#top anti-money laundering lawyer

[mariacallous]

French prosecutors gave preliminary information in a press release on Monday about the investigation into Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who was arrested suddenly on Saturday at Paris’ Le Bourget airport. Durov has not yet been charged with any crime, but officials said that he is being held as part of an investigation “against person unnamed” and can be held in police custody until Wednesday.

The investigation began on July 8 and involves wide-ranging charges related to alleged money laundering, violations related to import and export of encryption tools, refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, and “complicity” in drug trafficking, possession and distribution of child pornography, and more.

The investigation was initiated by “Section J3” cybercrime prosecutors and has involved collaboration with France’s Centre for the Fight against Cybercrime (C3N) and Anti-Fraud National Office (ONAF), according to the press release. “It is within this procedural framework in which Pavel Durov was questioned by the investigators,” Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau wrote in the statement.

Telegram did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the investigation but asserted in a statement posted to the company's news channel on Sunday that Durov has “nothing to hide.”

“Given the existence of several preliminary investigations in France concerning Telegram in relation to the protection of minors' rights and in cooperation with other French investigation units—for instance, on cyber harassment—the arrest of Durov, does not seem to me like a highly exceptional move,” says Cannelle Lavite, a French lawyer who specializes in free-speech matters.

Lavite notes that Durov is a French citizen who was arrested in French territory with an arrest warrant issued by French judges. She adds that the list of charges involved in the investigation is “extensive,” a wide net that she says is not entirely surprising in the context of “France's ambiguous legislative arsenal” meant to balance content moderation and free speech.

Durov is a controversial figure for his leadership of Telegram, in large part because he has not typically cooperated with calls to moderate the platform's content. In some ways, this has positioned him as a free-speech defender against government censorship, but it has also made Telegram a haven for hate speech, criminal activity, and abuse. Additionally, the platform is often billed as a secure communication tool, but much of it is open and accessible by default.

“Telegram is not primarily an encrypted messenger; most people use it almost as a social network, and they’re not using any of its features that have end-to-end encryption,” says John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab. “The implication there is that Telegram has a wide range of abilities and access to potentially do content moderation and respond to lawful requests. This puts Pavel Durov very much in the center of all kinds of potential governmental pressure.”

On top of all of this, many researchers have questioned whether Telegram's end-to-end encryption is durable when users do elect to enable it.

French president Emmanuel Macron said in a social media post on Monday that “France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication … The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision.”

News of Durov's arrest is fueling concerns, though, that the move could threaten Telegram's stability and undermine the platform. The case seems poised, too, to have implications in long-standing debates around the world about social media moderation, government influence, and use of privacy-preserving end-to-end encryption.

Lavite says the case certainly invokes debates about “the balance between the right to encrypted communication and free speech on the one hand, and users' protection—content moderation—on the other hand.” But she notes that there is a lot of information about the investigation that is unknown and “a lot of blurry zones still.”

On Monday afternoon, Telegram seemed to be receiving a download boost from the situation, moving from 18th to 8th place in Apple's US App Store apps ranking. Global iOS downloads were up by 4 percent, and in France the app was number one in the App Store social network category and number three overall.

