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About Arinsa

ARINSA is a multi-agency informal network between participating countries. We exchange information, model legislation and country laws in asset forfeiture, confiscation and money laundering. Other services are newsletters, publications, events, links to other networks. Read more ...
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Member Resources:   Open Resources:    

  
* Dar es Salaam Declaration Statement   * ARINSA Manual

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* 10th Anniversary Report                      * Annual Report 2017

* Annual Report 2016                             * Annual Report 2015                        

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ARINSA News

The Organised Crime Index - Africa 2019


Lives are lost, forests and oceans are pillaged beyond the point of replenishment, animals are slaughtered, women, men, girls and boys are held in situations of violent abuse and exploitation. Customs officials receive bribes to turn their backs to a shipment of drugs. Police officers and soldiers sell their weapons on to street gangs. Politicians accept kickbacks, fix contracts and sell concessions to criminal groups and unethical corporations, so that they can profit from resources that were intended to improve the development opportunities of citizens. The harms caused by organised crime are widespread and profound Yet because it is almost always obscured in the 'underworld', hidden in the shadows of remote borderlands, concealed in secrecy jurisdictions or felt most keenly by underserved communities, organised crime is a threat too easily overlooked 'Organised crime' is not a term that has tended to be used in the African context. However, as the political economy of the continent is evolving and intertwining with other geopolitical and globalisation dynamics, the term is currently being applied to the continent with increasing frequency – and urgency It describes everything from a range of illicit activities and actors, from human smuggling by militia groups along the North African coast... Read More ...

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A Lambo, and other luxury cars seized during formwer eTekwini mayor - Zandile Gumede and co raid

Durban, South Africa. The Amaoti home of former eThekwini Mayor Zandile Gumede and luxury cars from her co-accused in the Durban Solid Waste tender scandal were among the assets seized by authorities on Thursday.

The Hawks together with the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) swooped in on the fraud, corruption and money laundering accused in the matter.

While authorities managed to seize Gumede’s Amaoti luxury home, they were given an early morning surprise when she was not at her palatial Umhlanga home – the address she provided to police as part of her bail conditions.

“It only transpired today that she was renting that house,” Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said. Read More ...


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ESWATINI Signs the Dar es Salaam Declaration on strengthening asset forfeiture for development

MBABANE – "Be afraid. Be very afraid". This above phrase which originated from the 1986 horror film, They Fly, could be used as a warning to criminals especially those involved in international crimes.

Those who will be found to have been involved in international crimes can now have their offshore or international assets forfeited to the State.

This is because the Government of Eswatini is now a fully-fledged member of the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of Southern Africa (ARINSA) following the signing of the Dar Es Salaam Declaration on strengthening asset forfeiture for development.

The signing was held yesterday at the Cabinet offices where the Director of Public Prosecutions Sandile Phila Dlamini had the honours of signing it in the presence of the Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini.  Read More ...  


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UNODC continues to strengthen cooperation in countering illicit financial flows in Southern Africa

Pretoria, South Africa. UNODC has launched a series of capacity building workshops through its project " Countering Illicit Financial Flows by Strengthening Law Enforcement for Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network for Southern Africa (ARINSA)". A regional approach has been taken with various workshops being held in the region.  The first workshop was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 12 to 15 August 2019.

The workshop was facilitated by Mrs. Connie Williams Regional Law Enforcement Adviser for Southern Africa and was the first in a series of workshops and instances of technical assistance aimed at increasing the operational capacity of target countries to identify, seize and confiscate currency and bearer negotiable instruments being smuggled into and through their jurisdictions. Read More ...

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Gold worth billions smuggled out of Africa

Billions of dollars’ worth of gold is being smuggled out of Africa every year through the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East – a gateway to markets in Europe, the United States and beyond – a Reuters analysis has found.

Customs data shows that the UAE imported $15.1 billion worth of gold from Africa in 2016, more than any other country and up from $1.3 billion in 2006. The total weight was 446 tonnes, in varying degrees of purity – up from 67 tonnes in 2006.Much of the gold was not recorded in the exports of African states. Five trade economists interviewed by Reuters said this indicates large amounts of gold are leaving Africa with no taxes being paid to the states that produce them.Previous reports and studies have highlighted the black-market trade in gold mined by people, including children, who have no ties to big business, and dig or pan for it with little official oversight. No-one can put an exact figure on the total value that is leaving Africa. But the Reuters analysis gives an estimate of the scale.Reuters assessed the volume of the illicit trade by comparing total imports into the UAE with the exports declared by African states. Industrial mining firms in Africa told Reuters they did not send their gold to the UAE – indicating that its gold imports from Africa come from other, informal sources. Read More...

