarragona) between 2011-2019.
Fraud & scams
Money tied to notorious Russian Magnitsky tax fraud (perpetrators fraudulently extracted $230 million tax rebate from Russian treasury) slipped into Armenia's financial system unnoticed by regulators.
Other
Swiss financial regulator FINMA published new guidance on June 3, 2026, explaining risk patterns it is increasingly observing in relation to the use of products in individual portfolio management in the context of escalation cases.
Other
The Financial Markets Authority (AMF) issued a solemn call to regulated financial actors, including crypto-asset service providers (PSCA), to strengthen their cybersecurity systems against rapidly evolving threats related to artificial intelligence, capable of industrializing malicious campaigns.
The Crown Prosecution Service authorized charges against Syed Hussain, 54, a former West Midlands Police superintendent who has since been dismissed, and Farah Ullah, 43.
Brandon Dutch Mendenhall, 46, was indicted on a count of mail fraud as part of a mortgage fraud scheme. Mendenhall operated RAD Diversified REIT and other investment funds. The defendant was alleged to have over-inflated his personal income during the application for a $1.2 million mortgage loan.
Other
FINMA concluded enforcement proceedings against Wendelspiess Partners AG for serious breaches of financial services rules.
Bribery & corruption
The European Union approved a new directive strengthening criminal penalties for corruption across all member states.
Prosecutors at Copenhagen City Court are demanding 6.6 billion DKK (approximately €880 million) fine against Nordea for failing to prevent money laundering.
Fraud & scams
Albanian anti-corruption prosecutors froze bank accounts of Albania Land Development, a company linked to a $4 billion luxury resort project backed by Jared Kushner, amid an investigation into allegedly fraudulent property titles.
Money laundering
Spanish National Police dismantled a criminal organization conducting sophisticated banking scams across Spain through 'smishing' and 'vishing'. 23 people arrested (17 men, 6 women) in Barcelona and Murcia.
The US Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed a $1 million penalty on FTI Consulting for engaging in a payment arrangement with VTB Bank, a US-sanctioned Russian financial institution.
Sanctions
On May 27, 2026, BaFin imposed an administrative fine of €80,000 on Resolution Capital Limited for breach of supervisory duties in connection with contravention of the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG).
Money laundering
The Civil Guard dismantled a drug distribution point in Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo (Córdoba), arresting five individuals. Three have been imprisoned on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and criminal organization membership.
Fraud & scams
Alexey Sedushkin, general director of broker 'Investment Chamber,' and Yulia Khandoshko, head of European broker Mind Money, were arrested in Moscow. According to prosecutors, a criminal case was opened against them for fraud committed by an organized group or on an especially large scale.
Money laundering
DOJ and CFTC filed parallel criminal and civil insider trading actions against Michele Spagnuolo, a Google software engineer based in Switzerland.
Brandon Dutch Mendenhall, 46, co-founder of RAD Diversified REIT, was indicted on one count of mail fraud for submitting false information during the purchase of his $1.6 million house. Mendenhall has been under investigation following allegations he and a co-founder were running a Ponzi scheme.
Money laundering
Prosecution requested seven years six months prison plus €23 million fine for Civil Guard sergeant previously convicted in 2019 for tobacco smuggling and container theft at Barcelona port. Current charges involve money laundering proceeds from illegal activities between 2010-2020.
Fraud & scams
Spain's National Court opened trial against 41 former PP politicians, public officials, business executives accused of contract fraud during Esperanza Aguirre's Madrid government. Part of broader 'Púnica' corruption case.
Money laundering
Mediapart and the European Investigative Collaborations network revealed that British payments platform Wise is being prosecuted in Belgium for money laundering involving over €500 million, connected to hundreds of criminal cases in France and across Europe.
Money laundering
Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority imposed a fine of €75,000 on AIL Leasing München AG for anti-money laundering compliance failures that occurred between January 2022 and September 2022.
Other
Constitutional law professors analyze the Sarkozy appeal trial (March 16-May 27, 2026), noting a significantly fragile defense compared to the first trial, with a critical rupture between Sarkozy and Claude Guéant.
On September 8, 2025, the Paris judicial court approved the CJIP signed on September 5, by which Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (CACIB) undertook to pay EUR 88.2 million to avoid trial. Crédit Agricole became the first French bank to acknowledge this practice before the courts.
Fraud & scams
An organized criminal group defrauded a packaging company of €41,565 through fraudulent diesel fuel refueling. The scheme involved duplicating corporate fuel cards and fraudulently accessing card data to refuel personal vehicles and fill large containers.
Bribery & corruption
On May 20, 2026, two persons were placed under investigation: an automotive sector business executive and a gendarme officer.
Other
AMF President Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani warned that crypto platforms without MiCA license before June 30, 2026 deadline will be blacklisted and face legal prosecution if they continue soliciting European clients.
Bribery & corruption
Portuguese police detained and released Emilio Vázquez Blanco, former PSOE organizational secretary in A Coruña and ex-Galician parliamentarian. Appeared before judge Friday, freed without precautionary measures except prohibition against communicating with other suspects.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office in Paris is investigating suspected public procurement fraud financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe, involving approximately €18 million aimed at supporting local companies to recover economically after the pandemic.
Bribery & corruption
The Senate Bureau lifted on 28 May 2026 the parliamentary immunity of Republican senator Francis Szpiner, former mayor of Paris's 16th arrondissement and lawyer, to permit his placement in police custody in an investigation for passive corruption.
Fraud & scams
The Nanterre correctional court sentenced Patrick Balkany on May 28, former mayor of Levallois-Perret, to two sentences of imprisonment of fifteen months and three years in two separate cases of embezzlement of public funds.
Fraud & scams
French justice closed on 26 May 2026 the investigation opened since November 2018 against Jean-Luc Mélenchon and La France Insoumise for alleged embezzlement of European public funds. No charges were filed. Only two former assistants remain in the status of witnesses with legal representation.
Svetlana Mesyats, a 54-year-old senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Philosophy, was charged with aggravated fraud for allegedly embezzling 16 million rubles from the 'Heritage of Aristotle' project.
Trafficking
Two Swiss private banks, Pictet & Cie and J. Safra Sarasin, appear in a seizure request filed by Palermo prosecutors targeting the criminal proceeds of alleged Sicilian drug trafficker Giacomo Tamburello.
Sanctions
Kyrgyz authorities announced that 50 companies believed to be helping Russia evade sanctions were being forced to shut their operations in the country. This is the first time Kyrgyzstan has shuttered companies over cooperation with sanctioned entities.
Bribery & corruption
Madrid Provincial Prosecutor's Office requested investigation into Leire Díez (ex-PSOE activist) and businessman Javier Pérez Dolcet for alleged attempted bribery of anti-corruption prosecutor José Grinda.
Money laundering
BaFin announced enhanced enforcement approach for 2026, including plans to conduct at least 75 special audits in the banking and non-banking sectors. Focus areas include customer risk classification and implementation of the Travel Rule by crypto-asset service providers.
Other
On 27 May 2026, Nicolas Sarkozy made his final statements during his appeal trial concerning alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign, proclaiming his innocence.
Other
Former Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero accused of leading a 'stable and hierarchical structure' to obtain benefits through intermediation with public institutions on behalf of Plus Ultra airline, which received €53 million from the State in 2021.
Money laundering
Moscow's Nikulinsky Court approved the Prosecutor General's claim to seize assets valued at 5.5 billion rubles from Ruslan Tsalikov, former First Deputy Minister of Defense, and his relatives.
UK imposed fresh sanctions targeting crypto and illicit finance networks operating in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia that enable Russia to procure goods needed for its war effort, designating 18 entities and individuals.
The UK sanctioned 18 entities including HTX (formerly Huobi) cryptocurrency exchange and the A7A5 ruble-backed stablecoin network for helping Russia evade sanctions and finance its war in Ukraine. HTX allegedly channeled over $1.
Fraud & scams
Prosecutor on May 26, 2026 requested trial against Jean-Christophe Lagarde, mayor of Drancy and former UDI leader, for organized fraud and receiving stolen goods. Allegations involve spreading false information about Raquel Garrido and Alexis Corbière during 2022 legislative elections.
Bribery & corruption
Article alleges that Emmanuel Grégoire, new Socialist Party mayor of Paris, is involved in multiple controversies including an ongoing matter involving alleged favoritism and overcharging by a company for renovating 128,000 social housing units (February 2026), and claims he and Anne Hidalgo used maneuvers to postpone a trial related to a 2019 Rue de Trévise explosion.
Fraud & scams
The PNF issued a search warrant on May 7, 2026, made public on May 19. The investigation concerns former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, current mayor of Le Havre and declared candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Bribery & corruption
On May 21, 2026, two magistrates from the Parquet national financier (National Financial Prosecutor's Office) entered the Élysée Palace to search offices related to the organization of Pantheon ceremonies.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw is investigating suspected subsidy fraud, corruption and abuse of office linked to the award of EU funding under the 'Fast Track – Digital Innovation' competition financed by the European Regional Development Fund.
Sanctions
The AMF Sanctions Commission condemned on 20 May 2026 Mr. Ytane Mamou to a fine of €30,000 and his cousin Mr. Elie Houri to €20,000 for insider trading.
Other
A confiscation order of £355,880.10 was granted at Manchester Crown Court against Rizwan Manjra, a former Manchester motor insurance worker, on May 15, 2026.