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart

Oct. 15, 2024

FUELING THE POLITICAL DIVIDE — BURGERS vs. TACOS

Hey Wilson, did you know McDonald's — as in Big Macs — is politically divisive? Well it is, according to a new analysis by The Washington Post.We are not making this up. Reporters scoured reports from Federal Election Commission filings that show who spent what on food. The data reveals that Republican campaigns spent 28 times more at the Golden Arches than Democrats. And get this, Trump's campaign was responsible for 86 percent of GOP dollars spent at McDonald's. No wonder they're so full of gas. Pass the Alka-Seltzer, please. The conservative campaigns also went in big for Chick-fil-A, with an anti-LGBT rep that it's trying to ditch. Overall, fast-food spending by Republican campaigns dwarfed Dems by 18-1, The Post said. Hey Wilson, did you know various studies link fast food to aggressive behavior. No wonder Trump is wigging out at his rallies — he may have Big-Macitis or burger dementia syndrome. Republicans spent more than twice as much as Democrats on barbecue. (It's the meat, stupid.) Dems, on the other hand, handily outspent Republicans on Mexican, Spanish and Chinese — a clear nod to multiculturalism. We'll leave the discussion of DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) for our dessert post-election analysis. But we can't forget coffee. Some two-thirds of spending at Starbucks came from Democrats while about the same share of greenbacks was spent by Republicans on Dunkin'. That might not make much sense — but in our politics what does?

TOP TEN REASONS TO BUY CRYPTOCURRENCY NOW!

Recently former president Donald Trump came out in favor of cryptocurrency after being a vocal critic for years. Coincidentally — or not — Utah Republicans Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. John Curtis endorsed it, too, saying: “[D]igital currency represents a revolution in financial freedom and personal privacy.” If the stamp of approval from these guys doesn't convince you, the staff at Smart Bomb provides these 10 items to consider:

10 – With crypto you can act rich whether you are or not. Just charge it.

9 – With crypto you don't pay taxes. The GOP loves it.

8 – You can rid yourself of those clumsy offshore and Swiss bank accounts, like Mike Lee plans to do.

7 – Money laundering becomes completely unnecessary, making this a great time to invest in fentanyl and crystal meth.

6 – Real estate transactions are made easy in places like Russia, Myanmar and Venezuela.

5 – You can start your own crypto exchange with only a little danger of going to prison. (Lawyers are helpful.)

4 – The already-in-circulation Trumpcoin could be a good investment. (Think of gold basketball shoes and your children's future.)

3 – Don't worry about losing your shorts in crypto, like Tom Brady and Shaquille O'Neal. Sure the value goes up and down like a rollercoaster but that's the beauty of it.

2 – It's very easy to move cryptocurrency around. If you get it moving fast enough you can buy just about anything without ever paying for anything.

1 – And the Number One reason to get a big load of crypto right now is so you can mess with other crypto investors before they mess with you.

TIME ONCE AGAIN TO HIDE THE HOMELESS

It's time once again to get rid of — or at least hide — homeless people in Salt Lake City. First we gave them a big shelter. Then we tore that down and gave them three little shelters. Now we're going to repurpose those stupid things and get a campus of shelters or one big shelter or maybe a big circus-like tent with indoor camping. Maybe that could work. Officials wonder why people are always becoming homeless — and, of course, it has nothing to do with trickle-down economics or the fact that since Ronald Reagan more and more people choose homelessness over other lifestyles, like living in a big house on the golf course. One reason may be bad street drugs that make people want to be poor scum, said the chairman of the newly created Homeless Independent Engagement Division, aka HIDE. Chairman Ben Dover told Salt Lake City officials the best way to get rid of drug dealers is to get rid of drug dealers. It's that simple, he said. HIDE replaces the previous council, Help Homeless Hordes, aka 3H, that was criticized for being unwieldy. Ben Dover warned that if the city doesn't stop street drug trafficking he'll vote to withhold state funding aimed at helping homeless people addicted to drugs. It's common sense, he said. However, a spokesman for the mayor noted that homeless people aren't all drug users and drug users aren't all homeless. That came as a surprise to Ben Dover. “Who knew? You learn something new every day,” he said. “So why do they want to be homeless, anyway?”

