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	<title>Money laundering &#8211; Asia Pacific Report</title>
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		<title>Samoan nationals could face death penalty over &#8216;Coconut Cartel&#8217; killing in Vietnam</title>
		<link>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2026/05/29/samoan-nationals-could-face-death-penalty-over-coconut-cartel-killing-in-vietnam/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[APR editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2026 00:34:08 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[Lorenzo Lemalu Tovia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money laundering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Samoan police]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=128665</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By RNZ Morning Report and Margot Staunton, RNZ Pacific senior journalist The bank accounts of two New Zealanders have been frozen as police probe an extraordinary international case of two alleged Samoan hitmen who confessed to murdering a Sydney gang boss. Joseph Vaa, 27, admitted on Vietnamese television to gunning down suspected &#8220;Coconut Cartel&#8221; ringleader ]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>By <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/authors/morning-report">RNZ Morning Report</a> and <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/authors/margot-staunton">Margot Staunton</a>, <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific_samoa/">RNZ Pacific</a> senior journalist</em></p>
<p>The bank accounts of two New Zealanders have been frozen as police probe an extraordinary international case of two alleged Samoan hitmen who confessed to murdering a Sydney gang boss.</p>
<p>Joseph Vaa, 27, admitted on Vietnamese television to <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific_samoa/596562/samoa-police-investigating-after-pair-admit-killing-of-coconut-cartel-ringleader-in-vietnam">gunning down</a> suspected &#8220;Coconut Cartel&#8221; ringleader Lorenzo Lemalu Tovia outside a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on May 21.</p>
<p>His associate, Steve Tofa, 23, also called Tafia in some news reports, then confessed to being his accomplice in the shooting.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://asiapacificreport.nz/2026/05/28/samoan-police-investigate-after-pair-admit-killing-coconut-cartel-ringleader-in-vietnam/"><strong>READ MORE:</strong> Samoan police investigate after pair admit killing ‘Coconut Cartel’ ringleader in Vietnam</a></li>
<li><a href="https://asiapacificreport.nz/?s=Samoan+crime">Other Samoan crime reports</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Fiji police have since confirmed the pair, who are facing down a potential death penalty, transited through the island nation&#8217;s international airport.</p>
<p>Tovia died at the scene while his associate Sauni Sam, 27, is in intensive care in hospital with serious injuries.</p>
<p>Tovia is believed to be the mastermind behind Sydney&#8217;s Coconut Cartel, which reportedly broke away and declared war on the rival Alameddine gang earlier this year.</p>
<p>Samoa police have frozen the bank accounts of the duo as well as four other people as their investigations into the bizarre international case widen.</p>
<p><strong>Urgent directive</strong><br />
Documents obtained by RNZ Pacific show the transnational crime unit issued an urgent directive to the Central Bank of Samoa (CBS) on Wednesday, ordering six accounts and transactions connected to them to be immobilised.</p>
<p>CBS governor Maiava Atalina Ainuu-Enari immediately ordered commercial banks to freeze accounts belonging to Vaa and Tovia &#8220;without delay&#8221;, as well as those belonging to two New Zealand nationals, a United States citizen and a Thai.</p>
<p>Those named in the order, issued on May 27 under Samoa&#8217;s money laundering laws, were Tafia Tovia (aka Steve Tofa), Vaa Soloa Vaa (aka Joseph Vaa), Connor Songkran Strickert, Fred Olivia Junior Papalii, Olini Atiua and James Tuisavailuu Atua.</p>
<p>The document states the request relates to &#8220;an ongoing investigation into a serious violent incident that occurred in Vietnam&#8221; and &#8220;two Samoan nationals alleged to have been involved in the shooting of another Samoan man, believed to be associated with organised criminal activity&#8221;.</p>
<p>In a further connection to New Zealand, three people have been stopped by police investigating the gang hit as they tried to board a flight from Samoa to Auckland.</p>
<p>The man, woman and child were bound for Auckland when they were arrested at Faleolo International Airport in Samoa on Thursday, 7 News Australia reported.</p>
<p><strong>Pair used fake passports, false names &#8211; reports<br />
</strong>A video on Vietnamese television channel VTV9 showed Vaa and Tofa, wearing black hoods and handcuffs, while being marched into a room by police to confess. The footage showed that the two were reading their confessions from a script.</p>
<p>Fiji police spokesperson Ana Naisoro told RNZ Pacific that the two &#8220;travelled through Fiji, using their Samoan passports&#8221;.</p>
<p>However, Naisoro declined to confirm local media reports that there had been a security breach, which was only discovered after overseas law enforcement agencies shared intelligence with Fijian border officials.</p>
<p>According to local reports, the suspects used fake passports and false names to transit through Fiji&#8217;s main international airport in Nadi.</p>
<p>Fiji police and immigration are now reportedly working closely with international police networks, including Interpol, to trace the pair&#8217;s movements during their short stay in the country.</p>
<p><strong>Capital punishment<br />
</strong>Australian drug policy researcher Dr Ben Mostyn told RNZ <i>Morning Report </i>the alleged hitmen could face execution under Vietnam&#8217;s capital punishment laws.</p>
<p>The Sydney University senior lecturer said the Australian and Samoan governments were opposed to capital punishment and could try to intervene.</p>
<p>&#8220;Often when you have these sort of dual citizens in foreign countries you can get diplomatic behaviour from both countries trying to intervene.&#8221;</p>
<p>But he said &#8220;quite a few&#8221; Australian nationals have been executed in Southeast Asia in the past, despite diplomatic efforts.</p>
<p>The duo were initially thought to be Australian but 7News reports they used fake passports and false names; Lang Kenny Trong Minh do and Justin John White, to travel to Vietnam. They were arrested at the Cambodian border less than three days after the shooting.</p>
<p>Dr Mostyn said police believed the killing was meant to send a message to the cartel, which was trying to separate from a larger gang.</p>
<p>Violence around the drug trade is not unusual in the Southeast Asia, he added.</p>