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Suspicious transactions increase by 97% in 2019

According to Bank of Namibia “Money Laundering is the process whereby criminals convert the proceeds of crime (such as money, property, shares, etc.) into assets that appear to have a legitimate origin.”
Believed to be more prolific in Namibia than reported, methods used to launder money are various and include small to medium sized cash business and even large parastatals which operate using cash on a fairly regular basis, it is alleged.
The primary objective for all the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements imposed on the banks as per the Financial Intelligence Act, 13 of 2012 (FIA) is to report Suspicious Transactions and /or Activities Reports (STR/SAR’s) so as to enable law enforcement to prevent criminals from completing or benefiting from the proceeds of their illegal activities. These requirements also protect Namibian banks from being used as an institution to launder illicit funds. Read More...

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Dark Web Dealer laundered millions by buying quadrillion old Zimbabwean bank notes

NEW YORK, United States – A drug dealer who used dark web marketplaces to ply his trade apparently used part of the proceeds to buy vast quantities of Zimbabwean cash.

The FBI said Richard Castro, of Florida, had bought the equivalent of “approximately 100 quadrillion [1,000 trillion] Zimbabwe bank notes” in June 2018.

Use of the currency had ended years earlier, following hyperinflation.

he purchase is thought to have been part of a wider money laundering scheme.

Castro also bought hundreds of thousands of US dollars worth of vehicles and “luxury automobile [wheel] rims” Read more...


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Zimbabwe Cracks Down on Corruption Tourism Minister Arrested

HARARE, Zimbabwe, July 26, 2019 Zimbabwe's Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality, Prisca Mupfumira, was arrested Thursday by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) on allegations of corruption. It is the first high-profile arrest following the appointment two weeks ago of ZACC chair Loice Matanda-Moyo, who has vowed zero tolerance for crimes and obstruction.

Matanda-Moyo, who was seconded for three years from her position as a High Court judge, recently acknowledged that "corruption is quite rampant in all sectors of our economy" and promised "to leave no stone unturned" to ensure that everybody who is engaging in corrupt activities – including high-profile personalities – is brought to justice in order to achieve a "corrupt-free Zimbabwe".

"Once we join hands in fighting corruption, we will win and our economic challenges will disappear," Matanda-Moyo said, adding "Zimbabwe prisons will be open for business." Read More ...

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Africa's Illegal Wildlife Trade - Newsletter June 2019


Illegal poaching and trade of Africa’s wildlife has caught the world’s attention, and beyond iconic species such as rhino and elephant, an astonishing array of other species are involved, from vultures and chameleons to corals and apes. African wildlife ends up being sold in markets across the globe, from Asia, to Europe, and the Americas, being used for medicine, for their meat, as pets, and a whole range of other purposes. Enforcement operations in 2018 in African countries and in other locations along the trade chain have resulted in at least 365 incidents (seizures, arrests, and high profile court cases) involving the illegal trade in wildlife (IWT). Much of the illegal wildlife trade goes undetected so these 365 cases represent just a small proportion. Due to increased awareness and public interest in IWT, such cases often get reported by the media, NGOs, or governments, and can provide insights into the complexities of the trade which is so often hidden from view.  Read More

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ARINSA Members sign the Dar es Salaam Declaration on Strengthening Asset Forfeiture for Development


ARINSA Members sign the Dar es Salaam Declaration on Strengthening Asset Forfeiture for Development.

Dar es Salaam, 12 June 2019-- Assets, including minerals worth $ 41 million USD, determined to be proceeds of crime were confiscated and nationalized by the Government of Tanzania in 2018 according to the Vice-President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, while delivering a keynote address on behalf of President John Magufuli, at the launch of the 10th ARINSA Anniversary and Annual General Meeting. The VP was speaking at the official opening, which was held at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The event was attended by more than 300 delegates from the 16 ARINSA member countries and other agents representing various stakeholders in the asset forfeiture field.

“ARINSA is a catalyst to Tanzania’s efforts in combating crime and ensuring that criminals do not benefit in any capacity from their crime. Today’s anniversary marks a historical event as it symbolizes our continued cooperation within the Southern African region, which was initiated by the founders of our States during our independence struggles.” She remarked. Read More ...

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MEDIA MONITOR


On 13 November 2019, the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei) and the Romanian Police (Poliția Română) supported by Europol, concluded their operation into a large criminal network smuggling migrants to western Europe in lorries. Austria, Hungary, the United Kingdom and Eurojust also took part in this two-year, Europe-wide operation. 

