MINA News: Since yesterday, the Macedonian police is in action at various locations in Skopje, due to the tip it received for suspicious money transfer.
Our sources confirm, a Macedonian bank had tipped off the Authorities since January 2007 of suspicious money transfers. An Albanian, Bekir Halimi has been receiving 2,115 euros payments from Kuwaiti Organization "Revival Islamic Heritage Society".
"The Revival Islamic Heritage Society has been blacklisted by the United Nations because of their close ties to terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda", said Interior Ministry's spokesperson, Ivo Kotevski.
The money transfer through a swift account was done via Kuwaiti and two German banks evnetually ending up on Halimi's account.
According to the Interior Ministry's counter terrorism unit, Bekir Halimi had central role in all activities in the financing of humanitarian organization Bamiresija.
Macedonian Police had entered Bamiresija's facilities to investigate. It entered the operational facility on Lazar Iliev street, the praying areas on Petre Gorgiev street #63, the publishing house Nun, on Lazar Tanev street as well as the Trade Organization "R-Orient" and Studio Facility on Pance Nedolkovski street.
For a humanitarian organization, there are certainly many facilities. According to our source who spoke on condition of anonymity, these "humanitarian" organizations are used primarily for financing terrorism as well as money laundering.
Macedonian police seized electronic equipment, financial information. No charges have been filed so far as the investigation is ongoing, however, Bekir Halimi may face charges on financing terrorism, unlawful financial work, money laundering. Connections are sought on a global level between Halimi's organization and others.
Our sources confirmed there are suspicion that Halimis' organization has been accepting money from other organizations as well. The annual funds Bamiersija has received surpass 4.5 milion euros.
It is thought, the groupations are connected through out the Balkans, in Kosovo, Albania, Sandzak, Bosnia, Montenegro, coordinated by very powerful organization at a global level.
Halimi's organization is contrary to the constitutional laws of Macedonia with their goal being the creation of sharia law in this country.
http://serbblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/kuwait-financing-forming-of-al-qaeda.html
Showing posts with label Montenegro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Montenegro. Show all posts
on Sunday, May 6, 2012
An increase in criminal gang violence and killings has done little to delay Croatia's accession to the European Union, raising fears that another Eastern European country will be admitted before it brings organised crime under control.
The country was told yesterday that it was still on track for membership and was given a timetable to complete the entry process by the end of next year, with another year for ratification by the 27 EU states. The news came despite an annual review into EU hopefuls stating that corruption and organised crime were still widespread in Croatia.
The rush to embrace Croatia is causing alarm that the EU will repeat the mistakes it made over Bulgaria and Romania, both of which were allowed in last year despite the continued influence of organised crime that is now holding up millions of euros in development aid.
It is even possible that key parts of the Lisbon Treaty could be woven into the country's accession agreement if the Irish people again vote “no” to the document in a referendum next year.
Olli Rehn, the Enlargement Commissioner, denied that the EU was offering Croatia a “blank cheque”. “The ball is in Croatia's court,” he said. “The conditional road map for Croatia should be seen as an encouragement for the country to press on with reforms. Success depends on Croatia's ability to meet the conditions for EU accession.”
The section of the report on Croatia's anti-corruption policy, however, made grim reading. “Corruption still remains widespread. The administrative capacity of state bodies for fighting corruption continues to be insufficient,” it said.
“The police need to become more effective in the fight against corruption and organised crime. Implementation of anti-corruption efforts has continued to lack co-ordination and monitoring. While the total number of corruption cases investigated so far has increased, the actual number of prosecutions remains low.”
In general the review was positive towards the Balkan countries; for the first time it suggested that Serbia could open its formal application process next year after the arrest of Radovan Karadzic. It was critical of Turkey, another country with ambitions of joining the EU, and urged it to get back on the road to reform.
Turkey started EU entry talks in 2005 — as did Croatia — but they have stalled over its refusal to normalise relations with Cyprus and the internal turmoil that led to the ruling party being taken to court for alleged unconstitutional behaviour.
