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a local community leader said that attack was blamed on the cooperative for the development of the congo codeco militia which claims to protect the lendu community from rival ethnic group the hema this tragedy also resulted in the renewed displacement of over 7 800 people from the site destruction of shelter and personal belongings the iom said iom condemns this heinous violation of international humanitarian law and recalls that attacks against civilians may constitute war crimes it added on thursday the international criminal court in the hague announced it will examine allegations of war crimes by armed groups in the democratic republic of congo s volatile east after kinshasa made a new formal referral to the tribunal kinshasa has accused the m23 rebel group of attacks in the drc s mineral rich north kivu and says rwanda is backing the tutsi led militia kigali denies any involvement in the violence armed groups have plagued much of the eastern drc for three decades a legacy of regional wars that flared in the 1990s and 2000s related 12 killed in east dr congo militia attack congo army m23 trade blame for ceasefire violation children among 46 killed in attack in east drc hrw mass graves found in east dr congo village view original https www theeastafrican co ke tea news east africa one million civilians flee congo as attacks surge 4273798 ends posted by ingrid j jones at monday june 19 2023 no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels codeco death toll dr congo hema hemedti humanitarian aid icc outreach programme icc trust fund for victims iom kigali lendu m23 rebel group militia north kivu population rwanda tutsi war crimes sunday june 18 2023 icc prosecutor s statement on referral by drc statement of the prosecutor of the icc karimaakhankc on the referral by the democratic republic of the congo regarding the situation in its territory ️ https t co u5tgseniq0 int l criminal court intlcrimcourt june 15 2023 ends posted by ingrid j jones at sunday june 18 2023 no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels icc kony lra drc uganda icc outreach programme icc trust fund for victims friday november 19 2021 breaking africa s biggest ever leak dirty millions stashed in washington dc real estate note from congo watch editor thanks to the sentry in washington dc for sending me their report copied here in full breaking congo hold up africa s biggest ever data leak reveals dirty millions stashed in washington dc real estate november 19 2021 washington dc red flags for corruption money laundering and other financial crimes were ignored as millions of dollars linked to the former president of the democratic republic of congo drc traveled through a maze of business transactions and were stashed in quiet residential neighborhoods surrounding the us capital washington dc according to a new investigative report by the sentry embezzled empire the sentry s revelations come today in the first wave of congo hold up a series of investigative reports by an international consortium of non profit organizations and media outlets the millions of leaked bank records obtained by the platform to protect whistleblowers in africa pplaaf and the french news group mediapart and shared with the sentry and other consortium partners by pplaaf and european investigative collaborations eic represent the largest confidential data leak in african history michelle kendler kretsch investigator at the sentry said the congo hold up leak is the clearest evidence to date of the powerful combination of tools the kabila family had their fingertips to embezzle public funds including a bank and a maze of companies all under their control how the former president s brother purchased millions of dollars worth of real estate in the us and south africa it appears in part using funds diverted from the congolese government is only one of many scandals now being revealed using this massive trove of leaked bank statements emails contracts bills and corporate records this level of detail offers an unparalleled view of the previously secret machinery used to plunder congolese public funds john prendergast co founder of the sentry said rarely is the world afforded such a clear and comprehensive view into the ways a state can be captured every theft of public money backroom deal and shell company and every failure along the way to stop the chain of illicit transactions with this magnitude of evidence in the congo hold up leak there should be no delay in bringing the corrupt perpetrators their accomplices and international enablers to justice at a time of political turmoil francis selemani the brother of former drc president joseph kabila funneled steadily more money into real estate investments abroad especially in the us the sentry s investigation reveals how selemani s nine year tenure in a senior management position at bgfibank drc gave the kabila family and their allies access to a financial institution they could use to launder the proceeds of corruption oversight of bgfibank drc s activities was badly deficient as the bank s own internal audit found enabling the kabila family to circulate funds clandestinely throughout their business network justyna gudzowska director of illicit finance policy at the sentry said when the brother of a notoriously corrupt ruler is able to launder millions of dollars into real estate just a stone s throw from the us capital it s high time to close the loopholes that allow this type of activity to flourish the real estate industry has been far too happy to turn a blind eye to dirty money stolen from the world s poorest countries and the exemption for real estate professionals in the us anti money laundering framework should be revoked without delay j r mailey director of investigations at the sentry said the congo hold up leak is a paper trail of 3 5 million documents that leads to one central conclusion banks are the arteries of a kleptocracy they provide a place to park looted state assets a vessel for paying and receiving bribes a veil to disguise the origin and destination of illicit funds and a conduit for stashing money in property abroad the investigations published as part of this consortium provide a glimpse into how one of the world s poorest countries has hemorrhaged untold wealth but they also provide governments law enforcement agencies and financial institutions with the evidence needed to take meaningful action the findings should prompt prosecutions sanctions asset seizures hefty fines and an overhaul of several countries anti money laundering regimes in the us the full spectrum of anti money laundering requirements only covers some of the professionals involved in a real estate transaction real estate professionals can provide valuable financial intelligence on possible illicit motives but are subject to fewer government reporting requirements than financial institutions selected excerpts from the sentry s report although president joseph kabila s final term as head of the democratic republic of congo drc was set to end in december 2016 he clung to power and delayed elections for another two years while the eyes of many observers were fixed on the election stalling tactics in kinshasa kabila s brother francis selemani purchased numerous luxury homes in the united states and south africa it appears at least in part using funds diverted from the congolese government