<p><strong>Samoa authorities react<br />
</strong>Authorities also identified Unalei Car Rentals in the Apia suburb of Vaitele as an &#8220;associated entity&#8221; linked to the investigation.</p>
<p>The order stated that the Financial Intelligence Unity (FIU) had grounds to suspect the transactions involved proceeds of serious crime, money landering offences or offences linked to the financing of terrorism.</p>
<p>The development comes after three people due to fly to Auckland on Air New Zealand were were stopped at Faleolo International Airport on Wednesday night.</p>
<p>Sources told the <i>Samoa Observer </i>that a man was given a stop order before boarding the aircraft. Video footage reportedly obtained by the newspaper shows a man dressed in black being escorted by police at the airport.</p>
<p>In a bizarre twist, the police later issued a statement saying they were seeking Strickert for questioning.</p>
<p>The Thai citizen claimed on Facebook that he had already been questioned by the police, was &#8220;willing to cooperate fully&#8221; and had &#8220;nothing to hide&#8221;.</p>
<p><strong>&#8216;Highly dangerous&#8217;<br />
</strong>Lieutenant General Mai Hoàng, the director of the HCM City Police, said authorities would deal strictly with all lawbreakers operating within Vietnamese territory.</p>
<p>&#8220;If the subjects provide sincere declarations, they will receive the leniency of Vietnamese law,&#8221; he stated.</p>
<p>Local police said the alleged hitmen used &#8220;military-grade firearms&#8221; during the attack last Wednesday night outside the Cee&#8217;f seafood restaurant on Truong Dinh Street in Ben Thanh ward. Surveillance footage showed them fleeing on foot immediately afterwards.</p>
<p>Deputy director of police Nguyen Thanh Hung told state media that police used surveillance measures and digital mapping to trace their movements and escape route.</p>
<p>Investigators issued emergency detention orders against the two suspects and said at the time that they were &#8220;highly dangerous&#8221; and &#8220;prepared to resist arrest&#8221;.</p>
<p>The <i>Khmer Times </i>reported that during their initial interrogation, the suspects told police that they were acting on behalf of a individual based abroad.</p>
<p>They said they had arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM city on May 14 and spent several days monitoring the activities of the two Australian victims.</p>
<p><em>This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ</em><em>.</em></p>
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		<title>Internal tensions throw PNG anti-corruption body into crisis</title>
		<link>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2025/06/05/internal-tensions-throw-png-anti-corruption-body-into-crisis/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[APR editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Jun 2025 09:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Crime]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Scott Waide]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=115664</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Scott Waide, RNZ Pacific PNG correspondent Three staffers from Papua New Guinea&#8217;s peak anti-corruption body are embroiled in a standoff that has brought into question the integrity of the organisation. Police Commissioner David Manning has confirmed that he received a formal complaint. Commissioner Manning said that initial inquiries were underway to inform the &#8220;sensitive ]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>By <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/authors/scott-waide">Scott Waide</a>, <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/">RNZ Pacific</a> PNG correspondent</em></p>
<p>Three staffers from Papua New Guinea&#8217;s peak anti-corruption body are embroiled in a standoff that has brought into question the integrity of the organisation.</p>
<p>Police Commissioner David Manning has confirmed that he received a formal complaint.</p>
<p>Commissioner Manning said that initial inquiries were underway to inform the &#8220;sensitive investigation board&#8217;s&#8221; consideration of the referral.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://asiapacificreport.nz/?s=ICAC"><strong>READ MORE:</strong> Other ICAC reports</a></li>
</ul>
<p>That board itself is controversial, having been set up as a halfway point to decide if an investigation into a subject should proceed through the usual justice process.</p>
<p>Manning indicated if the board determined a criminal offence had occurred, the matter would be assigned to the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate for independent investigation.</p>
<p>Local news media reported PNG Prime Minister James Marape was being kept informed of the developments.</p>
<p>Marape has issued a statement acknowledging the internal tensions within ICAC and reaffirming his government&#8217;s commitment to the institution.</p>
<p><strong>Long-standing goal</strong><br />
The establishment of ICAC in Papua New Guinea has been a long-standing national aspiration, dating back to 1984. The enabling legislation for ICAC was passed on 20 November 2020, bringing the body into legal existence.</p>
<p>Marape said it was a proud moment of his leadership having achieved this in just 18 months after he took office in May 2019.</p>
<p>The appointments process for ICAC officials was described as rigorous and internationally supervised, making the current internal disputes disheartening for many.</p>
<p>Marape has reacted strongly to the crisis, expressing disappointment over the allegations and differences between the three ICAC leaders. He affirmed his government&#8217;s &#8220;unwavering commitment&#8221; to ICAC.</p>
<p>These developments have significant implications for Papua New Guinea, particularly concerning its international commitments related to combating financial crime.</p>
<p>PNG has been working to address deficiencies in <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/562718/png-faces-deadline-for-fixing-issues-with-money-laundering-and-terrorist-financing">its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing</a> (AML/CTF) framework, with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) closely monitoring its progress.</p>
<p><strong>Crucial for fighting corruption</strong><br />
An effective and credible ICAC is crucial for demonstrating the country&#8217;s commitment to fighting corruption, a key component of a robust AML/CTF regime.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) often includes governance and anti-corruption measures as part of its conditionalities for financial assistance and programme support.</p>
<p>Any perception of instability or compromised integrity within ICAC could hinder Papua New Guinea&#8217;s efforts to meet these international requirements, potentially affecting its financial standing and access to crucial development funds.</p>
