Malta

Announcement by the Malta Financial Services Authority that it has imposed a five-year disqualification on Karl Schranz for his "lack of honesty and integrity" regarding corporate services providers RES Malta Ltd. and SOLV International Ltd.

Announcement by the Malta Financial Services Authority that it has imposed a fine of €25,700 against Artex Risk Solutions (Malta) Limited for failure "to submit the audited financial statements within the regulatory deadline". Editor's Note: Research by OffshoreAlert showed that, in filings with the Malta Business Registry, Artex Risk Solutions (Malta) Limited identifies its directors as Evander Borg, of Malta; Stuart Ciappara, of Malta; Nicholas Peter Heys, of Guernsey, and Martin Thomas Le Pelley, of Guernsey; its shareholders as Artex Risk Solutions (Guernsey) Limited and Artex Risk Solutions (Holdings) Limited, both of Guernsey, and its auditor as Ernst & Young Malta Limited.

Announcement by the Malta Financial Services Authority that it has imposed a fine of €29,675 against Osprey Insurance Brokers Co. Limited for failure "to submit the audited financial statements within the regulatory deadline". Editor's Note: Research by OffshoreAlert showed that, in filings with the Malta Business Registry, Osprey Insurance Brokers Co. Limited identifies its directors as Martin Azzopardi, Suzanne Marie Chambers, Stuart Ciappara, all of Malta, and Martin Thomas Le Pelley, of Guernsey; its sole shareholder as Artex Holdings (Malta) Limited, and its auditor as Ernst & Young Malta Limited.

Announcement by the Malta Financial Services Authority that it has imposed a fine of €32,175 against Risk Insurance Brokers Limited for failure "to submit the audited financial statements within the regulatory deadline". Editor's Note: Research by OffshoreAlert showed that, in filings with the Malta Business Registry, Risk Insurance Brokers Limited identifies its directors as Mario Ellul, and Dorothy Sciortino, both of Malta; its sole shareholder as Dorothy Sciortino, and its auditor as CA Falzon, of Malta.

Complaint alleging breach of contract in World Fuel Services Europe Ltd., of England v. Hermes Maritime Co. Ltd., described as Malta-domiciled company based in Greece, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Announcement by the Malta Financial Services Authority that it has imposed directives against MPM Capital Investments Limited, including that the company must "submit a complete list of MPM's clients as at 31 January 2020". Editor's Note: Research by OffshoreAlert showed that, in the Malta Business Registry, the directors of MPM Capital Investments Limited are identified as Alexander Mangion and Melvyn Mangion, who are both Maltese, and its shareholders as Capitalex Limited, which is owned by Alexander Mangion, and Consulta Limited, which is owned by Melvyn Mangion. The company was incorporated on May 11th, 2009, has Keith Massa as its auditor, and maintains a website at www.mpmci.net.

The cryptocurrency industry had its own 'Red Wedding' at federal court in Manhattan yesterday when 11 class action complaints alleging the sale of unregistered securities were filed against 42 defendants in the BVI, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Estonia, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Malta, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, USA, and Vietnam.

Class Action Complaint alleging the sale of unregistered securities involving digital tokens known as EOS, BNT, SNT, QSP, KNC, TRX, FUN, ICX, OMG, LEND, ELF, and CVC in Eric Lee and Chase Williams v. Binance, described as the Malta-domiciled "largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, with a market capitalization of $1.3 billion"; Changpeng Zhao, described as a resident of Taiwan; Yi He, described as a resident of Malta, and Roger Wang, described as a resident of Malta, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Complaint alleging fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and intentional interference with advantageous or business relationship regarding Plaintiff's book 'Lucifer's Banker: The Untold Story of How I destroyed Swiss Bank Secrecy' in Bradley C. Birkenfeld, a United States citizen residing in Malta who is best-known for whistleblowing on UBA AG, of Switzerland v. Leonard A. Lauder, described as "chairman emeritus" and former CEO of Estée Lauder cosmetics and fragrances firm, and Kevin M. Costner, described as "an American actor, director, producer, and musician", at the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit, in and for Palm Beach County, Florida. Editor's Note: This complaint was filed at state court in Florida 12 days after a similar complaint was dismissed at federal court in Miami for "lack of jurisdiction".

The Malta Financial Services Authority has cancelled the investment license of AIS Capital Management Investment Fund SICAV PLC, whose directors are Briton Paul Chandler and American/Maltese Richard Wight.