Post script — That's a wrap for another tense week here at Smart Bomb, where we keep track of election denial so you don't have to. The ballots are about to hit the blades, warns former U.S. solicitor general Neal Katyal. “There is a coming massive crisis that’s going to occur on November 5th… even if Kamala Harris wins the election, the Trump team is going to declare victory with JD Vance at his side." Sound familiar? Trump's staff tried to tell him he lost the 2020 election, according to testimony at the House Jan. 6. Committee. Former Trump Attorney General Bill Bar called claims that Trump had won, “idiotic,” “rubbish,” “nonsense,” “crazy,” “stupid,” and “silly.” Nonetheless, according to polls, about 70 percent of Republicans still believe Trump won in 2020 and he keeps insisting he did. But in an April 2022 interview with a group of historians, Trump admitted he lost: "[W]hen I didn't win the election, [South Korean President Moon Jae-in] had to be the happiest..." Trump has admitted losing on other occasions. "He beat us by a whisker. It was a terrible thing," Trump said during an Aug. 4 interview with podcaster Lex Fridman. He said it again on Aug. 30 at summit of Moms for Liberty and once again on Aug. 23 at an event at the southern border. Some 1,200 have been charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection — 460 of them are serving prison sentences. If you're not laughing, you're crying.

Well Wilson, we're living in dangerous, dark times. We've got alternative facts, bullshit and outright lies. Half the country is tuned into Fox and hate radio and willing to believe anything that's not on network TV. But do you ever wonder if the so-called patriots cooling their heels behind bars have had time to think things over. You and the guys in the band must have something for them — not to mention the rest of us — Wilson, so hit it:

Shadows are fallin' and I've been here all day It's too hot to sleep and time is runnin' away Feel like my soul has turned into steel I've still got the scars that the sun didn't heal There's not even room enough to be anywhere It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there. Well, my sense of humanity has gone down the drain Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kind of pain She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind She put down in writin' what was in her mind I just don't see why I should even care It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there. Well, I've been to London and I been to gay Paris I've followed the river and I got to the sea I've been down on the bottom of the world full of lies I ain't lookin' for nothin' in anyone's eyes Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there. I was born here and I'll die here against my will I know it looks like I'm movin' but I'm standin' still Every nerve in my body is so naked and numb I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from Don't even hear the murmur of a prayer It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there.

(Not Dark Yet — Bob Dylan)

[maranofamilylawyers]

Find the Best Family Lawyer Sydney

If you need a lawyer for family law matters, it is important to find one who has excellent communication skills and empathy. It’s also essential that they specialise in family law to have a deep understanding of the nuances of this legal field.

The best Family Lawyer Sydney will provide you with the right combination of legal expertise and emotional support for your case. They will help you navigate difficult situations while ensuring that your sensitive information remains confidential.

Doolan Wagner Family Lawyers

Divorce is a stressful time and everyone’s situation is best Family Lawyer Sydney. This is why you need to find the right lawyer for your specific needs. CM Law’s team of lawyers is here to help you with your family, civil, criminal and property legal matters. They offer free consultations, which allows them to assess your case and plan the process. They will also provide you with a realistic estimate of the costs involved.

They are dedicated to providing their clients with empathetic yet assertive legal representation for their divorce or custody cases. Their team of lawyers is highly qualified and experienced in handling a wide range of legal issues. Their firm specializes in divorce and custody law, property settlements, and other familyrelated legal issues. They are also a member of the Law Society of New South Wales and Collaborative Professionals NSW.

EM Family Lawyers

EM Family Lawyers is a top-rated family law attorney firm located in Sydney. Its team of professionals provides exceptional legal support and genuine care, helping clients through challenging legal matters. The firm also offers online appointments and on-site services for the convenience of its clients. Its offices are wheelchairaccessible and provide a LGBTQ+ friendly environment.

Whether you need assistance with a divorce or child custody issue, finding the right family lawyer is essential. A qualified specialist can help you navigate these emotional and stressful situations with ease, while protecting your rights. They will work closely with you to understand your needs and explain the law in a clear way. They will also work around the clock, including evenings and weekends. Their clientcentric approach ensures a comfortable experience throughout the entire process.

