Money Laundering, antimoneylaundering, money, fraud, tax havens, offshore, financial, financing, terrorism, ciberterrorism, control, prevention

NATIONAL DRUG USE SURVEY MALDIVES - 2011 / 2012

Over the last few years, consumption of illicit drugs has significantly increased in the Maldives. Thus, this study was conducted to estimate the number of drug users and hence, the drug use prevalence in the Maldives. Secondary objectives include identifying patterns and extent of drug use across the country; assess behavioural characteristics associated with drug use; community knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards drug problem.

Methodology for assessing compliance with the FATF recommendations and the effectiveness of AML/CFT systems

This document provides the basis for undertaking assessments of technical compliance with the revised FATF Recommendations, adopted in February 2012, and for reviewing the level of effectiveness of a country’s Anti-Money Laundering / Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) system. It consists of three sections. This first section is an introduction, giving an overview of the assessment Methodology, its background, and how it will be used in evaluations/assessments. The second section sets out the criteria for assessing technical compliance with each of the FATF Recommendations. The third section sets out the outcomes, indicators, data and other factors used to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of the FATF Recommendations. The processes and procedures for Mutual Evaluations are set out in a separate document.

INDONESIA Situation Assessment on Amphetamine-Type Stimulants

Indonesia has not traditionally been a major producer of illicit drugs, but has long been used as a key transit country by transnational organized criminal groups for the trafficking of heroin and cocaine. Large quantities of cannabis continue to be cultivated in Indonesia, much of which is cultivated in Aceh province of Northern Sumatera. Illicit proceeds from the cannabis trade are believed to have played a role as a source of income for armed insurgent groups opposed to the central government from the mid-1970s to the mid-2000s.

Transnational Organized Crime In West Africa: A Threat Assessment

West Africa has long been the focus of United Nations attention, but it is only recently that the international community recognized organized crime as a key issue for the region. This recognition stems primarily from a single contraband flow – cocaine - a flow so large that its wholesale value on arrival in Europe would exceed the national security budgets of many countries in West Africa. While the threat of cocaine is clear, there are many other forms of organized crime that threaten the stability of the region. These threats are both a cause and a consequence of weak governance, a dynamic explored in the present report.

2012 Canadian Securities Administrators report

In Canada, a number of laws and rules govern capital markets and market participants; different agencies enforce these laws and rules. Each fulfills different roles in the overall regulation of capital markets. CSA members administer and enforce the securities legislation in each jurisdiction, whereas criminal authorities enforce the Criminal Code.

APT1: Exposing One of China’s Cyber Espionage Units

Since 2004, Mandiant has investigated computer security breaches at hundreds of organizations around the world. The majority of these security breaches are attributed to advanced threat actors referred to as the “Advanced Persistent Threat” (APT). We first published details about the APT in our January 2010 M-Trends report. As we stated in the report, our position was that “The Chinese government may authorize this activity, but there’s no way to determine the extent of its involvement.” Now, three years later, we have the evidence required to change our assessment. The details we have analyzed during hundreds of investigations convince us that the groups conducting these activities are based primarily in China and that the Chinese Government is aware of them.

CHECK POINT 2013 SECURITY REPORT

Hackers’ technics are constantly changing, using more advanced and sophisticated attack methods, raising the security challenge to new levels. Data centers, employees’ computers and mobile phones are prime targets for hackers who deploy an endless variety of malware such as bots, trojans and drive-by downloads. Hackers use ruse and social engineering to manipulate innocent users to gain access to corporate information such as internal documents, financial records, credit card numbers and user credentials, or to simply shut down services with denial of service attacks. This modern war of advanced threats and attacks is here to stay.

Mobile Security: McAfee Consumer Trends Report

As a leader in security research and mobile security products, McAfee is harvesting its extensive global threat intelligence database to educate consumers about mobile threat realities. This report documents the ways cybercriminals use malicious code and websites separately and in combination to target consumer devices and personal information. In this report, we focus on “real world risk.” What is the chance of an average mobile device user encountering malware or a suspicious website? What sorts of things will the malware do? This “real world” analysis contrasts our overall zoos of apps and mobile malware with data collected from the installed base of McAfee Mobile Security users.

Russia: Illicit Financial Flows and the Role of the Underground Economy

This study quantifies and evaluates the volume and significance of illicit financial flows from Russia since 1994, the earliest year for which balance of payments data are available for the country. We use the balance of payments framework, which permits estimation of three types of capital flows—broad capital flight consisting of a mix of licit and illicit capital, legal or licit capital flight, and illicit financial flows. While the World Bank Residual (WBR) method affords a measure of broad capital flight, the net errors and omissions or the Hot Money Narrow (HMN) measure, which is part of the balance of payments, permits a sharper focus on illicit flows. Hence, we use the HMN method in line with those followed by the Central Bank of Russia and used in IMF country reports.

CORRUPTION IN AFGHANISTAN: Recent patterns and trends

Corruption is widely understood to be the improper use of a public or official position for private gain. To strengthen the fight against corruption, the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), which Afghanistan ratified in 2008, criminalizes various types of corrupt acts committed by public officials or by individuals working for private-sector entities. Quite apart from specific legal definitions, this includes offences such as bribery, embezzlement, abuse of power and nepotism. A further distinction can be made between political or “grand” corruption on the one hand and administrative or “petty” corruption on the other. While the former refers to acts of corruption perpetrated by high-ranking politicians and decision-makers, the latter concerns offences committed by mid- and lower-level public officials who are responsible for administrative procedures and services provided to the public.