Announcement by the Malta Financial Services Authority that it has imposed an administrative penalty of €23,000 against deVere & Partners Holding Limited for providing "insurance distribution activities" without a license.

Complaint in Steven Cody Reynolds, a resident of Oregon described as "an experienced investor in cryptocurrencies" v. Binance Holdings Ltd., described as "a Cayman Islands limited company with headquarters in the Republic of Malta", at the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Chapter 11 Petition by OneWeb Global Limited, of England; 1021823 B.C. Ltd., of Canada; Network Access Associates Limited, of England; OneWeb ApS, of Greenland; OneWeb Chile SpA, of Chile; OneWeb Communications Limited, of England; OneWeb G.K., of Japan; OneWeb Global Limited, of England; OneWeb Holdings LLC, of New York; OneWeb Limited, of Jersey, in the Channel Islands; OneWeb Ltd., of Malta; OneWeb Network Access Holdings Limited, of England; OneWeb Norway AS, of Norway; WorldVu Australia Pty Ltd., of Australia; WorldVu Development LLC, of Nevada; WorldVu JV Holdings LLC, of Delaware; WorldVu Mexico, S. DE R. L. DE C.V., of Mexico; WorldVu Satellites Limited, of Jersey, in the Channel Islands; WorldVu South Africa (Pty) Ltd., of South Africa, and WorldVu Unipessoal Lda, of Portugal, at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Announcement by the Malta Financial Services Authority that it has cancelled the collective investment scheme license of AIS Capital Management Investment Fund SICAV Plc. Editor's Note: Research by OffshoreAlert showed that, in the Malta Business Registry, the company's directors are identified as Paul Simon Chandler, a citizen of the United Kingdom, and Richard Thomson Wight, a dual citizen of the United States and Malta, while previous directors were Timothy Andrew Sharman, a citizen of the United Kingdom; Noel Vella, and Benjamin Muscat, both of Malta.

Chapter 15 Petition for Recognition of a Foreign Main Proceeding in Curaçao by Valerie P. Maria, as the Foreign Representative of IIG Trade Opportunities Fund NV, at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Announcement by the Malta Financial Services Authority that it has reprimanded Altarius Asset Management Limited and its directors "at the time of the deficiencies identified by the Authority", Heinz Daxl, a citizen of Austria; Pierre Maliczak, a citizen of France, and Peter Mitterlehner, a citizen of Austria.

Superseding Indictment alleging computer hacking, fraud, identity theft, and money laundering involving "a sophisticated phishing campaign targeting users of Poloniex, Binance, and Gemini's digital currency exchanges" in USA v. Danil Potekhin and Dmitrii Karasavidi, both residents of Russia, at the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Announcement by the Malta Financial Services Authority regarding penalties against Hollingsworth International Financial Services Limited and Mark Hollingsworth. Editor's Note: Research by OffshoreAlert showed that, in the Malta Business Registry, the sole shareholder of Hollingsworth International Financial Services Limited was identified as Dominion Fiduciary Trust Limited, of Jersey, in the Channel Islands, on behalf of the Ultimate Beneficial Owner, Mark Hollingsworth, 51, a citizen of the United Kingdom.

Chapter 15 Petition for Recognition of a Foreign Main Proceeding in England by Steven Parker and Trevor Binyon, of Opus Restructuring, as the Foreign Representatives of Dooga Ltd., a Maltese-owned British firm whose "Cubits" cryptocurrency exchange closed down in 2018 following an alleged €27 million fraud involving "payment processor" Pay Secure Online Limited, d.b.a. Paysec, and "three Chinese nationals called Lui Caifeng, Liu Lin, and Yajuan She", at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. Editor's Note: Research by OffshoreAlert showed that, in the Malta Business Registry, the owner of Pay Secure Online Limited is identified as David Murphy, a British national with an address in Thailand, while directors have included Richard John Barry, a British national residing in Dubai, and Dimitar Stefanov Georgiev, a citizen and resident of Bulgaria, who both resigned on March 2nd, 2018, and the auditor is Antoine Borg, of Malta. On May 15th, 2019, the Malta Financial Services Authority issued a "warning" that Paysec "is NOT licenced NOR authorised by the MFSA to provide any investment or other financial services which are required to be licenced or otherwise authorised under Maltese law".