Fraud & scams
A Portuguese court of appeal found defendants had been wrongfully imprisoned in a major VAT fraud case involving €80 million defrauded from Portuguese tax authorities.
The president of the Paris judicial court validated a judicial interest convention (CJIP) concluded between the National Financial Prosecutor's Office and BALT USA, a French medical equipment manufacturer.
Sanctions
Kyrgyzstan's Justice Ministry announced the suspension of 50 companies flagged by Western partners for suspected Russia sanctions circumvention. Deputy Prime Minister Daniyar Amangeldiev stated the government conducted an investigation and suspended the registration of 50 companies.
Sanctions
FCA published review of over 150 firms' sanctions controls since February 2022, identifying systemic weaknesses including inadequate customer due diligence, poor alert management, deficient name and transaction screening, and improper frozen asset handling.
Fraud & scams
The National Police arrested eleven people for million-euro fraud against the Murcia Health Service (SMS), causing approximately €6.9 million in damages.
Fraud & scams
PNF opened investigation of former PM and 2027 presidential candidate Dominique de Villepin for receiving allegedly misappropriated public funds: two Napoleon statues worth €125,000 allegedly financed by African leader and Italian businessman, received 2002-2004 while Foreign Minister; artworks returned May 2026.
Bribery & corruption
On May 19, 2026, former Spanish president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was charged in the Plus Ultra case for alleged criminal organization, influence peddling and falsification of documents related to the 53 million euro bailout of the airline during the pandemic.
Money laundering
Since Monday 19 May 2026, the Marseille criminal court has been trying Félix Bingui, 35 years old, heading twenty defendants for drug trafficking and money laundering around the 'La Fontaine' dealing point.
Sanctions
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation imposed a penalty of £165,000 on Deutsche Bank AG London Branch for processing two payments totalling £635,618.75 to Okko LLC, a sanctioned Russian app developer, on behalf of an Irish-incorporated corporate customer.
Fraud & scams
On May 19, 2026, the National Financial Prosecutor (PNF) announced a judge will investigate Le Havre mayor Édouard Philippe for alleged misappropriation of public funds, favoritism, illegal conflict of interest, and malfeasance.
Money laundering
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former Spanish President, charged by Audiencia Nacional with criminal organization, influence trafficking, and document falsification in Plus Ultra airline rescue case—first time in Spanish democracy a former president charged with corruption.
Sanctions
The ACPR Sanctions Commission imposed on 13 May 2026 a reprimand and a pecuniary sanction of twenty million euros to Société Générale for its insurance intermediary activity. This is the highest sanction ever pronounced by the ACPR since 2018.
Money laundering
FCA imposed permanent ban on Kasim Garipoglu from UK financial services following investigation revealing sustained pattern of fraud, document forgery, and AML compliance failures spanning approximately a decade.
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) investigated over 240 sanctions breaches and issued 57 enforcement actions over the past year, including fines and disclosure notices.
Fraud & scams
Former minister Caroline Cayeux was sentenced on 1 April 2026 by the Paris court to 10 months imprisonment with suspension, 100,000 euros fine and 2 years ineligibility following a guilty plea procedure (CRPC). According to the judgment, the former minister had undervalued her personal assets by 11.
Fraud & scams
François Bernardini, mayor of Istres (Left), and several collaborators will appear before the Paris criminal court from 1 to 22 June 2026 for misappropriation of public funds, favoritism and unlawful assumption of interests.
Sanctions
The ACPR Sanctions Commission issued a reprimand and a financial penalty of €20 million against Société Générale in its capacity as an insurance intermediary.
Money laundering
German national Owe Martin Andresen, suspected main administrator of Dream Market darknet marketplace, was arrested in Germany on May 7, 2026, and charged with laundering over $2 million in cryptocurrency proceeds between August 2023-April 2025. Law enforcement seized $1.
Other
Geneva Criminal Court convicted a wealth manager on April 28, 2026 for breach of trust and disloyal management.
Money laundering
Andriy Yermak, 54, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's former chief of staff, appeared in court as prosecutors sought detention on money laundering charges. Ukraine's anti-corruption court ordered arrest with bail set at 140M hryvnias ($3.19M). Prosecutors allege Yermak funneled ~460M hryvnias ($10.
Money laundering
Spain's People's Party demanded accountability from former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and PM Pedro Sánchez regarding alleged money laundering.
Other
Five individuals were arrested on 11 May 2026 in Bas-Rhin (Alsace) for attempted kidnapping and extortion linked to cryptocurrency.
Fraud & scams
Sophia Chikirou, deputy of La France Insoumise and candidate for Paris mayor, was tried from May 12, 2026 for fraud in an affair dating to July 2018 concerning the news site Le Média.
Fraud & scams
The National File of Accounts Flagged for Fraud Risk (FNC-RF) became operational on May 7, 2026, managed by the Banque de France.
Fraud & scams
On May 11, 2026, French Parliament definitively adopted legislation to combat social and fiscal fraud (244-99 vote in Senate). The government estimates the law could recover up to €1.5 billion annually.
The Civil Guard detained 11 people in May on suspected charges of continued fraud, money laundering and membership in a criminal organization in an operation against a network dedicated to fraud through false financial investments.
Other
The Financial Conduct Authority announced on 12 May 2026 that it has banned Frank Breuer from working in UK financial services and fined him £755,000 for repeatedly acting without integrity and putting customers at risk for personal financial gain.
Fraud & scams
Former Minister Caroline Cayeux was convicted on 1 April 2026 to ten months suspended imprisonment and €100,000 fine for tax fraud. She had undervalued her assets by approximately €11.7 million in her declarations, including a house in Brittany and a Paris apartment.
Fraud & scams
On May 9, 2026, Nice prosecutor's office opened a preliminary investigation targeting former mayor Christian Estrosi and his wife Laura Tenoudji (France 2 host) for receiving misappropriated public funds.
Money laundering
The Paris criminal court convicted former UDI Senator Aymeri de Montesquiou on May 7, 2026 for aggravated tax fraud and money laundering.
Money laundering
Richard Faithfull (36), who was originally convicted in 2021 and sentenced to 5 years and 10 months in prison for laundering £2.
Fraud & scams
Crime and Policing Act 2026 received Royal Assent April 29, takes effect June 29, 2026. Expands corporate criminal liability beyond economic crimes to ALL criminal offences committed by 'senior managers' acting within actual/apparent scope of authority.
Fraud & scams
Paris judge granted Nicolas Sarkozy conditional release on May 5, 2026 (effective May 7) in Bygmalion affair involving illegal financing of 2012 presidential campaign, for which he was sentenced to 1 year imprisonment including 6 months firm.
Money laundering
ING Belgium agreed to pay a €1.6 million settlement over alleged failures to report suspicious transactions linked to former European Commissioner Didier Reynders, who is implicated in a money laundering case.
Germany's BaFin imposed fines totaling EUR 75,000 on AIL Leasing München AG for violations of the Money Laundering Act (Geldwäschegesetz) during January-September 2022.
EPPO detained two more suspects (high-ranking public officials) in an investigation into procurement fraud and corruption linked to tram infrastructure modernization funded by the EU (€448.3 million designated between 2007-2027).
Money laundering
Mickaël Ettori, a 53-year-old associate of the Corsican 'Petit Bar' gang, received a 12-year prison sentence and 1.5 million euro fine on May 5, 2026, from the Marseille correctional court.
Bribery & corruption
An adjunct police officer from Angoulême police station was placed under investigation and remanded in custody on 30 April 2026 for 'diversion of the purpose of personal data processing' and passive corruption.
BaFin imposed three fines totaling €140,000 on DLT Securities GmbH for violations of German Money Laundering Act, including failure to establish adequate business and customer-related internal security measures.
Other
Three people were arrested as part of a crackdown on suspected illegal financial promotions, with homes in the Chelmsford and Romford areas searched as part of an operation led by the FCA.
Securities & markets
BaFin imposed a €1,000,000 administrative fine on flatexDEGIRO SE for failing to disclose inside information to the public as required by Market Abuse Regulation.
Fraud & scams
On April 14, 2026, Gérard Lhéritier, founder of Aristophil, admitted guilt through a guilty plea agreement with the Paris prosecutor's office, obtaining a reduced sentence of two years with electronic monitoring instead of the original five-year prison sentence handed down in December 2025.
Bribery & corruption
EU Directive 2026/1021 of 29 April 2026 was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 11 May 2026. This directive redefines the European criminal framework against corruption and requires France to overhaul its legal arsenal by 2028.
Sanctions
EU's 20th sanctions package expanded the banned crypto-assets list: RUBx and the digital ruble joined A7A5 in sanctions annexes, both effective May 24, 2026.
Bribery & corruption
Reims University Hospital filed a complaint against X following the revelation of a corruption affair involving one of its physicians, a neuroradiologist suspected of testing products proposed by American company Balt in exchange for remuneration over 10 years.
Money laundering
The National Organised Crime Prosecution Office (PNACO) announced on 24 April 2026 that 88 individuals, including more than 10 minors, have been placed under investigation in 12 judicial proceedings concerning kidnappings and extortions linked to cryptocurrency.
Money laundering
EU introduced its 20th sanctions package on May 24, 2026, implementing a complete sectoral ban on all transactions with Russian crypto services. The sanctions targeted the digital ruble, stablecoins (RUBx, A7A5), and any schemes to circumvent payment restrictions.
