NEWS: EU to harmonise anti-corruption laws, offenders face up to five years in prison

Regulatory Watch News

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  GRECO President underlines role of corruption prevention at local level in countering democratic backsliding

  GRECO

  October 28, 2026

  On 27 October 2026, GRECO President David Meyer addressed the 51st Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, during a joint debate on early warning instruments against democratic backsliding. He underlined that preventing corruption and promoting integrity in local and regional government are essential to the health of democracies. In this context, he recalled that GRECO’s Sixth Evaluation Round, launched in March 2025, is the first to address corruption prevention at local and regional levels, where citizens most directly experience public authority.

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  Arrest in investigation into tax fraud

  Fiscal Information and Investigation Service - FIOD

  October 28, 2026

   

  On Tuesday, October 27, the FIOD arrested a suspect and conducted searches in an investigation into tax fraud. A man from Amsterdam was taken in for questioning. His home and a business premises in Beverwijk were searched, and data carriers were seized. The man was released after questioning.

  The criminal investigation was launched following a tip from the Tax and Customs Administration. The suspect was the owner of a food business. During two unannounced on-site inspections in 2021 and 2022, the Tax and Customs Administration noted that no physical records were present within the company

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  Sydney man charged for allegedly laundering $123m of criminal proceeds

  Australia Federal Police

  October 28, 2026

    A Sydney man has been charged over his alleged role in a transnational criminal network suspected of laundering more than $123 million on behalf of multiple organised crime syndicates, with the AFP seizing about $750,000 in cash from a suburban home. The man, 40, has been charged with one count of recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime worth $10 million or more, contrary to section 400.2B(6) of the Criminal Code (Cth) and one count of recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime worth $100,000 or more, contrary to section 400.4(2) of the Criminal Code (Cth)