<p>The current situation lays bare the urgent need for swift and decisive action to restore confidence in ICAC and ensure it can effectively fulfill its mandate.</p>
<p><em>This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ</em>.</p>
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		<title>Philippines arrests Chinese fugitive who became Vanuatu citizen</title>
		<link>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2024/02/28/philippines-arrests-chinese-fugitive-who-became-vanuatu-citizen/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[APR editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Feb 2024 22:12:47 +0000</pubDate>
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		<category><![CDATA[Liu Jiangtao]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Vanuatu immigration]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=97460</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Evelyn Macairan in Manila Despite changing his citizenship to the Pacific state of Vanuatu, a Chinese man wanted for various economic crimes was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport last week as he was about to board a flight for Singapore. In a statement yesterday, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said ]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>By Evelyn Macairan in Manila</em></p>
<p>Despite changing his citizenship to the Pacific state of Vanuatu, a Chinese man wanted for various economic crimes was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport last week as he was about to board a flight for Singapore.</p>
<p>In a statement yesterday, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said Liu Jiangtao, 42, had presented himself for departure clearance at the immigration counter when the officer processing him saw that his name was on the bureau&#8217;s list of aliens with outstanding watchlist orders.</p>
<p>Records showed that Liu is one of 11 Chinese fugitives wanted for fraud, infringement of credit card management, capital embezzlement, money laundering and counterfeiting a registered trademark.</p>
<p>Bureau of Immigration prosecutors have filed deportation cases against the 11 fugitives.</p>
<p><em>Evelyn Macairan</em> <em>is a reporter of The Philippine Star.</em></p>
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		<title>PNG bank agency probes 5000 money-laundering cases &#8211; but no prosecutions</title>
		<link>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2022/08/25/png-bank-agency-probes-5000-money-laundering-cases-but-no-prosecutions/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[APR editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Aug 2022 09:30:27 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=78389</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Lorraine Wohi in Port Moresby The Bank of Papua New Guinea&#8217;s Financial Analysis and Supervision Unit has reported more than 5000 cases as a result of anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing investigations still awaiting prosecution. Acting governor for BPNG Benny Popoitai said the FASU had identified persons of interest and companies and referred ]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>By Lorraine Wohi in Port Moresby</em></p>
<p>The Bank of Papua New Guinea&#8217;s Financial Analysis and Supervision Unit has reported more than 5000 cases as a result of anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing investigations still awaiting prosecution.</p>
<p>Acting governor for BPNG Benny Popoitai said the FASU had identified persons of interest and companies and referred them to the Police Fraud Unit for further investigation and prosecution. However, none have yet been prosecuted.</p>
<p>He said at this stage FASU, under BPNG, did not have the powers to prosecute these cases.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://asiapacificreport.nz/?s=PNG+money-laundering"><strong>READ MORE:</strong> Other PNG money-laundering cases</a></li>
</ul>
<p>“We have a real issue, we have not been prosecuting anyone under the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) law.</p>
<p>“We have cases of leaders being prosecuted, that we have sent to the Ombudsman Commission and others to the police.</p>
<p>“If it’s a tax matter we refer them to the IRC [inland Revenue Commission], If it is Customs it goes to Customs.</p>
<p>“The issue is, we do not have the prosecution powers so we send the information to the law enforcing agencies to enforce,” Popoitai said.</p>
<p><strong>Risk of being &#8216;greylisted&#8217;</strong><br />
He also cautioned that FASU was also at risk of being &#8220;greylisted&#8221; for doing business with corresponding banks.</p>
<p>“PNG joined the rest of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing with the rest of the world in 2008.</p>
<p>“As a result of their review of our AML, they grey listed us in 2014 and so we got out of the grey list.</p>
<p>“They are going to visit us, to see if we are not ready, they will put us down [on] the grey list and doing business will be really tough because of the correspondence relationship with the banks.</p>
<p>“Some of the international correspondents will walk away,” he said.</p>
<p>Popoitai said the AML business was now under the National Coordination Committee chaired by himself and the Secretary for Justice to oversee what other government agencies do.</p>
<p><strong>Marape calls for prosecutions</strong><br />
Prime Minister James Marape has asked if those who are found to be breaking the AML laws be referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act (ICAC) for prosecution.</p>
<p>Popoita said they could only do that once ICAC was established.</p>
<p>AML law introduced a robust regulatory framework consistent with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.</p>
<p>Under the Act, the Financial Analysis and Supervision Unit (FASU) collects, analyses and disseminates financial intelligence, and supervises financial institution and Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs)</p>
<p>Members of Parliament under this Act are classified as the politically exposed persons (PEP) meaning their conduct of business for themselves, their family and employees are important as this is how the Act governs and ensures the PNG economy is protected.</p>
<p><em>Lorraine Wohi</em> <em>is a PNG Post-Courier journalist. Republished with permission.</em></p>
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		<title>Six charged with money laundering over K1.3 million in suitcase as PNG votes</title>