Complaint alleging fraud in Trafalgar Multi Asset Trading Company Limited (in Liquidation), of the Cayman Islands v. James David Hadley, Thomas William Gordon Biggar, Stuart Neil Chapman-Clark, Andrew Christopher Jones, Titan Capital Partners Limited, of England; CGrowth Capital Bond Limited, of England; William MacFarland Wright III, of USA; Pinnacle Brokers Limited (in Liquidation), of Malta; Mark Lloyd, Vivere Forti International Foundation, of Panama; Kirsty Louise Platt, of Spain; Platinum Pyramid Limited, of England, and Bentley Jarrard Thwaite at the High Court of Justice of England and Wales.

Winding Up Petition in Colville LLC, of Delaware v. Duet Real Estate Partners 1 LP, of the Cayman Islands, at the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands.

Announcement by Malta Financial Services Authority that it has revised its Directive of August 22nd, 2018 regarding Portmann Capital Management Limited.

New Freezing Order in Malta Police v. Yorgen Fenech, a Maltese businessman who is being investigated for suspected involvement in the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, at Malta Magistrates Court.

The Malta Financial Services Authority has cancelled the registration of corporate services provider E&S Consultancy Limited for various regulatory breaches, including not being "fit and proper".

Public Notice by the Malta Financial Financial Services Authority regarding an administrative penalty against Adrian Pace.

Public Notice by the Malta Financial Financial Services Authority regarding a reprimand against John Mifsud.

New York-based, Cayman Islands-administered investment adviser International Investment Group LLC, which is affiliated with Malta's IIG Bank, with both owned by a bankrupt fund in Curaçao, committed "a string of frauds to cover up tens of millions of dollars in losses", the SEC has alleged.

Public Notice by the Malta Financial Services Authority that it has cancelled the registration of E&S Consultancy Limited, a corporate services provider whose directors are Christian Ellul, Karl Schranz, and Mariella Baldacchino.

Publication Notice by the Malta Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit that it has imposed a fine of €57,500 on Bank of Valletta Plc for regulatory breaches.

Joint Letter regarding discovery disputes in U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Benjamin Alderson and Bradley Hamilton at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Non-Party Pryor Cashman LLP's Motion Opposing Defendant Alderson's Motion to Authorize Alternative Service of Subpoenas regarding Nigel Green, described as a resident of Dubai; Beverley Yeomans, described as a resident of Malta, and deVere Group Ltd., described as domiciled in Dubai, in U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Benjamin Alderson and Bradley Hamilton at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Motion by Defendant Benjamin Alderson for an Order Authorizing Alternative Service of Subpoenas on non-parties Nigel Green, deVere Group Ltd., and Beverley Yeomans in U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Benjamin Alderson and Bradley Hamilton at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Letter notifying the Court that IIG Trade Opportunities Fund NV has been petitioned into bankruptcy in Curaçao by three Ireland investment funds in Girobank NV and Girobank International NV, both of Curaçao v. IIG Trade Opportunities Fund NV, of Curaçao; IIG Capital LLC, of New York, and The International Investment Group LLC, of New Jersey, at the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York.

Discovery Status Report regarding securities fraud allegations against former employees of deVere USA in U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Benjamin Alderson, described in the complaint in 2018 as a citizen of the United Kingdom residing in the Bahamas, and Bradley Hamilton, described in the complaint as a citizen and resident of the United Kingdom, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Discovery Status Report regarding securities fraud allegations against former employees of deVere USA in U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Benjamin Alderson, described in the complaint in 2018 as a citizen of the United Kingdom residing in the Bahamas, and Bradley Hamilton, described in the complaint as a citizen and resident of the United Kingdom, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Complaint for "an illegal and fraudulent 'binary options' trading scheme" involving companies in Anguilla, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Israel, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the United Kingdom in Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Yukom Communications Ltd., of Israel; Linkopia Mauritius Ltd., of Mauritius; Wirestech Limited, d.b.a. BigOption, of the Marshall Islands; WSB Investments Ltd., d.b.a. BinaryBrook, of Anguilla, Gibraltar, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the United Kingdom; Zolarex Ltd., d.b.a. BinaryOnline, of the Marshall Islands; Yakov Cohen, an Israeli residing in Israel and Mauritius; Yossi Herzog, of Israel; Lee Elbaz, of Israel, currently incarcerated in the USA, and Shalom Peretz, of Israel, at the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority has issued a "Public Warning" against Swiss Global Investments Sàrl, a self-described "financial intermediary and advisory" that was or is controlled by Irishman Paul Kavanagh and Briton Stuart Hamon, whose sprawling offshore group includes firms in the British Virgin Islands, Dubai, England, Malta, Nevis, and Switzerland.

