Buying Properties Bulgaria

In June 2001, Italian law enforcement arrested two Bologna businessmen in Operation Molocchio (Evil Eye) on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering. Officials described the two as white-collar criminals who served as commercial brokers for leading organized crime gangs. They laundered vast sums of the gangs’ narcotics profits by investing the money in offshore companies involved in such activities as buying metals from Eastern Europe and exotic fruits from the Caribbean. The operation resulted in the confiscation of 17 real estate holdings, 2 yachts, 14 companies, 18 banks accounts, and stocks, for a total of U.S. $20 million. ... [Read More]

International Narcotics Control Strategy Reports

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORTMARCH 1995BUREAU FOR INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS FINANCIAL CRIMES AND MONEY LAUNDERING11995 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORTOVERVIEWThere were a number of significant accomplishments in the world of money laundering in 1994, and a number of new and/or intensified concerns. Accomplishments and concerns are summarized here and explained in detailed sections below.Accomplishments. Several financial center governments, such as Singapore and Panama, have adopted broad, new anti-money laundering policies and/or laws, and a number of governments were in the final stages of presenting/adopting new legislation.The Financial Action Task Force completed the evaluations of each of its 26 member governments, all conducted by outside experts and all culminating in recommendations for changes and improvements which will be monitored through continuing examinations be ... [Read More]

International Narcotics Control Strategy Reports

US DEPARTMENT OF STATEBUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS MATTERSINTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRAGEGY REPORTAPRIL 1994FINANCIAL CRIMES AND MONEY LAUNDERING1994 INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORTINTERNATIONAL MONEY LAUNDERINGOVERVIEWIntelligence findings from North and South America, Eastern and Western Europe, South and East Asia, Africa and the Middle East confirm that another significant shift has occurred in money laundering trends and methods, requiring changes in policy and strategy for 1994.The critical aspects are the volume of non-drug related money laundering; increased investment of illegal proceeds in legitimate business, including the financial industry; and the targeting of financial systems in countries/territories (some with little or no domestic involvement in drug trading or other serious proceeds-generating crimes) to launder drug and other proceeds generated by crimes committed in other jurisdictions.In 1988, when the United Nations Convention was ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

The Embassy pays all rent and utilities (except telephone and cable). Employees pay for gardening service, if applicable, and maid services. Most routine residential repair and maintenance is the responsibility of private landlords and housing companies or in the case of USG-owned properties, GSO/Facilities Maintenance. GSO will process all work requests for approval by a GSO Officer or by private landlords.  Occupants are expected to maintain and keep their premises in good order. ... [Read More]

2004 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Cyprus

The Government did not restrict Greek Cypriots from traveling to north Cyprus, but generally discouraged them from staying at former Greek Cypriot owned properties, gambling in the north, or buying or developing property there. The Government prohibited Turkish nationals from crossing from the north to the south. ...

There were also numerous press reports that some Greek Cypriot supporters of the Annan plan were verbally and physically harassed for their political views by opponents of the plan. Some supporters were reportedly intimidated to the point that they would not publicly identify themselves as plan proponents. "Yes" stickers in favor of the plan were removed from public and private properties and replaced with "no" stickers, and some "yes" billboards and information kiosks were vandalized. In one incident, a threat was made against a teenager at his school in the form of graffiti that reportedly identified the student by name and stated that "the 'no' [to the Annan plan] would be written in your blood." After reporting the incident, one newspaper received a phone threat that the teenager would be "the first victim after the referendum." ... [Read More]

J) Europe and Central Asia

Accomplishments. The Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA) allocated approximately U.S. $1.2 million in 2002, for multilateral and bilateral UN projects against drugs and tobacco. The GOS National Action Plan 2002-2005 allocates U.S. $32.5 million for anti drug-efforts. About U.S. $10 million will be invested in rehabilitation of inmates, staff training and research. The rest will be distributed to the 289 municipalities for counternarcotics projects. Since 1999, it is a criminal offense to drive under the influence of narcotics or certain prescription drugs with narcotic or hallucinogenic properties. ... [Read More]

International Narcotics Control Strategy Reports

FINANCIAL CRIMES AND MONEY LAUNDERINGMONEY LAUNDERINGOVERVIEWIn 1992, the major trends affecting money laundering policy were: (1) further sophistication of money laundering practices; (2) greater investment of drug and other illicit proceeds into established businesses, both to conceal money movements and to capitalize on illicit profits; (3) the internationalization of money laundering networks whose operations involve an ever larger number of countries and territories, regardless of their importance as financial centers or as drug producing or transit countries; and (4) the intensified involvement of the Sicilian Mafia and other criminal organizations in Europe, Asia and the Western Hemisphere who comingle proceeds from many crimes to confound investigators, and are now acting as brokers for funds unrelated to their own trafficking activities. These trends have made it more difficult to differentiate between drug-related money laundering and other forms of illegal money m ... [Read More]

Report on Global Anti-Semitism

January 5, 2005 Executive Summary I.  Anti-SemitismAnti-Semitism has plagued the world for centuries. Taken to its most far-reaching and violent extreme, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism resulted in the deaths of millions of Jews and the suffering of countless others. Subtler, less vile forms of anti-Semitism have disrupted lives, decimated religious communities, created social and political cleavages, and complicated relations between countries as well as the work of international organizations. For an increasingly interdependent world, anti-Semitism is an intolerable burden. The increasing frequency and severity of anti-Semitic incidents since the start of the 21st century, particularly in Europe, has compelled the international com ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

Most employees arrive in Sofia by plane on Lufthansa — code share partner of the United Airline. Flights on American carriers from the U.S. fly to Frankfurt, Paris, London, Vienna, Zurich, and Munich. From these cities, foreign airlines provide reasonably good connections to Sofia. To avoid possible conflict with the Fly America Act, consider Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, or Vienna as the nearest points to Sofia served by an American carrier. Note that Sofia time is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) + 2, whereas Yugoslavia and the countries of central and Western Europe are on GMT/UTC + 1. For information about buying European cars and driving to Sofia, see Automobiles and Touring and Outdoor Activities. ... [Read More]

Bulgaria

NGOs and certain denominations claimed that a number of their properties confiscated under the communist government were not returned. For example, the Muslim community asserted that it once owned at least 17 properties around the country that the Government has not returned. The Government also reportedly retained six buildings in Sofia, three in Plovdiv, and several other buildings in other towns, as well as three monasteries that belonged to the Catholic Church. Methodists and Adventists also claimed land or buildings in Sofia and other towns. A representative of the Jewish community stated that former Jewish properties had mostly been recovered over the last 10 years, with two exceptions in downtown Sofia. The head of the Office on Restitution Issues stated that the list of outstanding claims was shorter during the year, and that the law permits resolution of claims if a timely filing was made. However, a central problem facing all claimants was the need to demonstrate ... [Read More]