Daily financial-crime intelligence · Updated 20 Jul 2026, 02:01 UTC
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.
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
Financial Prosecutor Pascal Prache declared that the PNF intends to accelerate several investigations targeting political figures who are potential candidates for the presidential election.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fraud & scams
The European Public Prosecutor's Office announced charges against four sitting Greek MPs among 22 defendants in an investigation into agricultural subsidy fraud under the Common Agricultural Policy.
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 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.
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.
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 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 UK National Crime Agency charged five London residents in connection with Russian Coms, a caller ID spoofing platform used by fraudsters.
The European Union expanded its sanctions list against Russia by adding VK and its subsidiary 'Communication Platform,' which developed the national messenger Max.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.'
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.
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 ACPR (Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority) published on July 8, 2026 an alert against the proliferation of online financial fraud during summer.
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.
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.
Securities & markets
The FCA has charged Richard Bloomfield, a former solicitor at Goodwin Procter, with five counts of insider dealing.
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.
The court ruled in favor of Rosnano, awarding damages of 11.9 billion rubles against Anatoly Chubayis and eight other former executives.
Fraud & scams
Mario Adinolfi, journalist, political figure and professional Italian poker player (born August 15, 1971), was arrested by Italy's Guardia di Finanza.
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
Spain's National Police arrested a man in Madrid suspected of committing fraud over ten years.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Trafficking
Investigation by the 'Sistema' project reveals a sophisticated cocaine smuggling operation disguised as legitimate fruit imports through Saint Petersburg's port.
Fraud & scams
Former head of the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) Alexander Neradko and his former deputy Konstantin Makhov were arrested in Moscow on charges of embezzling 800 million rubles during the construction of a runway at Domodedovo airport.
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.
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
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
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.
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
Nine individuals were arrested on 23 June 2026 and formally charged in connection with a fraud network operating from Romorantin-Lanthenay (Loir-et-Cher) that targeted vulnerable elderly individuals.
Fraud & scams
Nine executives of two companies based in Romorantin-Lanthenay were arrested and charged at Orleans for fraud and abuse of weakness. The companies offered vulnerable persons, particularly elderly people, home improvement work under false pretexts of safety and energy savings.
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.
Money laundering
Eleven nightlife business owners in Seville and Cádiz face accusations of laundering drug trafficking proceeds. The scheme allegedly involved the nightclubs Banana and Margarita, as well as the Puro Latino festival.
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.
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.
Money laundering
The Paris Court of Appeal on 1 July 2026 convicted actress Isabelle Adjani to 10 months imprisonment with suspension and a €10,000 fine for aggravated tax fraud and money laundering.
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 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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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Money laundering
The National Financial Prosecutor's office (PNF) opened a preliminary investigation in June 2026 for aggravated tax fraud and organized money laundering targeting the Altrad construction group and its founder, Mohed Altrad.
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.
Fraud & scams
The trial of Guadeloupe regional president Ary Chalus opened on June 24, 2026 at Paris criminal court for misappropriation of public funds (over 255,000 € total).
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.
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
The Altrad Group, based in Montpellier, is under preliminary investigation by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) for aggravated tax fraud and money laundering of aggravated tax fraud as part of an organized gang.
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.
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
OCRGDF announced the dismantling of four criminal groups engaged in money laundering connected to drug trafficking.
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.
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.
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.
Fraud & scams
The Supreme Court has convicted José Luis Ábalos to 24 years in prison for crimes of criminal organization, bribery (cohecho), influence trafficking, and embezzlement in the Koldo case.
Money laundering
On June 16, 2026, over 120 gendarmes and police officers were deployed in a major operation involving arrests and searches conducted as part of a preliminary investigation into concealed labor, money laundering, and social benefits fraud linked to two restaurants located on the Cassis port.
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
Les autorités françaises ont arrêté quatre suspects le 13 juin 2026, impliqués dans une tentative de prise d'otages visant des actifs en cryptomonnaies dans le 13e arrondissement de Marseille.
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.
Money laundering
FINMA published Guidance 04/2026 supplementing its 2023 money laundering risk analysis framework for banks and FinIA institutions.
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.
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.
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
Four individuals faced examination charges on June 17, 2026, following their June 15, 2026 arrests by prosecutors for breach of trust (abus de confiance), undeclared work (travail dissimulé), and aggravated money laundering. Alleged damages exceed €2.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Other
The Administrative Tribunal of Dijon rejected Égalité et Réconciliation's challenge to its corporate income tax assessment for 2019-2020.
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.
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.
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
Spanish National Police dismantled a Ponzi scheme network operating fraudulent cryptocurrency investments, arresting 23 individuals across Madrid, Guadalajara, and Barcelona.
Sanctions
The UK announced 70 new sanctions targeting Russia's shadow fleet (including over 20 oil tankers), military procurement networks run by Russian military intelligence (GRU), and illicit finance operations, bringing the total number of entities sanctioned under the Russia regime in 2026 to nearly 500.
Money laundering
A 49-year-old police officer stationed at Fort-de-France commissariat was formally charged (mis en examen) in June 2026 with criminal conspiracy, active and passive corruption, aggravated money laundering, violation of professional secrecy, receiving stolen goods, and misuse of personal data.
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.
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
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.
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…
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.
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.
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…
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
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
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
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 'corrupto' on social media and claiming he engaged in judicial misconduct. The court found her accusations crossed into defamation.
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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).
Money laundering
A 45-year-old patrol officer from Rouen's main police station was formally charged (mis en examen) on June 11, 2026 with corruption, data system misuse, professional confidentiality violations, and organized money laundering.