		<link>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2022/07/06/six-charged-with-money-laundering-over-k1-3-million-in-suitcase-as-png-votes/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[APR editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Jul 2022 07:18:38 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=76073</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Marjorie Finkeo and Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby Six suspects, including a woman, have been charged in connection with more than K1 million in cash seized at Komo airport in Papua New Guinea&#8217;s Hela province last weekend. The six were charged on Monday with two counts each of money laundering and being in possession ]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>By Marjorie Finkeo and Miriam Zarriga in Port Moresby</em></p>
<p>Six suspects, including a woman, have been charged in connection with more than K1 million in cash seized at Komo airport in Papua New Guinea&#8217;s Hela province last weekend.</p>
<p>The six were charged on Monday with two counts each of money laundering and being in possession of state properties and were released on K2000 police bail each from the Tari police station on Monday evening, police said.</p>
<p>Hela provincial police commander Senior Inspector Robin Bore told the <em>PNG Post-Courier</em> yesterday that five men in their late 20s and 30s, from Papiali village outside Tari, were allegedly involved in the movement of K1.3 million (NZ$590,000 ) in cash and four single PNG Defence Force uniforms from Port Moresby to Tari on a chartered plane.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://asiapacificreport.nz/2022/07/06/png-leader-marape-confirms-son-arrested-over-money-in-suitcase/"><strong>READ MORE:</strong> PNG leader Marape confirms son arrested over money in suitcase</a></li>
<li><a href="https://asiapacificreport.nz/2022/07/04/png-security-detain-man-with-k1-56m-in-suitcase-as-elections-begin/">PNG security detain man with K1.56m in suitcase as elections begin</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/nothing-to-do-with-me-png-leader-distances-himself-from-suitcase-of-cash-20220705-p5az85.html">‘Nothing to do with me’: PNG leader distances himself from suitcase of cash</a></li>
<li><a href="https://asiapacificreport.nz/?s=PNG+elections">Other PNG elections reports</a></li>
</ul>
<p>“A woman on the same flight was also charged with being in possession of a firearm,” Senior Inspector Bore said.</p>
<p>“The suspects were supposed to appear before court on Monday but because of the [PNG general election] polling scheduled for Monday, the courthouse was closed. They will appear for mention once the courthouse is open.”</p>
<p>He said all the cash and other seized properties were now locked away at the police station as exhibits for further investigation, as the police were still investigating.</p>
<p>On July 2, police in Hela, acting on intelligence reports, seized the cash and other property from the suspects when the plane touched down at Komo from Port Moresby.</p>
<p><strong>&#8216;No evidence&#8217; for poll allegations</strong><br />
Police Commissioner David Manning told the P<em>ost-Courier</em> in Hela that he was aware of allegations [related to the election] about how the money was to be used, but police had not found any evidence to support the allegations.</p>
<p>Police Commissioner Manning said the cash was still in police custody.</p>
<p>“It is a very serious allegation that we are putting to the five suspects we have in our custody and the onus is on us to ascertain those facts that will lead to further action to be taken,” he said.</p>
<p>Earlier, Prime Minister James Marape had denied any links with the cash, even though his eldest son Mospal was one of those arrested on that day.</p>
<p>“People are saying the money was meant to assist me, I can confirm that it is not my money, I do not need that money and I did not charter that flight,” he said.</p>
<p>“It is a company charter and for safety reasons they run checks at the airport, because my son was in the vicinity, police rounded up all of them.</p>
<p>&#8220;My son was part of a security detail that was providing security to reporters who had travelled to Komo and the Hides gas site.”</p>
<p><em>Marjorie Finkeo and Miriam Zarriga are PNG Post-Courier reporters. Republished with permission.<br />
</em></p>
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		<title>High profile lawyer faces fresh fraud, money laundering charges in PNG</title>
		<link>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2021/06/13/high-profile-lawyer-faces-fresh-fraud-money-laundering-charges-in-png/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[APR editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Jun 2021 02:54:02 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Justice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pacific Report]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Papua New Guinea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Police]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RNZ Pacific]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Syndicate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Conspiracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fraud]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greg Sheppard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lawyers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money laundering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust funds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Province]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Province People's Dividends Trust Account]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=59152</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[RNZ Pacific A prominent Australian lawyer, Greg Sheppard, has been arrested by Papua New Guinean police and is facing a range of fraud charges. Sheppard, a principal of Young &#38; Williams Lawyers, was arrested on Tuesday in Port Moresby. He was charged with two counts of misappropriation and another two counts of money laundering. READ ]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/"><em>RNZ Pacific</em></a></p>
<p>A prominent Australian lawyer, Greg Sheppard, has been arrested by Papua New Guinean police and is facing a range of fraud charges.</p>
<p>Sheppard, a principal of Young &amp; Williams Lawyers, was arrested on Tuesday in Port Moresby.</p>
<p>He was charged with two counts of misappropriation and another two counts of money laundering.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://asiapacificreport.nz/2021/01/22/png-police-arrest-australian-lawyer-on-k268m-mining-trust-fund-charges/"><strong>READ MORE:</strong> PNG police arrest Australian lawyer on K268m mining trust fund charges</a></li>
<li><a href="https://asiapacificreport.nz/?s=Western+Province+trust+fund">Other Western Province trust fund reports</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Police say the charges relate to Sheppard&#8217;s alleged involvement in the transfer of funds amounting to US$14.5 million (52 million kina) in 2018.</p>
<p>These funds were part of the US$75 million (K268 million) that were unlawfully withdrawn from a trust fund established to finance development projects in PNG&#8217;s Western province, the Western Province People&#8217;s Dividends Trust Account.</p>
