06/22/2008
Swiss banks agreed settlement pay-outs to Parmalat
Il was reported that Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse agreed settlement pay-outs to Parmalat.
The Parmalat collapse five years ago was one of Europe's biggest financial scandals: more than 14 billion euros went missing from the group's accounts, wiping out the savings of around 135,000 people in Italy.
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07:25 Posted in Switzerland | Permalink | Comments (0)
Former UBS Banker Pleads Guilty in Tax Evasion
Several media have reported that a former UBS Banker Pleads Guilty in Tax Evasion.
Read press release from the Depaertment of Justice
Read New York Times
Read Financial Times
Read The Telegraph
Read AFP
07:10 Posted in Switzerland | Permalink | Comments (0)
06/14/2008
Money laundering and terrorist financing through the real estate sector
The FATF recently issues its typologies report on the real estate sector. This first FATF in-depth study of the sector examines its vulnerabilities to misuse for money laundering and terrorist financing.
The FATF provides an interesting list of red flags (pages 34-37). Unfortunately these experts do not take into consideration red flags relating to the management or the audit firm of a real estate company, that are visible especially in Luxembourg the small country where everydoby knows everyone and that is self regulated:
- Knowingly appointing a dishonest managing director (recent judiciary sources) that definitely do not comply with the requirement of professional standing,
- having a "commissaire" (auditor) that is neither member of the charered accountants nor of the chartered auditors : in Luxembourg anyone may be auditor.
- having a "commissaire" that is audited by an auditor in a far tax haven (for instance a company located in Luxembourg audited by a company located in the BVI...)
- ...
Read report
11:25 Posted in General | Permalink | Comments (0)