EU adopted its largest crypto sanctions package in history (effective May 24, 2026): total sectoral ban on all Russia-based crypto service providers and platforms; ban on four Russian-linked digital assets including RUBx stablecoin, Russia's digital ruble CBDC, and Belarusian Digital Ruble; designation of TengriCoin (Kyrgyz exchange trading A7A5 stablecoin which processed $119.
Sanctions
EU added TengriCoin to sanctions list on April 23, 2026, as part of 20th sanctions package against Russia. TengriCoin operates Meer platform, major marketplace for trading A7A5, Russian government-backed ruble stablecoin backed by funds at Promsvyazbank.
Bribery & corruption
In April 2026, judicial journalist Stéphane Sellami (Paris-Match, former BFMTV) and a retired police commander were placed under investigation in Paris for corruption, theft of files and violation of professional confidentiality.
Other
Working with HMRC and the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, the FCA targeted 8 premises suspected of illegal peer-to-peer crypto trading, issuing cease and desist letters at each site.
Money laundering
On January 23, 2026, the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority announced an administrative fine of approximately $50 million (DKK 313 million) against Saxo Bank for violating Denmark's Anti-Money Laundering Act.
Polish tax authorities imposed record 20 million PLN fine (approximately $5.5 million) in April 2026 on company operated by Belarusian citizens in Małopolska region for sanctions violations. Company sent over 100 luxury cars worth PLN 49 million (€11.6 million) to Russia between 2022-2023.
Other
FINMA's Annual Report 2025 reveals the regulator concluded 55 enforcement proceedings in 2025 (up from 38 in 2024) and launched enforcement proceedings in 15 cases.
James Andrew Wellesley, a UK citizen, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $1 million in forfeiture for wire fraud conspiracy in connection with a scheme to defraud over 140 victims around the world of over $97 million.
Russian businessman Denis Katsyv, suspected in money laundering from the Magnitsky case, withdrew approximately 6 million Swiss francs from Switzerland to his accounts abroad. Switzerland had blocked the assets for ten years as part of the tax fraud investigation uncovered by Sergei Magnitsky.
Securities & markets
In a decision of April 9, 2026, the Paris criminal court convicted a natural person who had obstructed a home search conducted by the AMF as part of an investigation into suspected market abuse.
Grinex, Kyrgyzstan-based cryptocurrency exchange (successor to sanctioned Garantex), suspended operations after hack resulting in theft of 1 billion rubles ($13.7M) on April 15, 2026. Exchange was primary trading hub for A7A5 ruble-backed token designed for sanctions evasion.
The Crown Prosecution Service charged John Michael Ormerod, 75, with two criminal offences: unlawfully handling £200,000 subject to asset freeze rules and transferring £100,000 suspected to be criminal proceeds.
Other
Police and gendarmerie recorded approximately 40 cryptocurrency-related kidnappings and sequestrations from January to April 15, 2026—already doubling 2023-2025 three-year total of roughly 20 cases.
France's National Agency for Secure Titles (ANTS/France Titres) suffered cyberattack on April 15, 2026, with Ministry of Interior confirming April 20 that 11.7 million accounts affected (estimates range 12-19 million).
Securities & markets
Paris Criminal Court delivered France's first criminal convictions in an insider trading network case, sentencing 3 individuals to up to 3 years prison and €30 million fines for illegally trading on confidential Air Liquide takeover information in 2015; 4 others received plea bargain sentences in late 2025/early 2026.
Securities & markets
On April 13, 2026, Paris Criminal Court convicted three individuals for insider trading related to Air Liquide's 2015 takeover bid for American company Airgas.
Securities & markets
The Paris Criminal Court on April 13, 2026 convicted three individuals for insider trading and complicity in France's first criminal case involving organized insider trading networks. Sentences reached up to three years imprisonment and €30 million in fines.
Fraud & scams
An amendment was voted on 1 April 2026 proposing the elimination of CJIP provisions for integrity-corruption and tax fraud cases, as well as environmental CJIPs, which sparked significant debate on the future of this mechanism in French law.
Other
On March 19, 2026, the Paris criminal court convicted SFR to a fine of 10 million euros, of which 5 million with suspension, for deceptive commercial practices.
Money laundering
The Court of Cassation rendered a judgment on 25 March 2026 confirming that using sums derived from fraud to repay debts or pay current expenses constitutes money laundering by placement within the meaning of article 324-1 of the Penal Code.
Other
The FCA set out plans on 15 April 2026 to take action against Hartley Pensions Limited and an individual involved at the firm.
Other
FSB detained a St. Petersburg resident suspected of illegal export of military goods and technologies, specifically attempting to transfer components for repairing diesel generators for Varshavyanka project submarines to a foreigner.
Fraud & scams
The French government announced on April 8, 2026 that fraud detection and correction efforts surpassed €20 billion for the first time in 2025: €17.1 billion in fiscal rights and penalties notified, and €3 billion detected in the social domain.
Money laundering
On April 1, 2026, the AMF imposed a €300,000 fine on Kerdiz Finance et Conseil and €75,000 fines each on directors Anthony Finck and Marc Peuvrier, plus a five-year ban on financial advisory activity.
Sanctions
On 18 March 2026, the General Directorate of the Treasury (DG Trésor) and the Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR) published new joint guidelines on asset freezing, replacing the previous version of 16 June 2021.
Fraud & scams
Spanish National Court judge attributed alleged €88 million tax fraud to Álvaro Romillo, businessman who provided €100,000 to MEP Luis 'Alvise' Pérez. Romillo faces charge alongside criminal allegations as suspected ringleader of cryptocurrency investment scam through Madeira Invest Club platform.
Fraud & scams
The preliminary investigation targeting French IT services giant Atos (63,000 employees), initially opened two years ago for private corruption, was recently expanded to potential misappropriation of corporate assets, as confirmed by the National Financial Prosecutor (PNF) on 23 March.
Greek police arrested 22 members of a criminal organization in operations across Attica and Crete, with another 116 people under investigation for systematic fraud involving EU agricultural subsidies. Damage to EU and Greek State from 2019-2024 estimated at approximately €2.7 million.
Other
Paris city hall was searched on March 31 as part of a preliminary investigation opened by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office on February 6 for favoritism, complicity in favoritism and illegal conflicts of interest.
Other
Paris City Hall was searched on March 31, 2026, by the PNF as part of a preliminary investigation concerning the awarding of a €1.5 million public contract to TRE Conseil (led by Thierry Reboul) for organizing the 2025 commemoration of the November 13, 2015 attacks.
Securities & markets
German financial regulator BaFin issued a €1,650,000 penalty to Barclays PLC for failing to submit voting rights notifications within required timeframes under the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG).
Securities & markets
FCA imposed £338,000 penalty on Dinosaur Merchant Bank Limited for failing to detect/report suspicious orders and transactions in contract for difference (CFD) business. Breached Article 16(2) UK MAR, Principle 3, SYSC 6.1.1R during June 2024-May 2025.
Other
Martine Froger, socialist-affiliated deputy for Ariège, was placed under investigation on 23 March 2026 for breach of trust, breach of trust in organized conspiracy, failure to appoint statutory auditors, forgery and use of forgery, undeclared work, abuse of corporate assets and incomplete declarations to the HATVP.
Money laundering
Seven people were placed under investigation on 26 March 2026 in a health insurance fraud case involving an estimated amount of €58 million, according to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau. The charges include organized fraud, organized money laundering and participation in a criminal association.
Money laundering
Belgian prosecutors are investigating whether Huawei orchestrated a covert influence campaign within the European Parliament, examining allegations that from 2021 Huawei representatives offered bribes to MEPs and their assistants.
Securities & markets
The AMF continued to investigate possible market manipulation by Casino group in 2018 and 2019, according to La Lettre.
On March 18, 2026, ACPR and Direction générale du Trésor published updated guidelines on implementing asset freezing measures, replacing June 2021 text.
Money laundering
Market Financial Solutions (MFS), a London-based bridging finance lender, entered administration in February 2026 amid allegations of serious misconduct, with creditors facing an estimated shortfall of over £1.3 billion.
Fraud & scams
A judicial settlement agreement of public interest (CJIP) was concluded on January 6, 2026 between the National Financial Prosecutor's Office and HSBC Bank plc, validated by the Paris judicial court president on January 8, 2026.
Money laundering
Polish authorities detained five court officials in a widening investigation into a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme at the Kraków Court of Appeal.
Money laundering
BaFin imposed three administrative fines totaling €140,000 on DLT Securities GmbH for violations of the German Money Laundering Act.
Bribery & corruption
Vincent Bolloré, along with executives Gilles Alix and Jean-Philippe Dorent, will be tried from December 7-17, 2026 in Paris for corruption of a foreign public official in Togo.
Sanctions
German police arrested five men for delivering more than 16,000 shipments to at least 24 Russian arms companies since 2022, in breach of EU sanctions.
Bribery & corruption
American justice authorities indicted two former executives from a subsidiary of French group Balt for bribing a Reims University Hospital employee, according to prosecutors.
Money laundering
The former treasurer of Kiabi has been released from custody while a second person has been placed under formal investigation in a large-scale fraud case affecting the retailer, according to Boursorama.
Fraud & scams
On 10 March 2026, Luc Pastorel, director general of the SOS Oxygène group (€578.3 million revenue in 2025), was sentenced by the Paris criminal court to 20 months' suspended prison and a fine of €1.5 million for organized tax fraud.
