Category: Analysis & Opinion

Regulatory Watch News

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  Statement from Minister Helen McEntee on the extradition of an Irish national from the United Arab Emirates

  Irish Government

  August 10, 2026

  “I welcome today’s extradition of an Irish national from the United Arab Emirates to face charges here in Ireland.

  “Today is the culmination of years of determined work by An Garda Síochána, successive Governments and officials to ensure that those suspected of serious and organised crime cannot evade the Irish justice system.

  “I want to pay particular tribute to the late John O’Driscoll and former Garda Commissioner Drew Harris for their efforts to tackle serious organised crime and strengthen cooperation with our international law enforcement partners.

  “As Minister for Justice and in the years leading up to the signing of the extradition treaty in October 2024, I saw first hand the tireless efforts of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Department of Justice and the UAE government, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and every agency involved in bringing us to this point.”

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  Italy: House arrests, seizures and searches in €33 million VAT fraud investigation involving the import of clothing from China into the EU

  European Public Prosecutor's Office

  August 10, 2026

  (Luxembourg, 10 August 2026) – At the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Venice (Italy), the judge for preliminary investigations at the Court of Milan issued a house arrest order against two individuals suspected of having managed and used several companies to commit a VAT carousel fraud with an estimated damage of over €33 million, involving the import of clothing from China into the EU.

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  AUSTRAC orders Cryptolink’s crypto ATMs offline

  Austrac

  August 10, 2026

  AUSTRAC has suspended Cryptolink Pty Ltd’s registration amid ongoing concerns about its compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) obligations. Cryptolink is a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) that operates a network of cryptocurrency automatic teller machines (CATMs) across Australia. CATMs allow customers to exchange cash for cryptocurrency. AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said Cryptolink’s VASP registration was suspended for three months from Sunday 9 August and it is no longer allowed to operate its 96 CATMs. “As part of our continued focus on digital currency as a money laundering risk, AUSTRAC has ongoing concerns about the company's ability to manage high-risk transactions through its CATMs,” Mr Thomas said.