Activities Report 2019 – 2021
PROJECTS
Research
In 2021, 7 articles in Greek and English were published on Greek Austerity and Human Rights violations, on the basis of the research initiated in 2018. The research was conducted under the direction of Prof. Nikos Passas from Northeastern University in Boston and sponsored by OCO with the total budget of USD 200,000.
Three interim reports have been issued (at disposal if needed) together with the list of publications.
In 2021 OCO also enhanced and followed up on the research on UKRAINE. The publication can be accessed at: https://o-c-o.net/tag/report-oco-on-ukraine/
Together with our US partner Adventurist Corp. OCO have signed an agreement to start working on a series of documentaries with the interest of NETFLIX on international weapons deals and illegal trends. The project started in 2020 and is still ongoing (initial investment of USD 350’000).
Publications
Position paper submitted to the EU in 2018 within the framework of the public consultation of the new Directive proposal on cash and organized crime, was very well received by several international and European associations, mostly by those involved in the protection of cash vs digital money. The document can be accessed at: (https://www.o-c-o.net/report-on-the-debate-regarding-eu-cash-payment-limitations-3/)
In 2017, OCO participated to an research on the Afghan Narco trafficking analysis paper. This have been followed up during the year 2019 with conferences at Northeastern University in Boston and in Washington DC with prof. Passas participating at some Congress Hearings on the topic.
Following our set of Conferences and Academic meetings in Mongolia in 2017, OCO have participated to help the Government of Mongolia to set up the proper infrastructure allowing them to identify and act against the corruption of several high-ranking officials in Mongolia. Among them, one of the perpetrators was hiding money in Swiss bank accounts that have been recovered by the Government of Mongolia and these documents are part of the lawsuit between the Government and Mongolia now ongoing at the 1st District Court of Manhattan against the international mining company Rio Tinto.
Conferences
In 2019, the OCO organized the International Conference at the UN Geneva on organized crime and better governance for the promotion and enhancement of Democracy and Freedom. During the two working days, OCO President and other seventeen distinguished professors specialized in organized crime and corruption took part at the event. The main topics of the conference were challenges and disruptions of criminal organizations, impact of institutionalized and organized crime and corruption on development and trade. The conference brough reflections and conclusions about better governance and change.
In 2018 and 2019, OCO was also presented by its President members during the International Conference on Stolen Assets Recovery and on Persons Sought for Corruption and Asset Recovery hosted by the Beijing Normal University (BNU).
In 2022, May 15-17, Dublin, Professor Nikos Passas from Northeastern will be OCO main keynote speaker during that conference dedicated to the the role of cash in money laundering in relation to non-cash.
Partner’s initiatives
As always, OCO continues to support the different anti OC initiatives, notably the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime that issues reports on different related topics ( https://globalinitiative.net) and others.
Sponsoring
OCO continues to find opportunities to sponsor quality reporting and journalism through its sponsorship to ICIJ and SEPT.CH.
Financial statements
During the period, OCO have launched different projects. Because of the COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021, most of the report have been retarded due to the impossibility to travel, meet and complete on-ground job. Fortunately, OCO have anticipated and budgeted properly its actions so while some deliverables will be delayed of 5 to 10 months, the budget have been respected and the association have not ended up with massive deficits.
For the period here, OCO has already been solllicited for projects in india, China, Mongolia, Kenya, Brasil, and in many different other places in Europe.
Having worked on the Ukraine situation back in 2013-2015, OCO is been now solicited again for research and for helping the refugees through medical and other NGOs partners.
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An important set of documents regarding the fraudulous activities in Ukraine
We have been informed that the web plateforme www.transparencyreport.org publishes an important set of documents regarding the fraudulous activities in Ukraine operated by the former PMs Pavlo LAZARENKO and Yulia TYMOCHENKO, today candidate for the presidential elections in Ukraine. If they are validated, these documents could strongly help the current and future government of Ukraine and their allies to recover important and missappropriated assets.
These very detailed banking documents, which seems to be originals, involve companies and banks especially in Switzerland, United States, the UK, Antigua and Barbuda and Cyprus.
Given the short time left before the presidential elections in Ukraine, that will take place on the current 25th of May, we considered important to notify you about it.
Official website of TransparencyReport.org
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Selection of Research & Books
Le Petit Dictionnaire Enervé de la Mafia
Fabrice RIZZOLI: Petit Dictionnaire énervé de la Mafia, Les Éditions de l’Opportun, février 2012, ISBN 978-2-36075-078-8, EUR 12.26
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Traditional Organized Crime in the Modern World:
How Triad Societies Respond to Socioeconomic Change
TW Lo, Sharon Ingrid Kwok
4 Traditional Organized Crime in the Modern World 79 Thailand, the Philippines, and South Africa
(Curtis et al. 2003). … In addition, the research does not provide detailed evidence to support the
level of involvement of the triads in these transnational organized criminal activities. …
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Implementing FATF standards in developing countries and financial inclusion :
Findings and guidelines
This report, emanating from a project commissioned by the FIRST Initiative, considers the impact of the implementation of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) controls on financial inclusion in five countries (Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan and South Africa). Based on these findings, it develops a set of guidelines to assist the authorities in developing countries to design effective AML/CFT regimes that are compliant with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards and supports financial inclusion.
The report and guidelines will be of benefit to countries striving towards the dual goals of protecting their institutions against money laundering and the financing of terrorism as well as extending financial inclusion, irrespective of whether protective measures are being considered in the process of implementing or amending AML/CFT controls to meet the Forty Nine Recommendations of the FATF or in order to meet other, related international requirements, such as those set out in the 2000 United Nations Convention on Transnational Organised Crime or the 2003 United Nations Convention Against Corruption.
The project was supervised and guided by a steering committee consisting of representatives from the FIRST Management Unit, World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), the UKs Department for International Development (DFID), the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), the South African National Treasury, the FinMark Trust and Professor Nikos Passas, an acknowledged world expert on AML/CFT standards and implementation.
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The Market as Criminal and Criminals in the Market:
Reducing Opportunities for Organised Crime in the International Antiquities Market
What is the relationship between organised crime and the antiquities market? There are two senses in which we can use the term organised crime here. In the first sense, we can see the international market in illicit antiquities as a criminal market (Polk 2000), organised into a structure of relations between thieves, smugglers, facilitators, sellers, and buyers of illicit commodities. We might therefore suggest that this illicit part of the trade is an example of organised crime. That argument could proceed without reference to the presence of conventionally stereotyped organised criminals in the market, in the sense of groups or networks of professional criminals who use violence and corruption in the pursuit of illegal financial gain.
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The Role of Auditors:
Research into Organised Crime and Money Laundering
“This paper is part of a larger project into the nature of organised crime in member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a topic that is currently of key concern to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS). The starting point was an interest in exploring new ways to monitor the relationship between criminal networks and legitimate business in the region. This led to the idea that members of the auditing profession may be strategically placed to have a unique insight into a specific aspect of organised crime, namely money laundering. If the hypothesis was correct and it was found that auditors do have a good insight into money laundering, then it was hoped that future surveys could draw on this expertise in doing so, it would help develop triangulation techniques that are so important in this field.”
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