Sanctions
Investigation reveals Georgia's Kulevi oil refinery may be facilitating Russian oil exports allegedly disguised as Georgian products. Georgia's oil product exports jumped 3,300% to $56 million in January 2026.
Money laundering
On March 4, 2026, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported that the UK Financial Conduct Authority distributed £124 million in fines during the past year, representing a dramatic 78% reduction compared to five years prior when penalties reached £567.8 million.
Other
The FCA imposed a £12,993,700 penalty on John Wood Group PLC for publishing inaccurate financial information in its 2022, 2023, and half-year 2024 results.
Money laundering
In March 2026, a former Eramet executive and three accomplices were convicted under a CRPC (guilty plea procedure) for fraud, corruption, forgery and money laundering.
The anti-corruption association Anticor became a civil party in the judicial investigation opened by the National Financial Prosecutor concerning alleged corruption, influence peddling, illegal taking of interests, and abuse of authority related to the 2014 sale of Alstom's energy branch to General Electric, according to Anticor.
On February 18, 2026, the Paris court approved a judicial public interest agreement (CJIP) between the PNF and PÉRIPHÉRIQUES ET MATÉRIELS DE CONTRÔLE SAS following an investigation into corruption of a foreign public official and money laundering.
Sanctions
The DGCCRF announced on February 24, 2026 sanctions totaling 9.2 million euros against two entities of the BPCE group for misleading commercial practices related to intervention commissions.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office is handling more than 500 fraud investigations related to the EU's pandemic recovery fund, with estimated damages totaling €5 billion.
Money laundering
FINMA withdrew license of MBaer Merchant Bank AG and ordered liquidation following serious AML/sanctions compliance failures. Bank enabled clients to circumvent official asset freezes; 80% of business relationships carried increased risks, with 98% of recent assets from high-risk clients.
Sanctions
The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation imposed a £160,000 monetary penalty on Bank of Scotland Plc for breaching Russia financial sanctions regulations in January 2026.
Financial Times identified a network of 48 companies involved in transporting Russian oil in circumvention of sanctions worth $90 billion. All 48 companies were discovered to use the same private email server, revealing a coordinated sanctions evasion scheme.
Other
Seven social media influencers have been sentenced at Southwark Crown Court for their role in the promotion of an unauthorised foreign exchange trading scheme. Multiple fines were issued ranging from £600 to £3,750.
Securities & markets
The AMF suspended trading in shares of British dietary supplements company Rapid Nutrition, listed in Paris and London, due to 'possible market manipulation'. The suspension lasted from February 19, 2026 until March 13, 2026.
Money laundering
French authorities conducted searches at the Institut du Monde Arabe on February 16, 2026, as the PNF launched a preliminary investigation for 'aggravated tax fraud laundering' targeting Jack Lang and his daughter Caroline.
Securities & markets
The FCA fined Richard Howson £237,700 for being knowingly concerned in Carillion's breaches of Market Abuse Regulation and Listing Rules.
On February 11, 2026, the president of the Paris judicial court Stéphane Noël validated the CJIP concluded between the financial prosecutor and Paprec Group.
Other
The appeal trial in the European Parliament assistants case took place from January 13 to February 12, 2026.
Securities & markets
FCA fined Dipesh Kerai £52,731 and Bhavesh Hirani £56,000 for insider dealing in shares of Bidstack Group Plc. Hirani had access to inside information about major deal at Bidstack, which he passed to Kerai. Hirani then opened trading account in Kerai's name and bought 1.3 million Bidstack shares.
On February 9, 2026, gendarmes in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur dismantled a social fraud and money laundering network following a routine traffic stop. Damages to tax services, URSSAF (social security), and CAF (family allowances) estimated at nearly €1.8 million.
Other
Six individuals, including a minor, were arrested following the violent abduction of a 35-year-old judge and her 67-year-old mother on February 8, 2026. The women were taken from their home while the judge's partner—an executive at a crypto startup—was absent.
Tracfin published on 3 February 2026 the first issue of 'FOCUS TRACFIN' dedicated to money laundering in the art sector. In 2024, Tracfin received 1,109 suspicious transaction reports related to the art market, representing a 35% increase compared to 2023.
Money laundering
The Paris Court of Appeal confirmed the six-month suspension of a young lawyer from the Paris bar, aged 29, specializing in immigration law, for defrauding approximately 100 clients, mainly persons in irregular situation.
Money laundering
Two tax inspectors are being prosecuted by the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office for passive corruption, money laundering, and complicity in organized fraud. The officials allegedly accepted covert payments in exchange for providing advice to taxpayers during tax audits, according to prosecutors.
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Fraud & scams
A trial opened on 18 May 2026 at the Fort-de-France criminal court concerning embezzlement of public funds at the Martinique Regional Collectivity (CTM). The damage amounts to €3,204,489 according to the CTM.
Money laundering
On January 29, 2026, the Paris Tribunal Correctionnel convicted former Casino Group CEO Jean-Charles Naouri to four years in prison (one year firm under electronic monitoring) for active corruption and dissemination of false or misleading information.
On January 29, 2026, Paris Criminal Court sentenced 5 individuals and 5 legal entities for private corruption, organized market manipulation, and insider trading from 2018. Former CEO Jean-Charles Naouri received 4 years imprisonment (1 year under electronic monitoring) and €1 million fine.
On 27 January 2026, gendarmes arrested seven people in Oise, Var and Bouches-du-Rhône as part of a social contribution fraud investigation. Following custodial interrogations, four people were placed under investigation, one of them in custody.
Sanctions
The AMF Sanctions Committee condemned Makor Securities Paris to a fine of €700,000 and its director Yankel Hassan to €150,000 for serious failings in their market abuse detection system.
Sanctions
OFSI imposed a £160,000 penalty on Bank of Scotland Plc for breaching the Russia financial sanctions regime by processing 24 payments over 16 days in February 2023 for a designated ex-Russian politician, with aggregate value exceeding £77,000.
BaFin imposed a fine of €325,000 against VR-Bank Bad Salzungen Schmalkalden eG for deficiencies in money laundering prevention that occurred during fiscal year 2023.
A Judicial Interest Convention (CJIP) concluded on 6 January 2026 between the PNF and HSBC Bank plc was validated on 8 January 2026 by the president of the Paris judicial court. This is the 28th CJIP signed by the PNF and the first of 2026.
Other
A retired couple was abducted from their home in Sallanches (Haute-Savoie) during the night of January 14-15, 2026. The abductors demanded an €8 million ransom in cryptocurrency, targeting their son, a recognized cryptocurrency professional.
Bribery & corruption
The FCA's decision to ban Darren Antony Reynolds from working in financial services and fine him £2,037,892 was upheld by the Upper Tribunal. Mr Reynolds was dishonest when he gave pension transfer advice and investment recommendations to his customers, causing them significant harm.
Money laundering
On 15 January 2026, the Marseille criminal court sentenced Jean and Viviane Badache to 7 years in prison for organized fraud, forgery and aggravated money laundering. The Apollonia case affected approximately 750 victims with damages exceeding €1.2 billion between 2004 and 2016.
Fraud & scams
Serious Fraud Office announced investigation into past management of Home REIT, listed UK social housing company, with suspected offending valued at £300 million. Six individuals aged 40-80 arrested on suspicion of fraud and bribery offences.
Money laundering
HSBC concluded a judicial interest convention (CJIP) with the National Financial Prosecutor for an amount of 267 million euros (115 million in restitutive component and 152 million in punitive component) for aggravated money laundering of tax fraud.
A CJIP was concluded on January 6, 2026 between the PNF and HSBC Bank Plc regarding intra-group dividend arbitrage operations (cum-cum scheme) involving HSBC's Paris branch between 2014-2019, which allowed the bank to benefit from withholding tax exemptions that could qualify as aggravated tax fraud.
Money laundering
In its decision of 31 December 2025, the Sanctions Commission imposed fines of 200,000 €, 70,000 € and 35,000 € respectively against M Capital Partners and its executives, Rudy Secco and Stéphanie Minissier, for breaches of several professional obligations between August 2019 and December 2023.
Securities & markets
The FCA imposed fines on two former finance directors of Carillion plc for their involvement in issuing misleading statements.
Securities & markets
The FCA issued £16,087,723 in fines during 2026 (as of March 27, 2026), representing a significant decrease from £124m in 2025.
Fraud & scams
Deputy Sophia Chikirou went on trial starting May 12, 2026 for fraud involving a €67,146 invoice to Le Média. She is suspected of attempting to deceive Crédit du Nord bank. The prosecutor requested €50,000 in fines (mostly suspended); verdict scheduled for June 8, 2026.
Money laundering
In its decision of 10 December 2025, the Sanctions Commission imposed fines of 400,000 € and 100,000 € respectively against asset management company Novaxia Investissement and one of its former executives, Joachim Azan, for breaching several professional obligations.
Fraud & scams
FCA fined Nationwide Building Society £44,078,500 for inadequate anti-financial crime systems and controls between October 2016 and July 2021. Nationwide had ineffective systems for due diligence and risk assessments for personal current account customers and for monitoring transactions.
Fraud & scams
Gérard Lhéritier, founder of asset manager Aristophil in Nancy, was sentenced on 11 December 2025 by Paris court to five years imprisonment for deceptive commercial practices and fraud. He had defrauded thousands of savers of over one billion euros through investment in ancient manuscripts.