During this last phase of the operation, the Romanian Police carried out eight searches and arrested four suspected members of the organised crime group. The German Federal Police carried out five searches. Read More ...

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A major accountancy firm covered up evidence of smuggling by an organised crime gang that was laundering British drug money, an investigation has revealed.

EY failed to report suspicious activity at one of the world's largest gold refineries and then altered a compliance report to hide the crime.

BBC Panorama found the gang laundered money by selling 3.6 tonnes of gold to the Kaloti refinery in Dubai.

Both EY and Kaloti deny any wrongdoing.

Twenty-seven members of the money laundering gang were jailed in France in 2017. Read More ...

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A FLEET of supercars seized from a dictator’s playboy son sold for £21.9million at an auction today. A total of 25 cars which had belonged to Teodorin Nguema Obiang, the son of Equatorial Guinea’s ruler Tedoro Obiang Nguema, who has been in power for 40 years, went under the hammer in Switzerland.

The cars, which included Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Bentleys and Rolls Royces fetched around £21.9m ($27m) in total at the auction held at the Domaine de Bonmmont golf club on the edge of Geneva, Switzerland.

The cars had been seized as part of a money-laundering investigation into the son.

One of the cars, a 2014 white Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, which was described as “rare and remarkable” sold for £6.8m ($8.3m) to an anonymous buyer. Read More ...

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A 'wholly dishonest' accountant who helped criminals launder money and commit mortgage frauds has been jailed. David Pape, 44, operated his accountancy business in Glossop while appearing to be a respected member of the business community.

But he was living a double life, secretly helping two convicted drug dealers including William ‘Billy’ Black launder criminal cash. Judge Timothy Smith told him: "This view of respectability was a false one. It shows you were wholly dishonest and manipulative. "All the while Pape was amassing huge gambling debts, losing £300,000 in five years on sports bets. He had himself banned from his local branch of Ladbrokes, but his gambling continued.

Despite these debts, Pape, who was Black's accountant, used an expensive car and had high value watches, Manchester Crown Court heard. Judge Smith said his gambling debts were 'in conflict with the lifestyle you wished to lead, and wished to be seen to be leading'. The judge said Pape 'put the profession you claim to hold so dear into disrepute'. Read More ...


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Eight members of a gang which stole £34m in tax money and laundered £87m after selling illicit alcohol have been jailed.

The gang headed by Jayesh Shah, Riaz Khan, Fiaz Raja and Muhammad Rasool ran a "missing trader" VAT fraud.

They laundered their proceeds through more than 50 bank accounts in Britain, Cyprus, Hong Kong, and Dubai.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said the sums stolen were equivalent to "1,400 newly-qualified teachers' salaries".

A ninth member of the Berkshire-based group was given a suspended sentence.

An investigation by HMRC found the gang operated from an office in Eton High Street, and then moved to Windsor during the two-year fraud between January 2013 and January 2015.

They created a complex chain of paperwork detailing fictitious transactions, which were used as a cover for the illicit sale of smuggled alcohol. Read More ...

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A judge has ordered the confiscation of bitcoin worth more than £900,000 from a jailed hacker in the first case of its kind for the Metropolitan police.

Grant West, 27 – previously described as a “one-man cybercrime wave” – had about £1m-worth of the cryptocurrency seized from a number of accounts after his arrest in September 2017, but the value of bitcoin has since fluctuated radically, complicating attempts to compensate victims.

Proceedings in Southwark crown court on Friday morning were temporarily stalled as the order signed by West agreeing to the confiscation of the cryptocurrency related to a higher amount than that which was confiscated.

Eventually announcing the order under the Proceeds of Crime Act, the judge, Joanna Korner QC, said: “I therefore order a confiscation of that amount, £915,305.77, to be paid as a way of compensation to the losers.” Read More ...

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UK’s Ladbrokes Coral Group has been fined US$7.3 million for “systemic failings” in protecting problem gamblers and stopping money laundering.

An investigation from the Gambling Commission found that between November 2014 and October 2017, Ladbrokes Coral allowed stolen money to “flow through its business” due to “unacceptable” shortcomings.

Among the key failings highlighted in the report were:

  • Ladbrokes not carrying out any social responsibility interactions with a customer who lost UK£98,000 over two-and-a-half years, had 460 attempted deposits into their account declined and who even asked to operator to stop sending them promotions.
  • Corals failing to check source of funds of customer who spent UK£1.5million over two years and 10 months. The gambler displayed signs of problem gambling by logging in on average 10 times a day, and lost UK£64,000 in one month alone.
  • Ladbrokes allowed someone who they identified as a problem gambler to carry on playing without taking further steps to verify source of funds or if the customer could afford to gamble that amount.