at the time selemani was managing director of bgfibank drc the congolese subsidiary of gabon based bgfibank group selemani and the kabila family used a network of companies and the bank they controlled to misappropriate public funds transferring millions abroad and purchasing millions of dollars in foreign real estate because many of selemani s real estate acquisitions were all cash purchases he was able to avoid the standard due diligence performed in connection with bank financing due diligence that might have raised questions about the source of his wealth selemani and the kabila family moved substantial sums through bgfibank drc with little to no resistance among the most problematic transactions according to an internal audit at bgfibank drc were multimillion dollar transfers involving an obscure company called sud oil among the bank records in the congo hold up leak are documents revealing that between 2015 and 2018 sud oil sent more than 12 million to accounts and companies owned or controlled by selemani investigations by the sentry congo research group and other members of the congo hold up consortium show that sud oil received at least 85 million in funds from a range of congolese government institutions including the central bank of congo the drc s permanent mission to the united nations in new york the congolese state owned mining company gécamines and the country s electoral commission selemani purchased 17 properties for a total of 6 6 million in the affluent suburbs of washington dc and johannesburg south africa the sentry identified a range of irregularities misrepresentations and inconsistencies in transactions connected to bank accounts held by selemani and his companies that are red flags for money laundering and other financial crimes funds received from public institutions lacked justification and the sources of funding for some transfers were misrepresented selemani and his companies received almost 3 million in us and south african bank accounts for which the wire transfers bore apparently inaccurate details selemani used corporate vehicles that obscured his identity as the owner of all but one of the 17 real estate purchases discovered by the sentry selemani had originally purchased nine properties in his own name but he then transferred ownership to a commercial company and to trusts he controlled including by selling them to his own company in a series of operations that is a red flag for money laundering through real estate key recommendations complete recommendations in the report open an investigation into these real estate purchases authorities in the united states and south africa should investigate the source of funds used by selemani and his relatives to buy properties in their respective countries if appropriate they should pursue legal mechanisms to forfeit and seize properties purchased with the proceeds of corruption or other illicit means conduct a thorough internal investigation any financial institution that has engaged in a correspondent banking relationship with bgfibank drc or processed transactions involving the bank should conduct a thorough internal investigation to ascertain whether it has participated in violations of law or contravened internal policies the investigation should include a review of the financial institution s internal controls around anti money laundering aml and anti corruption compliance appropriate remedial action should be implemented immediately ensure that the us and south african real estate sectors comply with financial action task force fatf customer due diligence standards the us department of the treasury s financial crimes enforcement network fincen should require real estate agents and other professionals involved in real estate transactions such as lawyers to maintain aml programs file suspicious activity reports and comply with other record keeping and reporting requirements including the identification of beneficial ownership information and source of funds south africa s financial intelligence centre fic should vigorously enforce the 2017 additions to the financial intelligence centre act fica that put these requirements in place fincen and the fic should provide training and testing to ensure compliance with established standards issue a public advisory on the money laundering risks in real estate fincen should issue an updated public advisory to us financial institutions warning of the risks for money laundering through real estate including the involvement of family members of politically exposed persons peps highlighted in this report fincen should also expand and make permanent the geographic targeting order gto program to cover all real estate purchases regardless of location in the us read the full report https thesentry org reports embezzled empire visit the congo hold up coalition hub https congoholdup com for media inquiries or interview requests please contact greg hittelman director of communications 1 310 717 0606 gh thesentry org about the sentry the sentry is an investigative and policy team that follows the dirty money connected to african war criminals and transnational war profiteers and seeks to shut those benefiting from violence out of the international financial system by disrupting the cost benefit calculations of those who hijack governments for self enrichment we seek to counter the main drivers of conflict and create new leverage for peace human rights and good governance the sentry is composed of financial investigators international human rights lawyers and regional experts as well as former law enforcement agents intelligence officers policymakers investigative journalists and banking professionals co founded by george clooney and john prendergast the sentry is a strategic partner of the clooney foundation for justice posted by ingrid j jones at friday november 19 2021 no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels bgfibank congo drc fatf fica fincen gabon georgeclooney j r mailey john pendergast joseph kabila justyna gudzowska kabila kinshasa money laundering selemani sudoil the sentry sunday march 01 2020 rare monkey photographed in congo s newest national park ntokou pikounda rare monkey photographed in congo s newest national park ntokou pikounda report from phys org by wildlife conservation society dated 16 april 2015 photo the first photograph ever taken of bouvier s red colobus an adult female and infant the image was taken in the republic of congo s ntokou pikounda national park in early march 2015 credit lieven devreese view original https phys org news 2015 04 rare monkey congo national ntokou pikounda html posted by ingrid j jones at sunday march 01 2020 no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels bouvier s red colobus conservation monkey ntokou pikounda national park wildlife conservation society older posts home subscribe to posts atom blog archive 2023 4 october 1 un nearly 7 million people are now internally dis june 3 2021 1 november 1 2020 1 march 1 2019 9 september 4 august 2 july 1 june 1 april 1 2013 5 july 4 march 1 2010 54 december 3 november 4 october 3 september 10 august 2 july 1 june 3 may 1 april 8 march 4 february 4 january 11 2009 116 december 6 november 14 october 2 september 3 august 17 july 10 june 1 may 2 april 7 march 9 february 20 january 25 2008 94 december 29 november 35 october 22 september 5 august 3 2007 8 september 1 june 1 may 1 march 1 february ...