Mr Rehn said: “Turkey has faced an annual political or constitutional crisis [over the last few years] which has consumed a lot of energy and caused stagnation in the essential reforms that are needed to make progress in the EU accession negotiation. The road to EU membership goes not through excuses but concrete steps.”
Ali Babacan, Turkey's Foreign Minister, said he thought that some of the EU criticisms were unfair but would issue a detailed reaction next week.
The EU enlargement review said that the other candidates — Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Kosovo — were making limited progress on the reforms that they needed to make.
Source: TimesOnline
The country was told yesterday that it was still on track for membership and was given a timetable to complete the entry process by the end of next year, with another year for ratification by the 27 EU states. The news came despite an annual review into EU hopefuls stating that corruption and organised crime were still widespread in Croatia.
The rush to embrace Croatia is causing alarm that the EU will repeat the mistakes it made over Bulgaria and Romania, both of which were allowed in last year despite the continued influence of organised crime that is now holding up millions of euros in development aid.
It is even possible that key parts of the Lisbon Treaty could be woven into the country's accession agreement if the Irish people again vote “no” to the document in a referendum next year.
Olli Rehn, the Enlargement Commissioner, denied that the EU was offering Croatia a “blank cheque”. “The ball is in Croatia's court,” he said. “The conditional road map for Croatia should be seen as an encouragement for the country to press on with reforms. Success depends on Croatia's ability to meet the conditions for EU accession.”
The section of the report on Croatia's anti-corruption policy, however, made grim reading. “Corruption still remains widespread. The administrative capacity of state bodies for fighting corruption continues to be insufficient,” it said.
“The police need to become more effective in the fight against corruption and organised crime. Implementation of anti-corruption efforts has continued to lack co-ordination and monitoring. While the total number of corruption cases investigated so far has increased, the actual number of prosecutions remains low.”
In general the review was positive towards the Balkan countries; for the first time it suggested that Serbia could open its formal application process next year after the arrest of Radovan Karadzic. It was critical of Turkey, another country with ambitions of joining the EU, and urged it to get back on the road to reform.
Turkey started EU entry talks in 2005 — as did Croatia — but they have stalled over its refusal to normalise relations with Cyprus and the internal turmoil that led to the ruling party being taken to court for alleged unconstitutional behaviour.
Mr Rehn said: “Turkey has faced an annual political or constitutional crisis [over the last few years] which has consumed a lot of energy and caused stagnation in the essential reforms that are needed to make progress in the EU accession negotiation. The road to EU membership goes not through excuses but concrete steps.”
Ali Babacan, Turkey's Foreign Minister, said he thought that some of the EU criticisms were unfair but would issue a detailed reaction next week.
The EU enlargement review said that the other candidates — Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Kosovo — were making limited progress on the reforms that they needed to make.
Source: TimesOnline
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on Sunday, March 25, 2012
A new report from the European Commission notes progress but still finds too much organized crime and corruption in the two new member states
When Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union in 2007, other member states expressed serious concern about the high level of corruption in both of the former communist states, and, in Bulgaria, about the political power wielded by violent criminal gangs operating there. Now, some 30 months after joining the union, widespread fraud, corruption, and organized crime remain problematic according to new European Union reports that openly question the will of political leaders to implement reforms to tackle these problems.
The latest progress reports on the justice system and fight against corruption, released on 22 July, come as a serious if not unexpected blow to Bulgaria and Romania – which suffer from the public perception they were accepted into the EU club too early – but also to EU candidate countries where accession talks have stalled, such as Croatia and perennial hopeful Turkey.
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While noting Bulgaria's and Romania's progress in key areas, the European Commission, as in previous reports since 2007, listed an array of ills, among them inadequate measures to fight money-laundering and killings linked to organized crime. In total, the reports named 21 areas in which Bulgaria needs to improve its performance, and 16 for Romania, including the implementation of anti-corruption laws and boosting the judicial independence.