Money laundering
Internal Affairs of Spain's Guardia Civil has accused Lieutenant Colonel Miguel Ángel E. T.
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.
EPPO in Rome conducted searches in Cassino over alleged EU subsidy fraud involving a municipal park redevelopment funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Money laundering
Audiencia Nacional Judge Ismael Moreno summoned subteniente José Luis Rodríguez García for questioning on July 8 as investigated party in Caso 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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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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 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 (mis en examen).
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
Fraud & scams
Spanish Civil Guard arrested the alleged ringleader of a major pyramid scheme on June 4, 2026, in Tenerife.
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.
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.
Sanctions
Russia imposed personal sanctions against 17-year-old British teenager Alexander Browder for exposing financial schemes using A7A5 stablecoin created by fugitive Moldovan banker Ilan Shor and Promsvyazbank financing Russian military-industrial complex.
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 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.
Other
FINMA concluded enforcement proceedings against Wendelspiess Partners AG for serious breaches of financial services rules.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Prosecutors at Copenhagen City Court are demanding 6.6 billion DKK (approximately €880 million) fine against Nordea for failing to prevent money laundering.
Bribery & corruption
The European Union approved a new directive strengthening criminal penalties for corruption across all member states.
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.
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
DOJ and CFTC filed parallel criminal and civil insider trading actions against Michele Spagnuolo, a Google software engineer based in Switzerland.
Bribery & corruption
On May 20, 2026, two persons were placed under investigation: an automotive sector business executive and a gendarme officer.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Bribery & corruption
A search was conducted on 21 May 2026 at the Élysée in the context of a judicial investigation opened in October 2025 concerning the awarding of contracts for organizing pantheonization ceremonies.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Fraud & scams
Geneva Criminal Court convicted a wealth manager on April 28, 2026 for breach of trust and disloyal management.
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.
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.
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
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.
Fraud & scams
Caroline Cayeux, 77, former senator and minister delegate responsible for Local Authorities (July to November 2022), was convicted on April 1, 2026 by the Paris judicial court to ten months suspended imprisonment and to a fine of EUR 100,000 for tax fraud under a CRPC (guilty plea procedure).
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
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
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.
Money laundering
The Paris criminal court convicted former UDI Senator Aymeri de Montesquiou on May 7, 2026 for aggravated tax fraud and money laundering.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fraud & scams
On April 14, 2026, Gérard Lhéritier, founder of Aristophil, admitted guilt through a CRPC (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.
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.
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 Council adopted 20th sanctions package against Russia in April 2026, largest in two years by number of personal restrictions, including 120 new individual listings and major sectoral measures affecting energy, finance, trade, and military-industrial complex.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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
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.
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.
On March 18, 2026, ACPR and Direction générale du Trésor published updated guidelines on implementing asset freezing measures, replacing June 2021 text.
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
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.
Money laundering
Polish authorities detained five court officials in a widening investigation into a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme at the Kraków Court of Appeal.
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 disguised as Georgian products. Georgia's oil product exports jumped 3,300% to $56 million in January 2026.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Securities & markets
The FCA imposed fines on two former finance directors of Carillion plc for their involvement in issuing misleading statements.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
Russian citizen Yuri Gugnin, founder of cryptocurrency company Evita, charged in the US with laundering approximately $530 million for sanctioned Russian companies and obtaining export-controlled technologies for the Russian government between June 2023 and January 2025.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
BaFin ordered Instinet Germany GmbH to rectify extensive deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and terrorist financing prevention measures.
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.
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.
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.
Money laundering
The Nederlandsche Bank imposed a €2.656 million penalty on CCV Group B.V., a payment institution, for failing to adequately monitor transactions in violation of the Money Laundering Prevention Act.
Fraud & scams
Bulgarian authorities arrested eight individuals, including a government official, in an organized crime investigation.
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.
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
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Securities & markets
In the context of a pre-guilty plea appearance (CRPC) with the National Financial Prosecutor's Office, a French trader and his former business associate, notably active in Switzerland, were sentenced on July 7, 2026 to prison terms and substantial fines.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Parquet national anti-criminalité organisée (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.
Bribery & corruption
Cyprus' Independent Authority Against Corruption recommended criminal charges against former President Nicos Anastasiades after a two-year investigation involving over 200 hearings.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Money laundering
De Nederlandsche Bank imposed an administrative fine of €8.5 million on ABN AMRO Bank N.V. on 6 July 2026 due to serious shortcomings in its anti-money laundering controls between September 2023 and September 2024.
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.
Money laundering
A coordinated France-Belgium operation dismantled a money laundering network linked to drug trafficking.
Fraud & scams
Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities announced multiple high-profile investigations as EU accession negotiations opened June 15, 2026.
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.
Other
FINMA concluded enforcement proceedings against Swiss Fund Management AG (in liquidation) and BZ Berater Zentrum AG for serious breaches of financial services rules. Investigation found SFM and BZ seriously breached duty to avoid conflicts of interest causing client detriment.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Fraud & scams
The Serious Fraud Office closed its investigation into property manager Signature Group over a suspected £140 million investment fraud after concluding that there was no realistic prospect of conviction.
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.
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.
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.
MONEYVAL published a report assessing the effectiveness of Armenia's measures against money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing.
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.
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.
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.
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.
FINMA concluded enforcement proceedings against Wendelspiess Partners AG (in liquidation), finding serious breaches of conduct rules governing financial services.