Category: Asia-Pacific

Regulatory Watch News

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  10 Year Anniversary of the UK’s Public Private Partnerships

  UK Government

  July 18, 2025

  This year marks 10 years since the launch of the Joint Money Laundering Intelligence Taskforce (JMLIT). Piloted in 2015, JMLIT was an innovative project co-developed by the National Crime Agency, Home Office, City of London Police, UK Finance and a small number of financial institutions. It was designed to establish an active partnership between government and industry. The JMLIT pilot was considered remarkably forward-thinking - no comparative initiative existed in any equivalent country, or against any other serious and organised crime type. It introduced a novel approach to cross-sector partnership in which the public and private sector could exchange, analyse and disseminate information and intelligence to detect, prevent and disrupt economic crime, on a scale not previously attempted.

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  Croatia: EPPO opens probe on suspicion of fraud in €1.2 million waste sorting plant in Mali Lošinj

  European Public Prosecutor's Office

  July 18, 2025

  (Luxembourg, 18 July 2025) – The European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) in Zagreb (Croatia) has opened an investigation into possible irregularities involving the public procurement procedure for the construction of a €1.2 million waste sorting plant in the city of Mali Lošinj, co-financed by the EU. The suspects include an official of the city administration and the manager of a utility company co-owned by the municipality, who are under investigation for possible abuse of office and authority and aiding and abetting.  The two are suspected of having manipulated public procurement procedures to favour a specific construction company, in connection to a project to construct and equip the Kalvarija waste sorting plant, co-financed by the Cohesion Fund through the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014–2020, with 85% of eligible costs covered.

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  EU approves strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date

  July 18, 2025

  "We are standing firm. The EU just approved one of its strongest sanctions package against Russia to date. We’re cutting the Kremlin’s war budget further, going after 105 more shadow fleet ships, their enablers, and limiting Russian banks’ access to funding. Nord Steam pipelines will be banned. A lower price cap. We are putting more pressure on Russia's military industry, China's banks that enables sanctions evasion, and blocking tech exports used in drones." Kaja Kallas Vice-President of the European Commission