Movement Legal

If you’re facing a legal matter involving family law, you need to hire one of the best Sydney Family Lawyers. The right lawyer can help you navigate the complex legal process and provide emotional support during challenging times. He or she should be able to explain your legal rights and obligations clearly and understand your situation well.

Whether you’re going through a separation or divorce, a good family lawyer can help you make the best decision for your situation. They will also guide you through the process of obtaining a court order and help you find solutions to other issues. They can even negotiate for you to settle your case without going to court. They can help you reach a mutually agreeable solution that will protect your interests and those of your children.

Buckley Lawyers

The firm’s clients include large financial services, government enforcement, and litigation clients. Its lawyers have experience in a variety of complex cases, including those related to financial fraud, securities violations, and anti-money laundering. Buckley’s practice also focuses on estate and trust administration.

Moreover, the firm handles complicated estate and business succession matters for physicians and other professionals. It also helps clients pass on their family’s wealth to future generations while minimizing taxes and other costs.

Attorney John F. Buckley is a highly regarded personal injury litigator and was named Best Lawyer in America(c) for 2024. The honor is the result of a rigorous peer-review survey and is a testament to his dedication and commitment to Personal Injury Litigation Plaintiffs. He has successfully settled countless claims of medical negligence, including malpractice resulting in catastrophic accidents.

Lagom Family Law

Family law is a unique area of Legal advisor Sydney, dealing with deeply personal issues. This legal specialty requires strong written and verbal communication skills, along with analytical thinking and problem-solving. It also requires a high level of empathy, as clients may be at an emotional vulnerability during their proceedings.

Father’s rights laws in Sydney, Australia, seek to promote equality between parents and consider the best interests of children above all else. This is to ensure the child’s safety and well-being, as well as a continuing meaningful relationship with both parents.

Movement Legal focuses on separation matters, guiding clients through the process of legal separation and divorce. Its expert custody lawyers prioritize the best interests of children and help them navigate consent orders and legally enforceable binding financial agreements.

[aealqada]

Title: Comprehensive Banking Legal Services in Dubai: Trust Alqada Law Firm for Expertise and Excellence

Introduction:

In the dynamic and rapidly evolving landscape of Dubai's financial sector, navigating banking laws and regulations requires the expertise of seasoned legal professionals. At Alqada Law Firm, we pride ourselves on being a leading provider of top-notch legal services, particularly in the realm of banking law. Our dedicated team of experienced lawyers is committed to delivering exceptional solutions tailored to the unique needs of our clients.

Understanding Banking Law in Dubai:

The banking industry in Dubai operates within a robust legal framework that is subject to continuous updates and amendments. Staying abreast of these changes is crucial for both financial institutions and individuals engaging in banking transactions. Alqada Law Firm's banking legal services are designed to provide comprehensive assistance in navigating the intricacies of Dubai's banking laws, ensuring compliance and mitigating risks.

Key Banking Legal Services Offered:

Regulatory Compliance:

Our legal experts at Alqada Law Firm assist clients in understanding and adhering to the ever-evolving regulatory landscape governing the banking sector in Dubai. This includes compliance with Central Bank regulations, anti-money laundering laws, and other relevant statutes.

Transaction Structuring:

We provide guidance on structuring complex banking transactions, mergers, acquisitions, and financial agreements. Our team's in-depth knowledge of local and international banking practices enables us to offer strategic solutions that align with our clients' business objectives.

Dispute Resolution:

In the event of disputes arising from banking transactions, our skilled litigators are well-equipped to represent clients in negotiations, mediation, arbitration, or court proceedings. Alqada Law Firm is committed to achieving optimal outcomes for our clients in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Loan Documentation:

Our legal team is proficient in drafting and reviewing loan agreements, ensuring that the terms and conditions align with the best interests of our clients. We work closely with financial institutions and borrowers to facilitate smooth and transparent lending processes.

Financial Regulatory Advice:

Alqada Law Firm provides proactive legal advice on various financial regulatory matters, helping clients anticipate and navigate potential challenges in the ever-changing banking landscape.