Bribery & corruption
The County Court in Zagreb rendered a verdict on 7 July 2026 against ten individuals, following an indictment by the European Public Prosecutor's Office in Zagreb over alleged corruption and misuse of EU funds involving the Ministry of Culture and the Faculty of Geodesy.
Fraud & scams
Belgian police detained former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on December 2, 2025, as part of an anti-fraud investigation.
Money laundering
ACPR imposed €250,000 fine and reprimand on Banque Chaabi du Maroc for AML/CFT deficiencies and internal control failures despite prior 2013 sanction; penalty reduced due to bank's remediation costs, small size, and fragile financial situation.
Money laundering
On November 7, 2025, the ACPR Sanctions Commission sanctioned Banque Chaabi du Maroc (BCDM), French subsidiary of Banque Centrale Populaire du Maroc, with a reprimand and a fine of EUR 250,000 for serious failures in its anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) framework as well as failures in internal controls.
Securities & markets
On 24 August 2026, BaFin (Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) imposed an administrative fine totalling €250,000 on pferdewetten.de AG.
Sanctions
On July 21, 2026, the AMF Sanctions Commission imposed fines totalling €210,000 on Financière Fonds Privés (€100,000) and its executives Pierre-Michel Deléglise (€70,000) and Thierry de Chambure (€40,000).
Money laundering
BaFin fined JPMorgan €45 million in November 2025 for shortcomings in money laundering prevention systems—the largest fine ever imposed by BaFin on a financial institution.
Money laundering
Court of Cassation annulled €94 million of €461 million seized from luxury property owner Adrien Labi in 2023 tax fraud and money laundering investigation involving over €500 million unpaid taxes (wealth, corporate, capital gains); seizure technicality involved trust within life insurance policy.
Bribery & corruption
Former Culture Minister Rachida Dati will face trial from September 16-28, 2026, on corruption charges. She is accused of receiving €900,000 between 2010-2012 from RNBV (Renault-Nissan subsidiary) for consulting work allegedly never performed, while serving as European Parliament member.
Money laundering
Poland's Central Bureau of Investigation arrested 20 individuals in mid-September 2025 for smuggling approximately 600 luxury cars (BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Lexus, Range Rover) to Russia and Belarus violating EU sanctions.
Sanctions
In its decision of 15 September 2025, the Sanctions Commission imposed fines of 600,000 €, 500,000 € and 200,000 € respectively against asset management company Altaroc Partners and its executives, Maurice Tchenio and Patrick de Giovanni, for breaches of their professional obligations.
Fraud & scams
On 8 September 2025, the Paris judicial court approved a CJIP between the PNF and the Crédit Agricole subsidiary CACIB for 88.2 million euros (49 million in restitutive component and 39 million in punitive component).
Money laundering
The investment banking branch of Crédit Agricole (Cacib) accepted to pay a fine of approximately €88 million to obtain abandonment of an investigation in the 'CumCum' tax fraud affair, at a hearing before the Paris court on September 8, 2025.
Sanctions
U.S. Treasury OFAC sanctioned three Russian nationals and several companies on August 14, 2025 for operating Garantex cryptocurrency exchange specializing in ruble-to-stablecoin exchanges used to circumvent restrictions.
Sanctions
The ECB issued an administrative penalty of €6.94 million to Belfius Banque S.A. / Belfius Bank S.A./N.V. for non-compliance with requirements related to implementing internal models.
Other
The FCA fined Barclays Bank UK PLC and Barclays Bank PLC a total of £42 million for separate instances of failings in its financial crime risk management relating to WealthTek and Stunt & Co.
Other
The FCA fined Monzo Bank Ltd £21.09m (reduced from £30.13m with 30% settlement discount) for inadequate anti-financial crime systems and controls between October 2018 and August 2020.
Money laundering
On June 19, 2025, Redinel Korfuzi (6 years) and Oerta Korfuzi (5 years) were found guilty of insider dealing and money laundering following an 18-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.
The French Anti-Corruption Agency (AFA) published on July 6, 2026 its 2025 activity report. This year was marked by the adoption of the multi-year national plan to fight corruption 2025-2029 and the strengthening of the AFA's work on anti-corruption.
US prosecutors charged Russian citizen Yuri Gugnin with 22 counts including fraud and money laundering. His cryptocurrency company Evita allegedly served as front for laundering hundreds of millions of dollars for sanctioned Russian companies and facilitating evasion of export controls.
Money laundering
Iurii Gugnin, 38, Russian citizen residing in New York, charged with using cryptocurrency company Evita to funnel over $530 million through U.S. banks while hiding transactions for sanctioned Russian banks (Sberbank, Sovcombank, VTB, Tinkoff, Alfa-Bank).
Fraud & scams
Trial opened May 6, 2026 at Paris criminal court for former Bio C'Bon executives Thierry Chouraqui and Jean-Bernard Brissaud, accused of fraudulent commercial practices for deceiving thousands of small investors by selling risky financial products ('Immo Capital Builder System' and 'Bio C'Bon builder') for estimated damages of approximately €400 million.
Money laundering
Pascal N., 65 years old, resident and well-known entrepreneur of Saint-Briac-sur-Mer (Ille-et-Vilaine), is suspected of orchestrating a vast national Ponzi scheme that defrauded approximately 500 investors for a total amount of €106 million.
Fraud & scams
Marine Le Pen was tried in appeal from 13 January to 12 February 2026, alongside eleven former FN/RN executives, for misappropriation of public funds in the European parliamentary assistants case.
Money laundering
Four people were arrested and search warrants were executed in Hackney, Beckenham and Slough as part of a joint FCA and police investigation into fraud and money laundering.
Five people were sentenced to more than 35 years in prison after one of the biggest money laundering investigations conducted by Leicestershire Police. The investigation revealed more than £53m had been laundered by the group between 2019 and 2021 using a complex mule network and cryptocurrency.
EPPO in Sofia filed an indictment against the representative of a Bulgarian company for suspected fraud involving EU and national funds under two projects financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Money laundering
The president of the Paris judicial court approved a public interest judicial agreement (CJIP) between the National Financial Prosecutor's Office and Paprec.
Money laundering
Danish bank Danske Bank concluded a judicial interest convention with the National Financial Prosecutor, agreeing to pay over €6 million for organized money laundering of tax fraud. The agreement was validated on 18 September 2024 by Paris judicial court.
Money laundering
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) has concluded enforcement proceedings against private bank Mirabaud & Cie SA, finding that the bank 'seriously violated' provisions of financial market law concerning anti-money laundering obligations.
Other
UK Financial Conduct Authority fined CB Payments Limited (Coinbase subsidiary) £3,503,546 for repeatedly breaching requirement preventing firm from offering services to high-risk customers.
Money laundering
Lithuanian FCIS fined cryptocurrency company Payeer €9.3 million (€8.23M for sanctions breaches, €1.06M for AML violations). Payeer allowed Russian customers to conduct transactions in rubles with sanctioned Russian banks through Payeer.com platform for over 1.5 years.
Securities & markets
The FCA banned Demetrios Hadjigeorgiou, former director and chief executive officer of discretionary fund manager SVS Securities Plc (serving as CEO from May 2018 to August 2019), from working in senior management positions in financial services and fined him £56,400.
Fraud & scams
Seven individuals, including lawyers, a retired magistrate and a judicial administrator, are being tried for attempting to extort 22 billion dollars from TotalEnergies via a fraudulent arbitral tribunal established in 2009.
Sanctions
Serbian companies shipped at least $71.1 million in sanctioned dual-use goods to Russia since February 2022, including electronics used in Russian armaments. Kominvex exported at least $27 million worth of Intel components.
Fraud & scams
The UK Payment Systems Regulator fined Bank of Ireland UK £3,779,300 for failing to implement Confirmation of Payee by the October 31, 2023 regulatory deadline. The bank missed the deadline by 14 months, during which approximately £6.9 billion in payments involving 1.
Sweden's Financial Supervisory Authority (FI) issued Ikano Bank AB an administrative fine of 140 million kronor in June 2026 and Norion Bank AB a fine of 90 million kronor in May 2026, both for violations of anti-money laundering regulations.
Sanctions
A judicial settlement agreement of public interest (CJIP) was validated on May 5, 2026 by the Troyes judicial court president, concluded between the prosecutor and Sodexo company. The CJIP for Sodexo was dated March 13, 2026.
Fraud & scams
A London court sentenced a man to 4 years and 6 months in prison on 4 September 2026 after he fraudulently claimed more than £300,000 through fake travel medical insurance claims. The case, prosecuted by City of London Police, demonstrates ongoing UK enforcement against insurance fraud schemes.
Three directors of Ethical Forestry Limited were sentenced for defrauding over 3,000 people out of their early-release pension funds in a £70 million scheme. Matthew Pickard received six years, Stephen Greenaway five years and three months, and Paul Laver four years and six months in prison.
Other
The Financial Conduct Authority banned former Blue Horizon Asset Management CEO Paul Taylor and former managing director Esmeralda Toni after finding they had made misleading statements and falsified documents in connection with attempted acquisitions of a UK bank and Reading Football Club.
Money laundering
Europol published its latest report on June 26, 2026, analyzing over 700 criminal networks with more than 400,000 members from 118 countries.