"The reform momentum that has been established now needs to be backed up by a national political consensus involving all political parties and institutions, and more convincing delivery of results," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement. "Citizens in both countries and across the rest of Europe must feel that no one is above the law. I hope that the two governments will move quickly to implement the concrete recommendations for reform that the Commission has put forward."
The commission last year froze around 500 million euros in subsidies earmarked to help the Bulgarian economy and threatened to sanction Romania as well over exactly the same kinds of failings outlined in this week's reports.
This time the commission decided not to advise other member states to stop cooperation with Bulgaria and Romania on judicial issues, an option known as the "safeguard clause" in the two countries' accession agreements. Brussels also stopped short of saying that the shortcomings could imperil the countries' attempts to join the border-free Schengen area in 2011.
But the commission will extend into 2010 the monitoring system, known as the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, with the next progress report due in a year's time. That extension is a political embarrassment for Sofia and Bucharest – and a wake-up call for Croatia to also get its house in order. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn noted that Zagreb is also lagging in "key areas such as judicial and administrative reform, the fight against corruption, and organized crime."
BIG JOB FOR NEW BULGARIAN LEADER
Whether this will instill a need to fast-track reforms remains to be seen. Indeed, the commission – which has already barred two Bulgarian government agencies from handling EU funds – said in its latest report that while Sofia no longer is denying that organized crime and corruption are widespread, the political will to do something about it is not yet evident.
"In the public perception in Bulgaria justice is too slow" and is "subject to influence and interference," Johannes Leitenberger, chief spokesperson for the commission, told reporters in Brussels, as cited by EUobserver.com. "There are still shortcomings which need to be urgently addressed by the newly elected Bulgarian government."
The commission released the latest judicial and crime monitoring reports days before the scheduled swearing-in of Bulgaria's incoming prime minister, Boyko Borisov, the Sofia mayor and a former Interior Ministry official who won elections this month on an anti-corruption platform. His party GERB (Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria) also pledged to go after former government officials suspected of graft and has promised to implement the commission's demands.
If Borisov talks tough, he may well have the background and political muscle to back up his words. The private security company he founded helped protect Bulgaria's deposed last communist leader, Todor Zhivkov, and on the other side of the political spectrum, Simeon Saxecoburggotski, the deposed monarch who returned from exile and served as premier from 2001 until 2005.
MILD PRAISE FOR BUCHAREST
Romania – criticized for its fragmented and politicized approach to reform – did earn praise for the work of its anti-corruption directorate. Organized crime is also seen as far less of a problem than in Bulgaria. According to the commission, the country's criminal and civil codes, while updated, have not been fully or systematically revised, leading to a "patchwork" of ad hoc legislation that risks compromising anti-corruption efforts.
In Romania, "reform efforts remain fragmented, they have not yet taken firmly root and must still produce practical results," the commission stated. "Overall, a broad based political consensus behind reform and an unequivocal commitment across political parties to real progress has still to be demonstrated." And while prosecutors in Romania have accused almost 20 cabinet ministers and former ministers of corruption since the country's accession to the bloc in 2007, not one has been convicted.
Opinion polls show EU citizens have grown more wary of bringing new countries into the bloc since the "early admission" of Bulgaria and Romania – and the perception of lawlessness in the region is a factor. But without the "carrot" of that qualified (i.e. monitored) membership and the "stick" of sanctions, the wheels of judicial reform in these countries would have turned far slower. The message to EU candidates Croatia, Turkey, and Macedonia and those waiting in the wings (Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, and Albania) is to raise the bar – accelerate reforms – ahead of entry or formal accession talks.
Likewise, if Brussels should renege on the promise of future membership to the Balkans it could destabilize an already volatile region, right on the EU border. In that regard, Enlargement Commissioner Rehn was right this month to propose offering visa-free travel for citizens of Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro from 1 January 2010, in an effort to bring these countries closer to the bloc even as Brussels pushes for faster political, judicial, and economic progress.