Islamic Banking and Finance:

With expertise in Sharia-compliant banking and finance, our lawyers offer specialized services to institutions involved in Islamic banking, ensuring compliance with Islamic principles while maximizing financial opportunities.

Conclusion:

Alqada Law Firm stands as a pillar of support for businesses and individuals seeking expert legal counsel in the dynamic field of banking law in Dubai. Our commitment to excellence, combined with a deep understanding of the local regulatory environment, positions us as the preferred choice for clients seeking reliable and comprehensive legal services. Trust us to safeguard your interests and guide you through the complexities of banking law in Dubai.

For more information on our banking legal services, please visit our website: Alqada Law Firm - Banking Services.

[myrefersofficial]

Lights, Camera, Crypto: Top 5 Must-Watch Movies For Crypto Enthusiasts In 2023

Crypto's rise has been avidly watched by many forms of media, including production houses that have created informative crypto movies. These crypto films provide crucial information for professional investors and casual viewers who want to learn more about the history of crypto, blockchain, and other topics.

Blockchain technology can potentially transform many facets of our life, and movies and documentaries provide an excellent introduction to digital money. Viewers can gain significant insights into how Bitcoin works and what it could represent for the future of money by covering its technical and cultural components.

If you don't know where to begin, you've come to the correct place. Based on their IMDb ratings, we've produced a list of the best Bitcoin movies. Hope these movies will help you entertain and let you explore the field of cryptocurrency. Just remember that these movies do not indicate to you to invest in crypto. 

Best Crypto Movies To Watch In 2023

Crypto movies are one of the most convenient ways to learn about cryptocurrencies' evolution without spending hours reviewing large literature about cryptography, hash functions, the blockchain, distributed consensus, and other topics. That is why we have compiled a list of the finest movies to binge-watch! 

Bitcoin's Experiment (2016)

It's a road film about Bitcoin technology and digital cash. Amund Sveen will lead you from Oslo to Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Stockholm, and beyond. Sveen is looking for varied locations and people that know about Bitcoin or have some experience with it. These individuals come from various backgrounds, including government officials, lawyers, etc. 

The journey concludes in a little village in Northern Sweden, where he discovers what he refers to as the "heart of Bitcoin." It's a fascinating movie to see. The movie provides an in-depth look into cryptocurrencies, from their inception as a fringe technology to their current status as an international phenomenon. 

Bit x Bit: In Bitcoin, We Trust (2018)

Bit x Bit: In Bitcoin, We Trust is a feature-length movie that delves into cryptocurrencies and their potential to transform our financial institutions. The video follows various key players in the crypto sector as they examine the technical and cultural elements of this new technology, directed by Michael Watchulonis.

Viewers obtain crucial insights into how this technology works and what it could imply for the future of money through conversations with Bitcoin specialists and miners. It is an essential resource for anyone interested in learning more about this revolutionary technology because it examines digital currency's technical and cultural sides.

Bitcoin: Beyond the Bubble (2018)

Understanding the intricacies of Bitcoin isn't always simple. Bitcoin: Beyond the Bubble is a terrific watch since it is accessible and interesting in under 36 minutes. Tim Delmastro directed the film. It is a film for the general public that takes viewers through the history of payments before offering Bitcoin as a reliable alternative to the current banking system. 

More significantly, it seeks to examine (and respond to) the most common accusations against the technology. This movie is a brief introduction to the complex world of cryptocurrencies. The film also provides insight into the people driving the development and adoption of digital money from behind the scenes.

Crypto (2019)

Crypto is a 2019 American crime drama thriller film that chronicles the story of young anti-money laundering agent Martin "Marty" Byrde (played by Kurt Russell) as he tries to identify and halt a multinational cryptocurrency money laundering conspiracy. The film delves into the dangers of cryptocurrencies. 