Bribery & corruption
Spain's Supreme Court sentenced former Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos to 24 years and 3 months in prison for leading a criminal organization that systematically accepted bribes in exchange for awarding public contracts for face masks and medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI), the Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR) and Banque de France signed on July 3, 2026 an agreement aimed at strengthening their cooperation on information systems security in the financial sector.
Fraud & scams
The ACPR and Banque de France launched on July 8, 2026 a call for public vigilance against financial fraud as summer holidays approach.
Fraud & scams
Bulgarian authorities arrested eight individuals, including a government official, in an organized crime investigation.
Trade outlet Profession CGP, reporting an AMF Enforcement Committee press release, says that in a decision dated 21 July 2026 the regulator fined the financial investment adviser (conseiller en investissements financiers) Financière Fonds Privés €100,000, and its directors Pierre-Michel Deléglise and Thierry de Chambure €70,000 and €40,000 respectively.
Fraud & scams
According to OCCRP, Brian Sutton is accused by U.S. prosecutors of orchestrating a healthcare fraud scheme that allegedly billed approximately $2 billion in fraudulent prescriptions between 2015-2022. The U.S. Attorney's Office describes him as 'at large.'
Other
A Paris appeals court maintained its conviction of far-right leader Marine Le Pen and her National Rally party for embezzling European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016.
Lex Greensill, founder of collapsed Greensill Capital, banned from acting as UK company director for nine years effective June 23, 2026 following company collapse with over £1.6 billion in liabilities.
Abdellah Belmili, 26, Algerian national (aka 'SPOX'), extradited from Spain June 18, 2026 and charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud (maximum 30 years). Belmili allegedly created and administered illicit online marketplaces market0day.com and spoxy.
The UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation issued a sanctions notice on 6 July 2026 regarding the Chemical Weapons regime, with obligations for relevant firms under financial sanctions. The notice relates to designations under the UK's chemical weapons sanctions framework.
Money laundering
Britain launched a large-scale operation against money laundering targeting suspect businesses including barbershops, vape stores, and mini-marts. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that criminal groups are using business premises to launder illicit funds.
Money laundering
Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities searched the office of Andriy Yermak, former head of the presidential office, issuing a formal notice of suspicion in connection with an $11 million money laundering scheme.
Money laundering
Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau charged former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko with money laundering and organized crime, one day after he was detained attempting to leave the country.
OFAC re-designated Garantex Europe OU, a cryptocurrency exchange that processed over $100 million in transactions linked to illicit activities including ransomware and darknet markets since 2019. Also designated Grinex, created by Garantex employees to circumvent sanctions.
National Organized Crime Prosecutor's Office (PNACO) entered operations January 5, 2026 pursuant to June 13, 2025 law to combat drug trafficking. Modeled after PNF and PNAT, specialized prosecutor's office centralizes most complex organized crime cases.
Money laundering
German prosecutors from the Main Public Prosecutor's Office for Economic Crime in Frankfurt am Main conducted searches at Deutsche Bank's Frankfurt and Berlin offices as part of a money laundering investigation concerning transactions spanning 2013-2018.
France enacted a major anti-fraud law (LAW No. 2026-534) on June 25, 2026, published in the Official Journal on June 26, 2026. The law significantly strengthens France's framework for combating social and fiscal fraud.
Money laundering
Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero appeared at Spain's Audiencia Nacional facing four criminal charges: influence peddling, money laundering, tax fraud, and smuggling.
The European Public Prosecutor's Office has revealed that businessman Víctor de Aldama and associates allegedly orchestrated the laundering of €27.9 million from Spanish VAT fraud in the hydrocarbon sector through Portuguese shell companies between 2022 and 2024.
FCA published Final Notice finding firm breached requirements of UK Market Abuse Regulation as well as FCA Principle 3 and certain FCA systems and controls requirements.
SFO investigators uncovered additional funds relating to £8.2 million investment fraud. Investigation involves suspected fraudulent investment opportunities. Further details of the specific case and defendants not provided in available information.
On June 9, 2026, the specialized inter-regional jurisdiction (JIRS) of Marseille ordered a judicial operation to dismantle an organized money laundering network. Thirteen individuals were arrested.
Money laundering
The European Commission and High Representative Kaja Kallas proposed a new EU sanctions regime targeting migrant smuggling, human trafficking, firearms trafficking, drug trafficking, and money laundering.
The Serious Fraud Office closed its investigation into property manager Signature Group on 2 July 2026 over a suspected £140 million investment fraud. According to the SFO, following a thorough review, the investigation was closed as there is no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.
Other
According to Romanian prosecutors, two subsidiaries of Austrian timber giant Kronospan—Kronospan Trading and Kronochem—have been charged with allegedly venting carcinogenic gases into residential areas and falsifying environmental records from 2022-2023.
Fraud & scams
Hungary's Integrity Authority alleges three unnamed companies received €10 billion in government contracts over four years during the Orbán era, with suspected overpricing risks of €3.5 billion.
ESMA fined trade repository REGIS-TR S.A. a total of €1,374,000 for seven infringements of obligations under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) and the Securities Financing Transactions Regulation (SFTR).
Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) imposed administrative fines totalling €620,000 on VARTA AG on 23 June 2026 for contraventions of the Market Abuse Regulation and German Securities Trading Act.
Other
London's Southwark Council repossessed subsidized flat from Sierra Leone First Lady Fatima Bio following 12-month investigation launched after OCCRP/Times revealed she kept tenancy after moving to presidential palace in 2018.
Fraud & scams
UK Finance's Annual Fraud Report 2026 reveals that payment fraud losses across the UK banking sector climbed to £1.28 billion in 2025, up 4% year on year. There were more than four million cases of fraud. Authorised push payment (APP) fraud losses rose 19% to £576.
Fraud & scams
European Public Prosecutor's Office confiscated over €305,000 in assets across southern Italy as part of an investigation into suspected fraud involving EU pandemic recovery funds.
Italian and German authorities, in collaboration with Eurojust, uncovered a money laundering scheme involving diversion of grants intended for a sports association. On 3 September 2026, €7 million in assets were seized as a preventive measure.
On 21 May 2026, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on anti-money laundering matters, determining that subject to legitimate interest, the public has access to information on the beneficial ownership of trust mandates governed by Italian law.
Ten suspects pleaded guilty to public procurement fraud in Czechia in investigation into corruption in award of public contracts for road cleaning and marketing services. Cases involved tenders organized between 2020 and 2023 by public entities in the Moravian-Silesian Region.
Jack Lang resigned from the presidency of the Institut du monde arabe (Arab World Institute) on February 7, 2026, after the National Financial Prosecutor opened a preliminary investigation for aggravated tax fraud laundering targeting him and his daughter Caroline.
Sanctions
The AMF Enforcement Committee on 23 June 2026 imposed fines of €800,000 on Bourse Direct and €50,000 on its director, Ms Catherine Nini, for breaches during the period 1 January 2021 to 30 November 2023.
On 19 May 2026, France's national financial prosecutors confirmed to AFP that investigating judge had been assigned to probe former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe for alleged misappropriation of public funds, favouritism, illegal conflict of interest, and extortion.
Bribery & corruption
On 4 September 2026, Judge José Luis Calama of Spain's Audiencia Nacional rejected a request by former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to annul proceedings in the Plus Ultra airline corruption investigation.
On 1 September 2026, the Brussels Council Chamber referred 14 defendants in the Semlex case to criminal court on allegations of bribery of foreign public officials, money laundering, and tax fraud.
Five members of an organized crime group were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on 15 September 2026 for facilitating illegal entry to the UK of Vietnamese migrants and laundering more than £1.6 million from the operation.
Sanctions
European Central Bank imposed €7,551,050 penalty on Crédit Agricole S.A. for failing to conduct required materiality assessment of climate-related and environmental risks by May 31, 2024 deadline. Bank failed requirement for 75 days. Decision relates to ECB order from February 8, 2024.
Other
An OCCRP investigation revealed that Russia has mounted 12.7-millimeter Kord heavy machine guns in sandbagged firing positions on the Marshal Vasilevskiy, a Gazprom-owned tanker supplying liquified natural gas to Russia's Kaliningrad exclave.
Other
OCCRP's investigation based on encrypted messages shows that Slaviša Kokeza, former president of the Football Association of Serbia, allegedly plotted intimidation and violence against retired footballer Nemanja Vidić, with messages showing he allegedly sought to threaten Vidić with phrases like…
The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced on September 17, 2026, that the Milan general court convicted six defendants at first instance in the 'Moby Dick' investigation into VAT fraud estimated at €520 million.
Sanctions
The Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR) imposed a reprimand and €20 million fine on Société Générale in May 2026 for failures in its role as an insurance intermediary.
Fraud & scams
In January 2025, a pharmacist was sentenced by the Cherbourg court to one year imprisonment (electronic monitoring), two years suspended, 50,000 euros fine, and confiscation of 947,000 euros in assets for defrauding the CPAM of la Manche of 1,510,362.47 euros.
Money laundering
Jersey authorities are investigating Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in connection with suspected money laundering, according to court records showing hundreds of millions of dollars moving through Swiss bank accounts.
Sanctions
Lithuania seized Belarusian fertilizers worth millions of euros and tightened border controls after OCCRP member centers (Siena and Belarusian Investigative Center) exposed a scheme allowing sanctioned companies to export products to the EU.