<p>Sheppard, 65, was previously arrested and charged by PNG police in January in relation to the same criminal investigation.</p>
<p>At the time he was charged with two counts of conspiracy and another two counts of false pretence.</p>
<p>So far, the defendant has been charged with a total of eight offences.</p>
<p>Sheppard has done extensive work in PNG over recent years, recently representing the country&#8217;s former Prime Minister Peter O&#8217;Neill and Opposition Leader Belden Namah among other prominent leaders.</p>
<p><em>This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.</em></p>
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		<title>PNG police seize K200,000 on ship in suspected money laundering raid</title>
		<link>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2020/07/14/png-police-seize-k200000-on-ship-in-suspected-money-laundering-raid/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Pacific Media Centre]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2020 13:01:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Crime]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pacific Report]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Papua New Guinea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Police]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Transport]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of Papua New Guinea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investigation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money laundering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shipping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smuggling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Water]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=48304</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Jimmy Kalebe in Port Moresby Papua New Guinea police have intercepted and confiscated almost K200,000 (about NZ$90,000) in K2 and K5 notes hidden in a container on a ship which arrived at the Lae wharf in a suspected money laundering case. The cash, packed into three boxes inside the container full of bottles of ]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>By Jimmy Kalebe in Port Moresby</em></p>
<p>Papua New Guinea police have intercepted and confiscated almost K200,000 (about NZ$90,000) in K2 and K5 notes hidden in a container on a ship which arrived at the Lae wharf in a suspected money laundering case.</p>
<p>The cash, packed into three boxes inside the container full of bottles of water, was sent as a consignment to a company in Wewak, East Sepik,the last major town before Indonesia&#8217;s Papuan border.</p>
<p>Lae Metropolitan Superintendent Chief Inspector Chris Kunyanban said local police were tipped off by their counterparts in Port Moresby where the ship had sailed from.</p>
<p><a href="https://emtv.com.pg/foreigners-warned/"><strong>READ MORE:</strong> Minister warns foreigners over fake passports, visas</a></p>
<figure id="attachment_48308" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-48308" style="width: 500px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-48308 size-full" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PNG-Money-Hnads-500wide.png" alt="Seized PNG money" width="500" height="311" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PNG-Money-Hnads-500wide.png 500w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PNG-Money-Hnads-500wide-300x187.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PNG-Money-Hnads-500wide-356x220.png 356w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-48308" class="wp-caption-text">Some of the seized money. Image: PNG Post-Courier</figcaption></figure>
<p>There were 37,503 K2 notes totalling K75,006, and 24,601 K5 notes totalling K123,005.</p>
<p>Kunyanban said after receiving the tip-off from Port Moresby, police secured a search warrant from the district court in Lae and alerted the shipping company.</p>
<p>National crime investigation unit officers in Lae identified the container when the ship arrived on Friday.</p>
<p>“About 90 percent of the container contained water products consigned to a company in Wewak,” Kunyanban said.</p>
<p><strong>Tightly packed with cash</strong><br />
The officers then found the three boxes tightly packed with cash which were placed at the back of the container.</p>
<p>He suspected that it was the work of syndicates involving locals and foreigners.</p>
<p>“Currently, Papua New Guinea is facing a mounting problem with different syndicates brewing which involve locals and foreigners,” he said.</p>
<p>He said money laundering was becoming a problem.</p>
<p>The cash will be kept at the Bank of Papua New Guinea in Lae.</p>
<p>“Police will work with the Bank of PNG to establish which law has been breached and further investigations will be carried out,” he said.</p>
<p>He warned businesses to be mindful of the way they run their operations.</p>
<p>“Especially when shifting huge amount of money from one place to another, be mindful that<br />
shifting large amount of cash in such a manner is not advisable,” he said.</p>
<p><em>Jimmy Kalebe</em> <em>is a National newspaper reporter in Papua New Guinea.</em></p>
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		<title>Tongan police charge Lord Tu’ivakanō with bribery in passport saga probe</title>
		<link>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2018/03/02/tongan-police-charge-lord-tuivakano-with-money-laundering-and-bribery/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kaniva News]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Mar 2018 10:05:37 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crime]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Pacific Report]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tonga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bribery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Corruption]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lord Tu’ivakanō]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money laundering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Parliament]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Passports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tongan nobles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tongan Reserve Bank]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=27341</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Kalino Latu, editor of Kaniva News The king’s noble and former Prime Minister, Lord Tu’ivakanō has been charged with passport offences, money laundering and bribery. Police arrested the former Speaker of Parliament yesterday. “Lord Tu’ivakanō has been charged with numerous crimes, including making a false statement for the purpose of obtaining a passport, perjury, ]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>By Kalino Latu, editor of Kaniva News</em></p>