Source: BusinessWeek
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on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
The UAE and Montenegro signed today a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for joint cooperation in combating money laundering and terrorist financing.
The memo was signed following a meeting held by HE Sultan Nasser Al Suweidi, Governor of the UAE Central Bank and Chairman of the National Anti-money Laundering Committee, with a visiting delegation from Montenegro led by Predrag Mitrovic, Director of the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering.
Abdulrahim Mohamed Al Awadi, Assistant Executive Director and Head of Anti-Money Laundering and Suspicious Cases Unit (AMLSCU), UAE Central Bank, and Predrag Mitrovic, Director of the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering, Montenegro, inked the memo.
Under the memo, the two countries will exchange financial information regarding money laundering and financing of terrorism and consolidate their policies in that respect.
The UAE apex bank said the conclusion of the memo underlines the UAE's sincere desire to pursue cooperation with the international community in the fight against these two crimes.
Source: WAM
The memo was signed following a meeting held by HE Sultan Nasser Al Suweidi, Governor of the UAE Central Bank and Chairman of the National Anti-money Laundering Committee, with a visiting delegation from Montenegro led by Predrag Mitrovic, Director of the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering.
Abdulrahim Mohamed Al Awadi, Assistant Executive Director and Head of Anti-Money Laundering and Suspicious Cases Unit (AMLSCU), UAE Central Bank, and Predrag Mitrovic, Director of the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering, Montenegro, inked the memo.
Under the memo, the two countries will exchange financial information regarding money laundering and financing of terrorism and consolidate their policies in that respect.
The UAE apex bank said the conclusion of the memo underlines the UAE's sincere desire to pursue cooperation with the international community in the fight against these two crimes.
Source: WAM
on Sunday, February 26, 2012
The traffic of heroin is the main criminal activity in the so-called South East criminal hub in Europe, according to the Europol Report.
Europol, or the European Police Office, released their Europol Organized Crime Threat Assessment (OCTA) in which the criminal activities on the old continent are divided in five hubs where the hub is a conceptual entity that is generated by a combination of factors such as proximity to major destination markets, geographic location, infrastructure, types of organized crime groups and migration processes concerning key criminals or organized crime groups in general.
The OCTA is an assessment of current and expected trends in organized crime affecting the EU and its citizens. Based on analysis Europol assess that the most significant criminal sectors now are drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal immigration, fraud, counterfeiting and money laundering.
Bulgaria falls within the South East hub where the “Balkan route” from Turkey to the EU is used for heroin traffic by Turkish criminals, often in cooperation with Bulgarian crime groups.
“The South East criminal hub is based upon its geographical location between Asia and Europe. Logistically, the importance of the Black Sea and related waterways define the hub and will create opportunities for both legal trade and organized crime. Opiates reach Europe through the Balkan routes and the Northern Black Sea route across Central Asia and Russia. The significance of the port of Constanta in cocaine traffic is growing, and cocaine seems to be increasingly arriving into the EU via Turkey and/or the Balkans. This may also be the effect of the already well-established role of West Africa as a transit zone,” the report reads.
Bulgarians and Serbians also play key role in the traffic of synthetic drugs to the Middle East. Nigerian criminal groups, residing in Bulgaria, are in constant touch with such Nigerian groups in Italy providing cocaine for the Italian market, Europol notes.
In addition to synthetic drugs Bulgaria plays a key role in the distribution of counterfeit EUR bills and fake bank debit and credit cards.
The Southeastern hub is also very active in cigarettes contraband from the Ukraine and Moldova to the EU. In addition, the Ukraine is a transit center for cocaine, human trafficking and illegal immigrants through Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Monte Negro and Macedonia to the EU.