These failings continued after the Ladbrokes Coral Group merger. Read More ...


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Authorities in Singapore have seized 11.9 tonnes of pangolin scales and 8.8 tonnes of elephant ivory from a container being shipped to Vietnam.

The National Parks Board, Singapore Customs and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said on Tuesday it was the city-state's third major seizure of pangolin (anteater) scales this year and its largest seizure of elephant ivory to date. "The seized pangolin scales and elephant ivory will be destroyed to prevent them from re-entering the market," a statement said. The haul came on Sunday from a container en route to Vietnam from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after a tip-off from China's customs department.

Authorities estimated the tusks from nearly 300 African elephants were worth $12.9m. They said the value of the pangolin scales belonging to about 2,000 of the endangered mammals was $35.7m. The pangolin is said to be the most widely trafficked mammal in the world. Its scales are made of keratin and are ground up to use in traditional medicines. Its meat is considered a delicacy in Vietnam and China. Read More ...


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Online sex trafficking ring active in Finland, Spain and Sweden busted and €1.5 million of criminal profits frozen in Hong Kong-based accounts.

Operation Webmaster targeted a Finnish organised criminal group involved in human trafficking for sexual exploitation and money laundering. The joint operation led to six arrests, 16 website shutdowns and multiple seizures of cash and luxury goods. Following the action day on 26 March 2019, the suspects’ bank accounts in 12 different countries were frozen. With support from Europol and Eurojust, the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) joined forces with national authorities from 14* other countries to bring down the trafficking ring.

Spanish authorities opened an investigation in 2016 targeting a Finnish national suspected of human trafficking for sexual exploitation and money laundering. The main suspect, based in Marbella, Spain, was allegedly managing websites advertising sexual services. The operation was triggered by an investigation into an organised crime group trafficking victims of predominantly Nigerian origin. The website was advertising services of victims from different countries based in Sweden and Finland. Other organised criminal groups involved in similar activities were also advertising the services of their victims on these websites. Read More ...


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  • Schoolchildren as young as 11 have been targeted to launder dirty gang money 
  • Some 10,686 under-21s were caught acting as mules last year - a 26 per cent rise 
  • Drug gangs use the 'clean' bank accounts of young children to deposit and move funds 
Criminals are recruiting schoolchildren as young as 11 to launder their dirty money.

Ruthless gangs have been targeting children on their way to school to enlist them as ‘mules’, police say.

Although gangs have long used others’ bank accounts to hide their activity, a Daily Mail investigation can reveal the scale of the threat to young people.

Many are lured with promises of quick, easy cash if they let strangers use their accounts to deposit and move funds. In return, they keep a cut – sometimes as little as £60 – or are given ‘prizes’ such as a pair of trainers. Read More ...

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A Sun Online investigation reveals more than 300 of these villas have been built, paid for by the hundreds of children sent to beg and steal on the streets of Britain. 

These children, some just toddlers, are ruthlessly exploited by Fagin-like gangs run by Roma gypsies. Through a miserable life of petty crime, each child can earn £100,000 in 12 months, as part of a £24million a year child smuggling ring, while their identities and fake child documents are used to swindle millions in benefits from the UK tax payer. In 2010, there was hope these children's ordeal was at an end when a major joint operation involving 300 officers from Scotland Yard, Romania and Europol saw 26 ring leaders arrested. Read More..

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Investigations into Hong Kong’s largest ivory seizure in 30 years have failed to produce a single prosecution, meaning the syndicate behind the smuggling operation is still at large, the customs department has confirmed.

That failure, along with a long-standing low prosecution rate for wildlife smuggling, has sparked concerns from experts, who called on Hong Kong authorities to put more money into investigations and make the offence a more serious crime with stiffer penalties.

Confirmation that the case had hit a dead end came 1½ years after the Customs and Excise Department announced in July 2017 that it had seized more than seven tonnes of tusks worth about HK$70 million in a shipment of frozen fish from Malaysia. Read More ...

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    ARINSA Communities

    The ARINSA Community increases the effectiveness of members' efforts, individually and collectively, on a multi-agency basis, in depriving criminals of instrumentalities of crime and illicit profits.

    • ARINSA Community Platform

    • Wildlife and Forestry Crime Platform

    Placement Programmes are among ARINSA's flagship products. Prosecutors and Investigators are based in the South African field offices to build their capacity and knowledge of working with active asset recovery cases. Go to ARINSA Members areas:

      • Prosecutor Placement Programme

      • Investigator Placement Programme


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