<p>The king’s noble and former Prime Minister, Lord Tu’ivakanō has been charged with passport offences, money laundering and bribery.</p>
<p><a href="http://kanivatonga.nz/2018/03/police-arrest-former-speaker-and-prime-minister-lord-tuivakano/">Police arrested the former Speaker of Parliament yesterday</a>.</p>
<p>“Lord Tu’ivakanō has been charged with numerous crimes, including making a false statement for the purpose of obtaining a passport, perjury, acceptance of bribery and money laundering,” Police Commissioner Steve Caldwell said.</p>
<p><a href="http://kanivatonga.nz/2017/11/reserve-bank-names-speaker-list-suspicious-money-transfers/"><em>Kaniva News</em> reported last year</a> that Lord Tu’ivakanō and his wife, Joyce Robin Kaho, had been listed by the Tonga National Reserve bank as being allegedly involved in suspicious money transfers.</p>
<p>It followed with a claim by a former staff member at Parliament that Lord Tu’ivakanō used parliamentary staff to improperly transfer money overseas. The noble denied the claim.</p>
<p>“If that was illegal you know which place to take it up with. Anyone in the office of the Parliament is free to do the same thing,” Lord Tu’ivakanō said in response to the former staff.</p>
<p><strong>Passports abuse<br />
</strong>Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva <a href="http://kanivatonga.nz/2014/04/auditor-general-passport-scandals-involved-pms-office/">told the House during a debate in 2013</a>, while he was leader of Opposition and Lord Tu’ivakanō was Prime Minister, that he had information that Tongan blank passports were being abused.</p>
<p>He described the mishandling of the Tongan blank passports as a “net that was thrown outside the circle of the Tongan authorities”.</p>
<p>In 2014, <a href="http://kanivatonga.nz/2014/03/pm-disobeys-kings-order-diplomatic-passport/"><em>Kaniva News</em> revealed e-mails</a> between staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which alleged Lord Tu’ivakanō ignored King Tupou VI’s warning not to issue any more diplomatic passports to Chinese national Sien Lee.</p>
<p>According to the e-mails, Sien Lee is a close friend of the Queen Mother.</p>
<p>At the time, the former Auditor-General, who is now Minister of Finance, Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa, told <em>Kaniva News</em> <a href="http://kanivatonga.nz/2014/04/auditor-general-passport-scandals-involved-pms-office/">Tonga’s passport scandal was one of the two biggest</a> he had come across in the previous three years.</p>
<p>This morning the Police Commissioner said that although he was confined by what he could say publicly, he took the opportunity to thank and commend the Passport Taskforce for their methodical and professional investigation.</p>
<p>&#8220;As criminal charges are now before a Court of Law no further comments<br />
will be made at this time. The Passport investigation continues.”</p>
<p><em>Asia Pacific Report republishes Kaniva News reports by arrangement.</em></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://asiapacificreport.nz/category/pacific-report/tonga/">More Tongan news</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Vanuatu government hopes new laws will save it on global finance &#8216;grey list&#8217;</title>
		<link>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2017/01/26/vanuatu-government-hopes-new-laws-will-save-it-from-global-financial-grey-list/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[APR editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Jan 2017 08:07:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pacific Report]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vanuatu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Banking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Legislation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money laundering]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=18692</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Bob Makin in Port Vila The Vanuatu government’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Committee is confident that the submission of some 31 Bills to Parliament last year should improve Vanuatu’s position on the international reviewers’ &#8220;grey list&#8221;. Some three major review groups are involved. The legislative requirements were made on time. Vanuatu was congratulated by the ]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span id="more-6037"><em>By Bob Makin in Port Vila</em></span></p>
<p>The Vanuatu government’s <a href="http://dailypost.vu/news/anti-money-laundering-and-counter-terrorism-committee-update-reviewers-on/article_d53cb40e-a9b0-5c48-a197-f79d3d364089.html">Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Committee</a> is confident that the submission of some 31 Bills to Parliament last year should improve Vanuatu’s position on the international reviewers’ &#8220;grey list&#8221;.</p>
<p>Some three major review groups are involved. The legislative requirements were made on time.</p>
<p>Vanuatu was congratulated by the international examiners during a recent review of Vanuatu’s progress, the <a href="http://dailypost.vu/news/anti-money-laundering-and-counter-terrorism-committee-update-reviewers-on/article_d53cb40e-a9b0-5c48-a197-f79d3d364089.html"><em>Daily Post</em> reports</a>.</p>
<p>The government intends to introduce a Transport Infrastructure Maintenance Fund, reports Radio Vanuatu. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities has been meeting with stakeholders in the transport industry from the road, maritime and aviation sectors.<b> </b>The roles and objectives of the fund have been explained to the stakeholders, but not, it would seem, with the media.</p>
<p>The question raised in yesterday’s <em>Daily Post</em> about who is <a href="http://dailypost.vu/news/ni-vanuatu-hotel-to-lose-superb-view-to-hong-kong/article_3c11e8c2-fe34-5ecb-8eae-089fbb9f1b74.html">funding the planned luxury Bauerfield air terminal seems to be answered</a>. The MG Group Hotel project from Hong Kong, involved with government and CCECC in airport discussions and agreements, is the backer. And this despite their plans to steal the view of a Ni-Vanuatu hotelier with a magnificent 3-storey view on a hilltop overlooking <em>Daily Post</em>.</p>
<p>MG’s harbour views will block those of Vila Rose Hotel just as it is starting in business.</p>
<p>Japanese tourists will begin arriving in Port Vila in April, on flights from Tokyo’s Narita airport via Port Moresby, PNG. Air Niugini is arranging the flights. A special night trip to Tanna has sold out already.</p>
<p><strong>Mismanagement claimed</strong><br />
Radio Vanuatu reports the Opposition is claiming mismanagement of the Seaside Sanitation Project to assist the Seaside Paama, Tongoa and Futuna communities. The Opposition claims it has received many complaints concerning the quality of the local work. MIPU has dismissed all of the allegations saying the tender is being properly managed. A supervisory committee continues at work.</p>