The other hubs are:
1) The North West criminal hub. It is a distribution centre for heroin, cocaine, synthetic drugs and cannabis products. Its influence extends to the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany and the Baltic and Scandinavian countries.
2) The South West criminal hub. The impact of this market is felt especially in the criminal markets of cocaine, cannabis, trafficking in human beings and illegal immigration. West and North West Africa as well as other parts of this continent have emerged as significant feeders for either the South West criminal hub or, increasingly, directly to important markets and distribution centers in the EU.
3) The North East criminal hub. This area is and will continue to be strongly influenced by feeders and transit zones located just outside the eastern EU borders (the Russian Federation/Kaliningrad, the Ukraine and Belarus). Illicit flows may be traced from the East towards the West (women for sexual exploitation, illegal immigrants, cigarettes, counterfeit goods, synthetic drugs precursors and heroin) but also vice versa (cocaine and cannabis products).
4) The Southern criminal hub. The role of this hub is central in relation to cigarette smuggling, the smuggling and distribution of counterfeit products and the production of counterfeit EUR bills.
Source: Novinite
Europol, or the European Police Office, released their Europol Organized Crime Threat Assessment (OCTA) in which the criminal activities on the old continent are divided in five hubs where the hub is a conceptual entity that is generated by a combination of factors such as proximity to major destination markets, geographic location, infrastructure, types of organized crime groups and migration processes concerning key criminals or organized crime groups in general.
The OCTA is an assessment of current and expected trends in organized crime affecting the EU and its citizens. Based on analysis Europol assess that the most significant criminal sectors now are drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal immigration, fraud, counterfeiting and money laundering.
Bulgaria falls within the South East hub where the “Balkan route” from Turkey to the EU is used for heroin traffic by Turkish criminals, often in cooperation with Bulgarian crime groups.
“The South East criminal hub is based upon its geographical location between Asia and Europe. Logistically, the importance of the Black Sea and related waterways define the hub and will create opportunities for both legal trade and organized crime. Opiates reach Europe through the Balkan routes and the Northern Black Sea route across Central Asia and Russia. The significance of the port of Constanta in cocaine traffic is growing, and cocaine seems to be increasingly arriving into the EU via Turkey and/or the Balkans. This may also be the effect of the already well-established role of West Africa as a transit zone,” the report reads.
Bulgarians and Serbians also play key role in the traffic of synthetic drugs to the Middle East. Nigerian criminal groups, residing in Bulgaria, are in constant touch with such Nigerian groups in Italy providing cocaine for the Italian market, Europol notes.
In addition to synthetic drugs Bulgaria plays a key role in the distribution of counterfeit EUR bills and fake bank debit and credit cards.
The Southeastern hub is also very active in cigarettes contraband from the Ukraine and Moldova to the EU. In addition, the Ukraine is a transit center for cocaine, human trafficking and illegal immigrants through Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Monte Negro and Macedonia to the EU.
The other hubs are:
1) The North West criminal hub. It is a distribution centre for heroin, cocaine, synthetic drugs and cannabis products. Its influence extends to the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Germany and the Baltic and Scandinavian countries.
2) The South West criminal hub. The impact of this market is felt especially in the criminal markets of cocaine, cannabis, trafficking in human beings and illegal immigration. West and North West Africa as well as other parts of this continent have emerged as significant feeders for either the South West criminal hub or, increasingly, directly to important markets and distribution centers in the EU.
3) The North East criminal hub. This area is and will continue to be strongly influenced by feeders and transit zones located just outside the eastern EU borders (the Russian Federation/Kaliningrad, the Ukraine and Belarus). Illicit flows may be traced from the East towards the West (women for sexual exploitation, illegal immigrants, cigarettes, counterfeit goods, synthetic drugs precursors and heroin) but also vice versa (cocaine and cannabis products).
4) The Southern criminal hub. The role of this hub is central in relation to cigarette smuggling, the smuggling and distribution of counterfeit products and the production of counterfeit EUR bills.