It also reveals their abuse potential and how they can be used for malicious ends. The film also emphasizes the need for better control and regulation of Bitcoin and how it can be used to jeopardize national security. Ultimately, it is a must-watch for everyone interested in digital money and its ramifications. 

Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains, and the Future of the Internet (2000)

If you're new to crypto or want to learn more about cryptocurrencies, you shouldn't miss out on this crypto movie. Five years after producing the award-winning 2015 documentary "Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It," director Torsten Hoffmann returns with another in-depth look at cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. 

Hoffman's first film looked at the historical growth of financial systems and how their flaws fuelled the rise of Bitcoin. Cryptopia follows off where the previous segment left off, examining some of the prior big claims and predictions and bringing viewers up to date on the current state of events. This film will answer your questions regarding crypto money. 

Conclusion

In 2023, watching these crypto movies is a terrific way to stay current on the cryptocurrency business. However, viewers should know that some of these documentaries and videos may be misleading or include out-of-date information. Conducting your own research and treating any information offered with caution is critical. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is cryptocurrency?

It's a digital and decentralized form of currency. Instead of a piggy bank, it's stored in a blockchain, and instead of a bank teller, it's verified by a network of computers. It is unpredictable, but it can make you rich beyond your wildest dreams when it's on its best behavior.

What exactly is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is a decentralized digital money, which implies it lacks a central bank or centralized administration. Bitcoins can be sent directly from user to user on the peer-to-peer Bitcoin network. Transactions are confirmed by network nodes using encryption and recorded in a blockchain.

What are the advantages of watching crypto films?

The primary advantage of watching crypto films is education. You will better know cryptocurrency's history, technology, and future possibilities by watching these movies. Since every movie does not provide appropriate information, thinking rationally and acting accordingly is important.  

Visit Us, https://myrefers.com/

Original Source, https://myrefersofficial.blogspot.com/2023/04/lights-camera-crypto-top-5-must-watch.html

[criminal-lawyer-in-delhi]

A List of Some of The Top Law Firms in Delhi

At some point in life, everyone needs legal help and support. The legal help may not always be about some criminal matter. It may be required for civil matters like property disputes, corporate matters like unlawful termination, etc. The law of the land governs every aspect of our life and hence, through one incident or the other, you will find yourself in need for legal advice.

The job of a good Criminal law firm in Delhi is not just to fight the case in a courtroom, but to also educate the client. It is important for an individual to understand what the position of the law exactly is in the concerned matter. Similarly, understanding their rights and liabilities is also essential. There are also instances when certain matter can be resolved through out of court settlement. But, ensuring that these settlements are done in a lawful manner that is legally binding is important. It is the job of the law firm hired to provide the best legal solution to its clients.

New Delhi is not just the capital of India, but is also considered the capital city for crime as well. Hence, the number of cases, criminal, civil and otherwise is the highest in the country. This means that there is a huge need for lawyers to represent these cases. As a result, in every lane of Delhi you will find lawyers popping out. From individuals to big Law Firms in Delhi, there are thousands of options available to the people.

However, legal matters tend to be tricky. Even the smallest of cases can end up becoming complicated and expensive if not handled properly. People can lose all their savings, livelihood and even freedom if their lawyer does not fight their case in the best possible manner. Hence, the task of choosing a top law firm in Delhi is of prime importance.

Below is a list of top law firms in Delhi for people to choose from:

Sidhant Dhingra & Associates

This firm was established in the year 2016 and since then it has managed to become one of the leading names in the list of top criminal law firms in Delhi. Mr. Sidhant Dhingra is the head of Top Law Firm in Delhi. He represents his client in Supreme court, High court as well as all district courts in Delhi. They have a huge team of qualified and experienced lawyers divided in to four teams: Trial court team, High court team, Supreme court team and Legal research team. The company believes in the motto that 'no case is indefensible'. Each client is offered complete and comprehensive legal services available under criminal law. From filing an FIR to investigation, bail appeal and trial, complete end to end services are available with Sidhant Dhingra & Associates. While Delhi is their base office, they also fight cases in Supreme court and High courts in other parts of the country as well, including Rajasthan, Allahabad, Lucknow, Mumbai and Chandigarh.