<p>The Agriculture Department will be offering planting material, especially many varieties of manioc and kumala, tomorrow at Tagabe Ag Station in an effort to improve access to local and more nutritious  <em>kaikai</em>. Farmers and the general public will be able to meet together and discuss garden issues along with food production and security. There is a day-long programme starting at 7:30am.</p>
<p>The Media Association of Vanuatu is planning to become a full member of the International Federation of Journalists. Until now MAV has only been an associate member.</p>
<p>Re-elected MAV president Evelyne Toa saw the move as able to assist local journalists as regards their rights and freedoms.</p>
<p><em>Bob Makin writes for the Vanuatu Daily Digest</em></p>
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		<title>Malcolm Evans on the real Kiwi rip-off</title>
		<link>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2016/04/10/malcolm-evans-on-the-real-kiwi-rip-off/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Malcolm Evans]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Apr 2016 04:16:30 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Cartoons]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Malcolm Evans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money laundering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Student loans]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Tax havens]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=12093</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Panama Papers and New Zealand elite hypocrisy.]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Panama Papers and New Zealand elite hypocrisy.</p>
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		<title>Tax havens among biggest foreign owners of NZ, says CAFCA</title>
		<link>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2016/04/09/tax-havens-among-biggest-foreign-owners-of-nz-says-cafca/</link>
					<comments>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2016/04/09/tax-havens-among-biggest-foreign-owners-of-nz-says-cafca/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[APR editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 09 Apr 2016 06:16:15 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Global]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[British Virgin Islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CAFCA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cayman Islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money laundering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Murray Horton]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Tax havens]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=12043</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The Panama Papers have shone a most welcome  &#8211; and long overdue  light into the murky world of tax havens, offshore trusts and shell companies, says a foreign ownership watchdog. The Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) said today in a statement two &#8220;notorious tax havens&#8221; – the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman ]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The <a href="https://panamapapers.icij.org/the_power_players/" target="_blank">Panama Papers</a> have shone a most welcome  &#8211; and long overdue  light into the murky world of tax havens, offshore trusts and shell companies, says a foreign ownership watchdog.</p>
<p>The Campaign Against Foreign Control of Aotearoa (CAFCA) said today in a statement two &#8220;notorious tax havens&#8221; – the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands – are among the top foreign owners of New Zealand companies.</p>
<figure id="attachment_11952" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-11952" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://panamapapers.icij.org/the_power_players/"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-11952 size-medium" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/maxresdefault-2-300x169.jpg" alt="Victims of Offshore - The full Panama Papers report." width="300" height="169" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/maxresdefault-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/maxresdefault-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/maxresdefault-2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/maxresdefault-2-696x392.jpg 696w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/maxresdefault-2-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/maxresdefault-2-747x420.jpg 747w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/maxresdefault-2.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-11952" class="wp-caption-text">Victims of Offshore &#8211; <a href="https://panamapapers.icij.org/the_power_players/" target="_blank">The full Panama Papers report</a>.</figcaption></figure>
<p>&#8220;In both cases, they rank ahead of China, just to put it into perspective,&#8221; CAFCA said</p>
<p>&#8220;So who are the actual owners? They, of course, remain hidden or even &#8216;confidential&#8217;, because that is the purpose of tax havens,&#8221; said CAFCA coordinator Murray Horton.</p>
<p>&#8220;Who knows what dirty money and ill gotten gains, and from whom and from where, might be coming into New Zealand via these tax havens.</p>
<p>&#8220;But does the government care? Of course not, because it is &#8216;foreign investment&#8217;, which must, by definition, be a good thing. Don’t ask, don’t tell.&#8221;</p>
<p>New Zealand&#8217;s foreign control <strong><a href="http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/key-facts.html" target="_blank">Key Facts</a></strong>:</p>
<p><em>&#8220;Statistics NZ figures, as of March 2015, list the biggest foreign owners of New Zealand companies as being from, in decreasing order: Australia, US, Hong Kong, UK, Singapore, Japan, Canada, Netherlands, <strong>British Virgin Islands</strong>, Ireland, <strong>Cayman Islands</strong>, China, Switzerland, Norway and France.</em></p>
<p><em>&#8220;All had over $160 million in foreign direct investment in New Zealand. These accounted for 96 percent of foreign direct investment in New Zealand and Australia alone accounts for 52 percent. <strong>British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands are tax havens</strong>, and a Statistics New Zealand study showed that in 2010, large proportions of the foreign direct investment from the Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong and <strong>tax havens</strong> was in fact from other countries, led by the UK, US, Germany and Canada.</em></p>
<p><em>&#8220;In 2015, <strong>Other tax havens</strong> with investments in New Zealand companies include Vanuatu, Channel Islands, Liechtenstein, Bermuda and the Bahamas, but for all except Bermuda, the value of their holdings has been suppressed as &#8216;<strong>confidential&#8217;.</strong></em></p>
