Money laundering

Bulgaria has fulfilled practically all commitments undertaken a year ago to enter ERM II, also known as the Eurozone waiting room. This is understood by information on the website of the Ministry of Finance.

Less than a fifth of reported cases of money-laundering in Serbia end up in courts, with those convicted often handed a minor sentence of less than a year in prison or fines of fewer than 100 euros, a new analysis by BIRN of Serbia's fight against money-laundering over the last decade shows.

The US Senate on Thursday voted to lift a decades-old arms embargo against Cyprus and to cut Turkey off the American F-35 fighter jet program if it proceeds with the acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system. 

The Appellate Specialized Criminal Court left Marinela Arabadzhieva in custody. According to magistrates, there is danger for her to hide. Arabadzhieva has been charged with five crimes - participation in an organized criminal group in the period from 2013 to 2018, implementation of three tax crimes and money laundering.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic met today in Belgrade with a delegation of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF), and on that occasion, she introduced the members of the delegation with the activities that our country implements in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.

US arms dealer Ara Dolarian, who lives in Bulgaria, was arrested on May 15 in Fresno, California for allegedly brokering the sale of arms and munitions to the Nigerian government without acquiring compulsory US Department of Commerce and Investment licenses, the US Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of California announced on Monday.

Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov has signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to  strengthen cooperation and exchange of information between the two institutions, the prosecution announced, quoted by BNT. 

An Athens court on Wednesday handed down a 10-year suspended sentence to Andreas Martinis, the former chairman of Athens's Henry Dunant Hospital, and his wife after finding them guilty of money laundering.

The Bulgarian MPs have unanimously adopted amendments to the Measures Against Money Laundering Act at First Reading, Focus News Agency reports. The bill was supported by 88 MPs with no votes against and abstentions. The bill was tabled by the Chair of the Internal Committee and GERB MP Plamen Nunev and a group of MPs.

A Thessaloniki appeals court on Wednesday commuted an eight-year sentence passed down last year to the city's former mayor Vassilis Papageorgopoulos for money laundering and embezzlement to a three-year term.
Michalis Lemousias, who served as the municipality's general secretary, and was also given an eight-year sentence last year, also saw his term cut to three years.