Fraud & scams
Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities announced multiple high-profile investigations as EU accession negotiations opened June 15, 2026.
Fraud & scams
Risto Riihimäki, chief executive of Lappeenranta-based transport company Idän Liikenteenvälitys IL Oy, was convicted of exporting 164 trucks and trailers to Russia in violation of EU sanctions following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Sanctions
The European Union's 21st sanctions package includes a deferred transaction ban on Georgia's Kulevi oil refinery, controlled by businesswoman Maka Asatiani, for allegedly processing Russian crude, according to OCCRP.
Money laundering
According to OCCRP, a Georgian court convicted Andria Liluashvili of bribery and large-scale money laundering, sentencing him to 12 years in prison. Prosecutors alleged he channeled approximately $1.
Other
The Administrative Tribunal of Dijon rejected an appeal by Égalité et Réconciliation (E&R), the association of far-right polemicist Alain Soral, upholding a €250,000 tax assessment for fiscal years 2019 and 2020.
Money laundering
According to OCCRP, France's National Financial Prosecutor's Office has requested that BNP Paribas, 13 members of late Gabonese President Omar Bongo's family, and Antoinette Tchibota (wife of Congolese President Sassou Nguesso) stand trial for alleged aggravated money laundering and embezzlement of public funds.
Di Li, 43, was sentenced on 3 June 2026 at Inner London Crown Court to 48 months' imprisonment for supplying articles for use in fraud, and 24 months for conspiring to commit fraud by false representation, to run concurrently.
Other
Nearly 50 former Ukrainian prisoners from Prison Colony No. 7 in Pakino, Russia described systematic abuse by prison doctor Vyacheslav Cherdantsev, including physical beatings, sexual humiliation, medical neglect, forced nudity, and torture methods.
According to the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), Citibank N.A.'s London branch has been fined GBP 4,732,830.58 for processing 970 payments totalling GBP 19.7 million in breach of UK sanctions on Russia.
The Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority issued Norion Bank AB a remark and an administrative fine of 90 million kronor (€8.33 million) on 28 May 2026 for violations of anti-money laundering regulations.
The Paris Criminal Court (32nd chamber) convicted on April 13, 2026 three persons for insider trading or complicity in connection with the acquisition of Airgas by Air Liquide in November 2015.
Fifth annual Operation Henhouse UK-wide fraud campaign (February 2026) coordinated by National Economic Crime Centre and City of London Police resulted in 557 arrests, 249 cease and desist notices, 172 voluntary interviews. £9M secured through Account Freezing Orders, £2.8M cash seizures, £15.
Paris appellate court confirmed on July 7, 2026 the conviction of the National Rally and several of its leaders, including Marine Le Pen, for misappropriation of public funds in the matter of 'far-right parliamentary assistants at the European Parliament.'
The Financial Conduct Authority secured confiscation orders totaling £851,402.27 against Raymondip Bedi and Patrick Mavanga at Southwark Crown Court on 28 September 2026, with Bedi ordered to pay £603,404.28 and Mavanga £247,997.99.
Money laundering
The AMF published a synthesis of 46 inspections on combating money laundering and terrorist financing conducted between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2025 that resulted in follow-up action.
MONEYVAL published a typologies report on March 12, 2026, examining how conflicts create conditions for generating illicit proceeds and how these funds are subsequently laundered or used to finance terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
MONEYVAL published a report assessing the effectiveness of Armenia's measures against money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.
Money laundering
OCCRP and Le Monde obtained correspondence showing FINMA investigated Reyl for 'weaknesses in the area of money laundering' and alleged failures in handling high-risk accounts.
Karen Serobovich Vardanyan, a 34-year-old Armenian national extradited from Ukraine, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and computer fraud for his role in Ryuk ransomware attacks targeting companies throughout the United States.
Sanctions
The Paris Tribunal Correctionnel sanctioned a market manipulation case reported to the Financial Prosecutor by the AMF, with the court also approving four plea bargains.
Trafficking
As of 10 September 2026, the National Crime Agency reported that more than 100 criminals linked to drug and gun crime in Merseyside have been jailed as a result of investigations by a specialist team formed in 2021.
BaFin imposed administrative fines totalling €620,000 on VARTA AG for contravening obligations under the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the German Securities Trading Act. The penalty relates to violations of market abuse rules.
BaFin ordered Instinet Germany GmbH to rectify extensive deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and terrorist financing prevention measures.
Sanctions
The European Parliament backed a non-binding call to ban alumina exports to Russia, following an OCCRP investigation revealing that an Irish refinery's supply chain links to Russian arms manufacturers.
Ultra Electronics Holdings Ltd has been ordered to pay a £10 million penalty and £4.8 million in SFO investigation costs within 30 days, following approval of a deferred prosecution agreement with the Serious Fraud Office after acknowledging failure to prevent bribery under the Bribery Act 2010.
Sanctions
The AMF Sanctions Commission sanctioned, in its decision of July 20, 2026, portfolio management company Uzès Gestion and its executives Jean-Marie Godet and Christian Maugey with financial penalties of €350,000, €30,000 and €40,000 respectively, each accompanied by a warning, for breaches of professional obligations.
The European Commission launched infringement proceedings against Lithuania and three other EU member states for failing to correctly transpose anti-money laundering rules into national law.
Fraud & scams
According to the UK Serious Fraud Office, Reginald Larry-Cole and Scott Martin face trial at Southwark Crown Court on three counts of fraud each, related to the Raedex Consortium vehicle investment schemes.
In January 2026, HSBC Bank plc signed a judicial public interest agreement (CJIP) with the Parquet National Financier, agreeing to pay €267.5 million in exchange for dropping prosecution in the CumCum dividend tax fraud case revealed in 2018.
Bribery & corruption
Eight of Ukraine's leading news outlets defied a court-ordered injunction, jointly publishing a blocked investigative report into the family of a prominent law enforcement official on July 17, 2026, according to OCCRP. The original report, produced by OCCRP's Ukrainian partner Slidstvo.
Money laundering
Spain's anti-money laundering watchdog SEPBLAC imposed fine exceeding €40 million (US$47 million) on Banco Santander SA following investigation into internal anti-money laundering protocols of digital subsidiary Openbank.
Money laundering
Swiss regulator FINMA's license revocation of MBaer Merchant Bank became legally binding in late February 2026 after bank withdrew appeal.
Other
Police interrogation recordings released by Times of Malta show that businessman Yorgen Fenech, who was acquitted on September 2, 2026, admitted to initially approving a plot to murder investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia (killed October 16, 2017).
Money laundering
According to Armenian prosecutors, Gagik Khachatryan, 71, former head of Armenia's tax agency (2008-2014) and finance minister (until 2016), has been arrested and charged with allegedly accepting real estate bribes worth $5.
On 7 July 2026, MONEYVAL published its 6th round mutual evaluation report on Slovenia.
Fraud & scams
Ukraine's Security Service and National Police report they dismantled a cryptocurrency fraud operation allegedly generating approximately $1 million monthly at its peak.
Other
The Paris judicial court partially ruled in favor of Gérard Depardieu in a fiscal dispute concerning the valuation of his private mansion in the 6th arrondissement, the Hôtel de Chambon, according to Gotham City.
Trafficking
An undercover Danish police officer posing as a hitman infiltrated a murder-for-hire network targeting twin British brothers in Cyprus. Eight suspects from Ireland, Norway, and Sweden were arrested. The scheme involved $60,000 in cryptocurrency payment.
Sanctions
The European Union and Britain sanctioned a specialized unit of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) for a decade-long campaign of cyber-espionage and attempted sabotage targeting critical infrastructure, according to OCCRP.
Other
Investigation reveals that Passwork, a Spain-based password manager used by European government agencies, maintains technological ties with a Russian counterpart certified by Russia's Defense Ministry agency (FSTEC).
The UK Financial Conduct Authority censured Equity for Growth (Securities) Limited on July 30, 2026, for approving misleading financial promotions on behalf of minibond issuers that failed to disclose high commission fees charged by introducers.
The UK's Domestic Corruption Unit has arrested a man in his 60s on suspicion of fraud by abuse of position of trust, bribery and money laundering as part of a joint investigation into alleged irregularities in COVID-19 PPE procurement.
The Serious Fraud Office's trial against defendants Reginald Larry-Cole and Scott Martin in the Raedex Consortium fraud investigation commenced on 14 September 2026 at Southwark Crown Court.
During 5 and 6 September, police officers at several police stations in Île-de-France, notably in Seine-Saint-Denis and Hauts-de-Seine, received calls from fraudsters posing as fellow police officers.
Fraud & scams
According to OCCRP, an Albanian court ordered State Intelligence Service (SHISH) director Vlora Hyseni into house arrest as part of a corruption investigation by the Special Court against Corruption and Organized Crime. Prime Minister Edi Rama announced her immediate dismissal.
Fraud & scams
The Financial Conduct Authority (ACPR) and the Banque de France warned in July 2026 of a surge in financial scams targeting French citizens. These frauds distributed via online advertising and social media promise exceptional returns (8-15% annually) on non-existent financial products.
Fraud & scams
Lithuania's Financial Crime Investigation Service has formally named three co-founders of cryptocurrency project Bankera as criminal suspects, according to OCCRP reporting.
Other
According to OCCRP, a hacking group calling itself 'iamnotavillain' has demanded 6,000 Monero (approximately $3 million) from fintech company Revolut, threatening to sell customer data within 24 hours.