Status Report regarding securities fraud allegations against former employees of deVere USA in U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Benjamin Alderson, described in the complaint in 2018 as a citizen of the United Kingdom residing in the Bahamas, and Bradley Hamilton, described in the complaint as a citizen and resident of the United Kingdom, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

British asset manager Jeremy Leach, whom OffshoreAlert has previously exposed for operating what appear to be Ponzi schemes, is being sued for fraud in the Cayman Islands by the liquidators of Traded Life Policies Fund, which is allegedly insolvent by at least $21 million.

Kevin Costner's Motion to Dismiss in Bradley C. Birkenfeld, a UBS whistleblower residing in Malta v. Kevin M. Costner, a California-based actor, director, and producer, at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Complaint alleging securities fraud involving "offshore nominee entities", including at least one in Malta, in U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Garrett M. O'Rourke, of Miami Beach, Florida, and Michael J. Black, of Maryland, at the U. S District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

SEC's Application for an Order to Show Cause, Temporary Restraining Order, and Order Freezing Assets regarding an alleged securities fraud scheme involving Canada, Malta, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, and the USA in U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Garrett M. O'Rourke and Michael J. Black at the U. S District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

The closure of the Malta operations of Argentarius Group, which now operates in the Cayman Islands as iMaps Capital, coincided with preliminary legal action against it by the Bank of Valletta regarding an alleged investment fraud that resulted in losses of at least €79 million, OffshoreAlert can reveal.

Amid legal and regulatory issues, Argentarius Group - which provides low-cost, regulation-free investment funds to asset managers, particularly fraudsters - has closed down in Malta, having moved its headquarters to the Cayman Islands, where it operates as iMaps Capital.