Source: Novinite
on Monday, March 26, 2007
The head of the government's office for terrorism financing and money laundering, Predrag Mitrovic, said earlier this month that his office is going to reinforce its control over the real estate market as part of the fight against money laundering.
Real estate is big business in Montenegro. Around the capital, Podgorica, construction and restoration of commercial buildings -- with offices, flats and luxury shops -- is a common sight, as is the remodeling and upgrading of personal residences.
According to a US State Department report, however, this sector is also a favoured venue for money laundering.
"Investment by foreign individuals and businesses in expensive real estate along the Montenegro coast has raised prices and generated concerns about the source of funds used for these investments," says the International Narcotics Control Report 2007, released on March 1st.
Police and prosecutors are not encouraged to investigate real estate moves because the court system is not prepared to deal with the fallout, the document said.
It urges Montenegro to "strengthen its legislation to establish more robust asset seizure and forfeiture regimes, as well as upgrade its capacity to strengthen its criminal intelligence and investigative techniques".
According to the State Department, Montenegro continues to have a significant black market for smuggling goods. Illegal income also comes from the drug trade, corruption, tax evasion, organised crime and other types of financial crime.
Mitrovic says the government plans to devote special attention to tracking real estate deals. "Beside the [legal] obligation to follow and analyse reports that come to our database, we are forming an additional database [which will] contain copies of real estate trade contracts," he told local media.
He hinted at a new initiative for obtaining competencies in order to scrutinise real estate trading, as well as to help identify the real owners of companies that are engaged in trade in Montenegro.
According to official data, in 2005, 14 cases suspected of money laundering were submitted to the department in charge. In 2006, 29 cases were submitted, while this year has seen eight so far.
Opposition parties say that too little is being done and at too slow a pace. "The problem cannot be hidden anymore," said Nebojsa Medojevic, leader of the opposition Movement for Changes party.
The report's findings will deter prominent foreign investors from coming to Montenegro, Medojevic warned. He said the three biggest investors in the region -- the United States, Germany and Italy, have a negligible role in Montenegro.
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2007/03/26/feature-02
Real estate is big business in Montenegro. Around the capital, Podgorica, construction and restoration of commercial buildings -- with offices, flats and luxury shops -- is a common sight, as is the remodeling and upgrading of personal residences.
According to a US State Department report, however, this sector is also a favoured venue for money laundering.
"Investment by foreign individuals and businesses in expensive real estate along the Montenegro coast has raised prices and generated concerns about the source of funds used for these investments," says the International Narcotics Control Report 2007, released on March 1st.
Police and prosecutors are not encouraged to investigate real estate moves because the court system is not prepared to deal with the fallout, the document said.
It urges Montenegro to "strengthen its legislation to establish more robust asset seizure and forfeiture regimes, as well as upgrade its capacity to strengthen its criminal intelligence and investigative techniques".
According to the State Department, Montenegro continues to have a significant black market for smuggling goods. Illegal income also comes from the drug trade, corruption, tax evasion, organised crime and other types of financial crime.
Mitrovic says the government plans to devote special attention to tracking real estate deals. "Beside the [legal] obligation to follow and analyse reports that come to our database, we are forming an additional database [which will] contain copies of real estate trade contracts," he told local media.
He hinted at a new initiative for obtaining competencies in order to scrutinise real estate trading, as well as to help identify the real owners of companies that are engaged in trade in Montenegro.
According to official data, in 2005, 14 cases suspected of money laundering were submitted to the department in charge. In 2006, 29 cases were submitted, while this year has seen eight so far.
Opposition parties say that too little is being done and at too slow a pace. "The problem cannot be hidden anymore," said Nebojsa Medojevic, leader of the opposition Movement for Changes party.
The report's findings will deter prominent foreign investors from coming to Montenegro, Medojevic warned. He said the three biggest investors in the region -- the United States, Germany and Italy, have a negligible role in Montenegro.
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2007/03/26/feature-02
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