Sanctions
On 21 July 2026, the AMF's Sanctions Commission fined Financière Fonds Privés €100,000, and its two managers Pierre-Michel Deléglise and Thierry de Chambure €70,000 and €40,000 respectively.
Bribery & corruption
Ukrainian authorities concluded an investigation into an alleged corruption plot involving a former prosecutor from the Prosecutor General's Office and a team of lawyers who allegedly orchestrated a scheme to bribe elite anti-corruption prosecutors and judges in exchange for making a corruption case disappear.
Terrorist financing
A US federal indictment unsealed on September 17 charges five individuals, including former Russian intelligence colonel Yuri Khrameev and active FSB officer Kirill Khrameev, with conspiracy to finance terrorism and murder-for-hire as part of alleged Kremlin-backed sabotage operations across Europe.
Bribery & corruption
According to OCCRP, French prosecutors requested a four-year prison sentence for former Justice and Culture Minister Rachida Dati, with two years suspended and two years of house arrest.
Fraud & scams
An internal oversight report by France's General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) recorded 341 integrity breaches in 2025, a 45% increase from 2024 and the highest in five years.
Trafficking
According to OCCRP, authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina seized nearly 1.1 metric tonnes of synthetic cathinones with a potential street value of up to EUR 33 million, described as the largest synthetic drug bust in the country's history.
Fraud & scams
According to OCCRP, Ukraine's outgoing Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko signed charges against Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), alleging document forgery.
Fraud & scams
The ACPR and Bank of France published on 8 July 2026 an alert on the proliferation of online financial fraud during summer. The authorities reported that 66% of reports concern fake investment schemes and 32% fake credit schemes.
Sanctions
The AMF Sanctions Committee issued a decision on 21 July 2026 against Financière Fonds Privés and individuals Pierre-Michel Deléglise and Thierry de Chambure for breaches of professional and information obligations.
The UK designated 19 Russian individuals, entities and ships under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, with six banks becoming subject to asset freezes and payment-processing restrictions. Six oil tankers were targeted for their reported role in avoiding Western restrictions.
Paul Hottinguer, a descendant of a renowned Swiss banking family, is being tried at Paris District Court for tax fraud and money laundering. Hottinguer is suspected of falsely establishing his residence in Switzerland to avoid paying more than 3 million euros in French taxes between 2012 and 2020.
Sanctions
The European Union Council imposed restrictive measures on 13 July 2026 against nine Russian individuals and four entities responsible for cyberattacks posing external threats to EU member states, according to the Council press release.
Fraud & scams
According to OCCRP, US authorities charged Lee Reiber (55), CEO of Virginia-based Oxygen Forensics, and Oleg Sergeyevich Davydov (52) of Moscow with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The president of the Paris judicial court approved on July 9, 2026 a judicial convention of public interest (CJIP) between the National Financial Prosecution Office and company SHAD SA.
Money laundering
The UK Gambling Commission ordered QuinnBet (Gibraltar) Limited to pay £609,104 following a compliance review that identified anti-money laundering (AML) and social responsibility breaches between March 2023 and August 2025.
On 9 July 2026, the sanctions commission of the French Anti-Corruption Agency issued decision no. 25-01, sanctioning for the first time directly a company and its director without proceeding through the injunction phase. 'Société V.' was fined 350,000 euros and its president M. S.
Sanctions
According to OCCRP, Belgium's Council of State ruled that the Administrator General of the Treasury lacked legal authority to reject a request by Russia's BCS Bank to unfreeze its assets held at Euroclear.
Fraud & scams
According to OCCRP, Romanian prosecutors have requested 30-day pretrial detention for former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu and businessman Ionel Rusen on allegations involving organized crime and fraud totaling €1.1 million.
OFAC designated two individuals and one entity for enabling ransomware attacks: First VPN Service (1VPNS), its administrator Dmytro Rashevskyi (a Ukrainian national using aliases including Roman Chabanenko and Maksim Sorin), and Yegeniy Vladimirovich Silayev, who allegedly sells "cryptors"—tools used to disguise ransomware as safe programs.
Fraud & scams
Jogesh Bhandari (59), Craig Morris (43), and Meenakashi Bhandari (58) were convicted on July 15, 2026, at Leicester Crown Court following a five-week trial and National Crime Agency investigation.
Sanctions
On 29 June 2026, HM Revenue & Customs announced that Petrofac Facilities Management Limited paid a compound settlement of £569,157.07 for offences under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
On 18 September 2026, the European Public Prosecutor's Office in Zagreb filed an indictment against four individuals and two companies for subsidy fraud involving the misuse of EU funds intended for the construction of a new briquette production plant in Croatia.
On 8 September 2026, the European Public Prosecutor's Office in Katowice, Poland filed an indictment at the Circuit Court against two suspects accused of attempting to fraudulently obtain €3.3 million in EU funding intended for establishing childcare facilities across Poland.
Securities & markets
Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) imposed administrative fines totalling €620,000 on battery manufacturer VARTA AG for contraventions of obligations under the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) and the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG).
The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) concluded enforcement proceedings against Wendelspiess Partners AG in liquidation and two individuals for serious breaches of rules of conduct in financial services.
Other
Woolwich Crown Court on July 16, 2026, sentenced Thalha Jubair, 20, of East London, and Owen Flowers, 18, of Walsall, West Midlands, to five years and six months in prison each for mounting a cyberattack on Transport for London between August 31 and September 3, 2024.
Other
According to Slovak authorities, police thwarted a planned arson attack on the Skyeton factory near Prešov, which manufactures unmanned systems for the Ukrainian military.
The European Court of Justice clarified evidentiary standards for demonstrating control of companies by persons subject to EU restrictive measures. In the Inter Rao Lietuva case, the court held that the existence of control must be supported by 'objective and sufficiently solid evidence.'
Money laundering
De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) imposed an administrative fine of €2.65 million on payment institution CCV Netherlands B.V. on 13 July 2026 for failing to adequately and continuously monitor transactions.
The AMF issued a public warning against BitKelTrade, a fraudulent online trading platform that impersonates legitimate French media outlets (Le Monde, Le Figaro, France Info, TF1) and public figures to deceive investors.
Money laundering
The Swiss Federal Criminal Court convicted Pierre Mirabaud, 78, former president of the Swiss Bankers Association, giving him a two-year suspended sentence. According to the indictment, he transferred 82.
Other
French National Police's anticybercrime unit is investigating a series of cyberattacks on the Ministry of Public Action and Accounts that compromised personal and financial data of nearly 700,000 individuals and businesses.
The Financial Conduct Authority banned three former senior executives from Dolfin Financial (UK) Ltd and imposed financial penalties for operating a scheme designed to help clients obtain UK Tier 1 investor visas without meeting the £2 million investment requirement.
The Malta Financial Services Authority published its Financial Crime Compliance (FCC) Strategy 2026 on August 5, 2026, setting out a forward-looking framework to strengthen Malta's approach to combating financial crime.
According to an internal note from the Ministry of Economy (Bercy) consulted by Le Figaro, French authorities have identified concerning signals regarding the evolution of fraudulent practices targeting the Personal Training Account (CPF).
Money laundering
A coordinated France-Belgium operation dismantled a money laundering network linked to drug trafficking.
Bribery & corruption
Police interrogation recordings presented at trial show businessman Yorgen Fenech claiming that former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's chief of staff Keith Schembri ordered the 2017 assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, according to OCCRP.
Money laundering
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed deputy head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra on the same day anti-corruption investigators notified her of suspicion in a money laundering scheme, according to OCCRP.
MONEYVAL published a report on 7 July 2026 noting that Slovenia has made considerable efforts to understand its money laundering and terrorist financing risks, though structural challenges remain in risk assessments and policy coordination.
Other
Owen Flowers (18) and Thalha Jubair (20) were each sentenced to five years and six months' imprisonment on 16 July 2026 at Woolwich Crown Court for a cyber attack on Transport for London between 31 August and 3 September 2024.
Money laundering
Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Presidential Office since January 2026, has commented publicly regarding recordings that allegedly implicate him in a $3.3 million money-laundering operation.
Fraud & scams
A Montpellier-based business law attorney was permanently disbarred by the Montpellier Court of Appeals on July 23, 2026, following criminal conviction for tax fraud and disciplinary violations.
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced it designated a senior UK-based Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood official, Mahmoud al-Abyari, together with three other individuals and three entities that it alleges provided material support to Hamas.
Fraud & scams
According to OCCRP, a Tbilisi court sentenced Grigol Liluashvili, former head of Georgia's State Security Service (2019-2025), to 13 years in prison for allegedly accepting over $2 million in bribes.
On January 15, 2026, the Marseille Criminal Court convicted Jean and Viviane Badache to seven years firm imprisonment each for their central role in the Apollonia real estate fraud scheme that caused over €1.2 billion in losses to more than 740 victims over 18 years.
Other
French tax authorities (Directorate of Specialized Tax Compliance Centre East) have requested assistance from Swiss tax authorities to obtain information about EasyJet Switzerland SA crew members resident in France during the period 1 February 2023 to 31 December 2025, according to GothamCity.
The UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation published a sanctions notice on July 13, 2026, adding 10 new designations under the Russia sanctions regime. On July 7, 2026, OFSI made 2 amendments and 1 revocation (de-listing) under the Russia sanctions regime.