An entry in the Malta Government Gazette dated July 12th, 2019 that constitutes "Service" of a "judicial letter" filed at Malta's Civil Court First Hall in Bank of Valetta Plc v. Emil Amir Ingmanson, a.k.a. Max Serwin; Dzemo Neslanovic, Afram Gergeo, Reditum SA, Agate Assets SA, Astartes Sverige AB, Viceroy Industrials SA, QV Capital AB, Oxxy Technoloġies Plc, formerly known as Oxxy Group Plc; Asama AB, formerly known as Strategi Placering i Skandinavien AB, Hic Salta AB, formerly known as Konsumentkraft Norden AB, Exane Finance, Emma Amanda Lidberg, Jelena Saalismaa, Åsa Ylva Magdalena Hildestål, Björn Andreas Svansberg, Lars Anders Daniel Egon Landelius, Anna Ruth Marilyn Lee Winter, Jack Alison, Wilhelm Per Anesater, Joakim Gabay, Hessam Esfahani Moghaddam, David Ulf Axel Fredriksson, Mahnaz Choubini, Par Christer Olle Abrahamsson, Philip Beril Eriksson, Lars Martin Inge Lindergren, Bertil Lennart Johansson, Karl Jonas Johansson, Theodora Gergeo, John Anthony Farrell, Christian Grob, Median Trust SA, Commerzbank AG, Mark Bishop, BNP Paribas Arbitrage Issuance BV, BNP Paribas Issuance BV, Daniel Ivanier, Catherine Benoît, Bertrand Léonard, Nicolas Chanut, Emmanuelle Bobin Benoist, Stéphanie Bianco, Vincent Rouvière, Olivier Stéphanopoli, Pierre Lasserre, Marc Le Guern, Robert Arthur Arnold, Barbaros Okten, Peter Corner, Damste Sinninghe, Laurent Belik, Danielle Delnoije, Olivier Lansac, Eric-Jan Van de Laar, Salvatore Rosato, Catherine Trapani, Ricardo Incani, Dr Marcus Johannes Chromik, Stephan Engels, Ralph Michael Mandel, Michael Reuther, Martin Zielke, Frank Annuscheit, Markus Beumer, Martin Blessing, Stefan Schmittmann, Jochen Klösges, Ulrich Sieber, Eric Strutz, Dr. Achim Kassow, Wolfgang Hartmann, Bernd Knobloch, Nicholas Teller, Klaus-Peter Müller, Klaus M. Patig, Andreas de Maizière, Mehmet Dalman, Stephan Blohm, Peter Schruden, Rolf Caspers, Heike Kubica, Anja Lakoudi, Fabian Frieg, Claus Walter Bering, Yves Stocklausen, Ina Mangelsdorf, Friedhelm Von Zieten, Steven John Brown, Charlotte Lahaije-Hultman, Peter Lundin, Zuzanna Zielinski-Rousseau, Ajit Singh Rai, Nadine Gloesener, Hugo Pieraggi, Lei Peijing, Lars-Erik Magnusson, Dick Koster, Katia Von Hoyer, Aston Management (Cyprus) Limited, Dimitar Dimitrov, Kazamia Stelios, Charalampos Mina, White November Corporate Services (Cyprus) Limited, Avalon Capital AG, Julien Schoenlaub, Bekim Zemoski, Rock Energy AS, Intex Resources ASA, Neil Grobberlaar, Peter Gerard De Beyer, Kenneth Thomas Hopkins, Derrick Thembinkosi Vusumuzi Msibi, Norman William Thomson, Robert William Baker, Leon Dykman, Mark Angus Barnes, Mthetheleli Lancelot Buya, Christoffer Andreas Hellenas Christenson-Roed, Andre Dawid Coetzer, Craig Graham Davidson, Ronald Alexander Den Besten, Akhter Alli Deshmukh, Eric Du Plessis, Garth Peter Elliott, Shane Trevor Ferguson, Christine Ann Glover, Christian Gouws, Charl Hendrik Kock, Deepak Malik, Tshepidi G Moremong, Arumugam Padachie, Bruce Aubrey Schenk, Heather Gail Van Heerden, Hercules Christiaan Van Heerden, Pieter Willemse Van Heerden, Johannes Van Rooyen, Brian Oscar Weiss, Michael Neville Wilkins, Real People Investment Holdings Limited, Vaneck Vectors ETF Trust, formerly known as Market Vectors ETF Trust and formerly known as Market Vectors – Gold Miners ETF; Jan F. van Eck, John Walter Christmas, Roger Buckley, Antonio Fenech, Joseph Xuereb, Ian Zammit, Jacques Ellul Soler, Andreas Wolfl, Sylvan Sapiano, Commonwealth Securitisation Plc, Delta1 Securities Plc, Lars Beitnes, ETI Securities Plc, Temple Asset Management Limited, RES Malta Limited, Securitisation Consultancy Limited, Argentarius ETI Management Limited, and Michael Portanier.

Notice of Removal, including a copy of a complaint alleging "inquiries or investigations into Sylebra" by gaming regulators in Canada, Alderney in the Channel Islands, Malta, the United Kingdom, and the United States, in Scientific Games Corporation and Bally Gaming Inc., both of Nevada v. Sylebra HK Company Ltd., of Hong Kong; Sylebra Capital Management Limited, Sylebra Capital Partners Master Fund Limited, Sylebra Capital Partners (Offshore) Limited, and Sylebra Capital Partners (Onshore) Limited, all of the Cayman Islands, at the U. S. District Court for the District of Nevada.

Chapter 15 Petition for Recognition of a Foreign Main Proceeding in England and Wales by Jane Moriarty, as the Foreign Representative of NN2 Newco Limited, an indirect subsidiary of Nyrstar N.V., of Belgium and Switzerland, at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

An Interpol Red Notice has been issued against U.K. national Ramesh Dusoruth, who evidently fled Bermuda after being criminally charged with swindling "several million dollars" from investors in his offshore finance group, which includes firms in Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Channel Islands, Cyprus, England, Malta, Netherlands, and possibly the BVI.

The liquidators of Gibraltar-domiciled Kijani Resources Ltd. and Ratio Ltd. intend to sue NatWest Bank for "dishonest assistance" to a $98 million fraudulent scheme headed by Irishman Richard Fagan that collapsed in 2015 after being exposed by OffshoreAlert.

Chapter 15 Petition for Recognition of a Foreign Main Proceeding in Canada by Ernst & Young, as the Foreign Representative of Mundo Media Ltd., 2538853 Ontario Ltd., M Zone Marketing Inc., and AppThis Holdings, Inc., at the U. S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.