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Regulatory Watch News

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  Sanctions End-Use Controls

  OFSI

  April 23, 2026

  Yesterday, legislation was laid before Parliament to introduce Sanctions End-Use Controls into specified trade sanctions regimes. These powers will come into force on 12th May 2026. 

  To assist businesses, OTSI has published guidance on how these controls will be used. 

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  OLAF Report 2025: €597 million to be recovered from fraud and irregularities following OLAF recommendations

  OLAF

  April 23, 2026

  In 2025, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) recommended the recovery of misused EU funds amounting to almost €600 million, according to its annual report released today. OLAF investigations further prevented €18 million from being unduly spent, reinforcing OLAF's role as the key guardian of the EU budget. Over the year, OLAF closed a total of 209 investigations, while opening 254 new investigations. The annual report highlights OLAF's results and details its ongoing commitment to safeguarding the EU's financial interests. Notably, this year's report introduces two significant innovations: OLAF formulates recommended actions for relevant stakeholders, designed to foster a more effective and coordinated approach to combating fraud and irregularities. The report also provides a detailed breakdown of how much OLAF helped to return to the EU budget over the past decade.

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  Searches at wholesaler in investigation into money laundering and violation of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (Wwft)

  Fiscal Information and Investigation Service - FIOD

  April 23, 2026

  On Wednesday, April 22, 2026, the FIOD conducted six searches as part of a criminal investigation. The suspects, a wholesaler of flowers and plants and two employees aged 58 and 25 from the municipalities of Zevenaar and Arnhem, are suspected of money laundering and violating the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act (Wwft). Two business premises, three homes, and a storage unit in the municipalities of Westland, Zevenaar, and Arnhem were searched. During the searches, cash, cryptocurrency, bank accounts, data carriers, and administrative records were seized.