<p><em>&#8220;Bermuda has shown a negative investment in New Zealand companies since 2009 (negative $1.8 billion in 2015). So has Germany since 2013. Negative investment suggests that the companies may have been loaded with debt to their parents or are technically insolvent.&#8221;</em></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://canterbury.cyberplace.co.nz/community/CAFCA/key-facts.html" target="_blank">The full CAFCA Key Facts plus tables</a></li>
<li><a href="https://panamapapers.icij.org/the_power_players/" target="_blank">The Panama Papers &#8211; the full ICIJ investigation</a></li>
</ul>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2HxEg9qeHzc" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><em>Last night&#8217;s Radio Waatea/The Daily Blog Fifth Estate on the Panama Papers, tax havens and money laundering.<br />
</em></p>
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		<title>Four Corners: The Panama Papers &#8211; secrets of the super rich</title>
		<link>https://asiapacificreport.nz/2016/04/04/four-corners-the-panama-papers-secrets-of-the-super-rich/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[APR editor]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2016 05:36:27 +0000</pubDate>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://asiapacificreport.nz/?p=11894</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[By Marian Wilkinson and Ali Russell It&#8217;s the shadowy world of secret international finance and tax avoidance. &#8220;What we&#8217;re looking at here is really a parallel universe.&#8221; This ABC Four Corners investigation will reveal how the rich and powerful exploit the system. &#8220;What this really says is a lot about the system itself and how ]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="first"><em>By Marian Wilkinson and Ali Russell</em></p>
<p>It&#8217;s the shadowy world of secret international finance and tax avoidance.</p>
<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;What we&#8217;re looking at here is really a parallel universe.&#8221;</em></p></blockquote>
<p>This ABC <em>Four Corners </em>investigation will reveal how the rich and powerful exploit the system.</p>
<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;What this really says is a lot about the system itself and how broke the system is and how crazy the whole thing is.&#8221;</em></p></blockquote>
<p><em>Four Corners&#8217;</em> reporter Marian Wilkinson follows the money trail and it&#8217;s worth trillions of dollars.</p>
<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;I was on their immigration stop list. But we&#8217;ve gotten in.&#8221;</em></p></blockquote>
<p>&#8212; Marian Wilkinson, reporter</p>
<p>Confidential documents from the notorious Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca was made public on Sunday, exposing a vast web of offshore shell companies used by members of the global elite to evade taxes, hoard money, and skirt economic sanctions.</p>
<p><em><strong>The Panama Papers: Secrets of the super rich</strong></em>, reported by Marian Wilkinson and presented by Sarah Ferguson, goes to air on tonight, April 4, at 8.30pm EST.</p>
<p>It is replayed tomorrow, April 5, at 10.00am and Wednesday 6th at 11pm. It can also be seen on <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/abcnews24/">ABC News 24 </a>on Saturday at 8.00pm, <a href="http://iview.abc.net.au/">ABC iview </a>and at <em>abc.net.au/4corners</em>.</p>
<p><em><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/data-leak-reveals-world-wealthy-hide-money-160403192018665.html" target="_blank">Al Jazeera reports:</a></em></p>
<p>A huge leak of 11.5 million documents from a Panama law firm reveals how the world&#8217;s rich hide their money, according to Germany&#8217;s <a href="http://panamapapers.sueddeutsche.de/articles/56febff0a1bb8d3c3495adf4/" target="_blank">Sueddeutsche Zeitung</a> newspaper.</p>
<p>The newspaper on Sunday reported Mossack Fonseca, one of the world&#8217;s most secretive offshore law firms, said it had operated with impunity for decades in its efforts to help clients launder money and avoid tax.</p>
<p>The clients include current and former world leaders, politicians and celebrities.</p>
<p>&#8220;Over a year ago, an anonymous source contacted the Süddeutsche Zeitung and submitted encrypted internal documents from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm that sells anonymous offshore companies around the world,&#8221; the newspaper report said. &#8220;These shell firms enable their owners to cover up their business dealings, no matter how shady.&#8221;</p>
<p>The documents, dubbed the Panama Papers, were obtained by the Munich-based daily newspaper. It shared them with the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and other international news outlets. In total, some 107 media outlets in 78 countries investigated the data.</p>
<p><strong>Largest data leak</strong><br />
&#8220;2.6 terabytes of data, 11.5 millions documents, and 214,000 shell companies: The Panama Papers are the largest data leak journalists have ever worked with,&#8221; <em>Sueddeutsche</em> tweeted on Sunday.</p>
<p>The documents link at least 12 current and former heads of state and 143 other politicians to illicit financial transactions.</p>
<p>Some 140 offshore companies are named in the documents are connected to politicians or public officials and their families.</p>
<p>The most widely circulated revelations from the Panama Papers shed light on the financial transactions that have contributed to the wealth of members of several world leaders&#8217; inner circles.</p>
<p>Though the files appear to show how Mossack Fonseca &#8211; the world&#8217;s fourth largest offshore firm &#8211; helped clients launder money and evade tax, the company says it has never been accused of any wrongdoing.</p>
<p><strong>#PanamaPapers</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-panama-tax-idUKKCN0X100F" target="_blank">Panama Papers probed &#8211; China limits access to news</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2016/04/04/4434529.htm" target="_blank">ABC <em>Four Corners</em> &#8211; The Panama Papers</a></li>
<li><a href="https://news.vice.com/article/the-panama-papers-massive-leak-reveals-the-global-elites-secret-cash-havens" target="_blank">The Panama Papers: Massive leak reveals the global elite&#8217;s secret cash havens &#8211; <em>Vice News</em></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&amp;objectid=11616372" target="_blank">Panama papers: How the rich hide their money &#8211; <em>New Zealand Herald</em></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/03/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-panama-papers" target="_blank">What are the Panama Papers: The biggest leak in history</a></li>
</ul>
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