This top law firm in Delhi specializes in criminal lawyer in Delhi, but it also offers its clients services in other legal areas as well. Other practice area covered by them include:

· Economic Offence

· NDPS cases

· Sexual offences and POCSO cases

· Money Laundering

· Anti-Corruption

· Cyber crime

· Terrorism and Sedation

· Matrimonial Cases

Besides Mr. Sidhant Dhingra, other prominent lawyer you will find in this company's team are Ms. Nidhi Rajoura, Mr. Dhruv Jain, Mr. Ritesh Rai and Mr. Shubham Thakur.

Maheshwari & Co.

The law firm in Delhi offer legal services to both domestic as well as foreign clients. A broad range of cutting edge legal services are provided by this company. They have separate set of lawyers working at the district court level, high court level and Supreme court level. Besides this they have a strong team of lawyers working in the back office to provide all the research and support that the above three teams may need for effectively representing their client case in the courtroom. Besides having their own team of lawyers, they have also entered into collaborations with various top consultancy firms across the nation to offer more diversified solutions to their clients.

They like to combine their legal knowledge with the goals of the client to offer best solutions.

Dhir & Dhir Associates

The biggest selling point of this Top Law Firm in Delhi is that they are highly approachable and accessible. They are known to prioritize their personal relationship with the clients over business or transaction. They take time to understand the business and needs of the clients and accordingly merge the same with their in-depth knowledge of the law to come up with solutions that best serve the needs and future of the clients.

Lex Jurists

This firm was set up in 1993 and has been offering legal services in almost all aspects of law to its clients. They offer services in both civil and criminal matters in Supreme Court, High court as well as District courts. They specialize in regulatory and compliance work. They have client base across the whole of India as well as abroad. They have a huge team of lawyers who are highly experienced and like to value each and every client that walks through their doors. They are known for their holistic approach where they like to deal with a lot of sensitivity towards their clients and the matter at hand.

Bisht & Associates

This is yet another well renowned law firm in Delhi. They also offer a wide array of legal services to their clients under one roof. Like any good law firm, they believe in offering solutions that make the life of their clients easier and happier. Their experienced team of lawyers comprises of individuals coming from varied areas of practice and having worked in different industry verticals. This allows them to offer practical solutions to their clients.

One thing common amongst all the above top law firms in Delhi is that their prime focus is their client and ensuring their wellbeing in the long run.

[brownllc]

The Largest Whistleblower Awards - Brown, LLC

The more the government spends, the more the taxpayers are victimized by fraud, in the form of Medicare Fraud, Medicaid Fraud, and Defense Contractor Fraud.

Read more: https://ifightforyourrights.com/blog/record-government-spending-record-fraud-and-some-of-the-largest-whistleblower-awards/

[bountyofbeads]

https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/wayne-barrett-donald-trump-rudy-giuliani-peas-pod-article-1.2776357?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true

REMINDER: Trump has relied on Rudy Giuliani as a "fixer" ever since Trump bribed Rudy to kill a mob-related money laundering investigation into him 30 years ago.

The late Wayne Barrett wrote about their corrupt 30-year relationship in 2016:

Peas in a pod: The long and twisted relationship between Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani

By WAYNE Barrett | Published SEP 04, 2016 5:00 AM ET | NEW YORK DAILY News | Posted September 25, 2019 |

Let's start with the fact that Donald Trump's top surrogate, Rudy Giuliani, is on the payroll. In January, he joined a law firm, Greenberg Traurig, that represents Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Last year, the firm handled Trump's suit against the Florida city of Doral so his golf course could override noise regulations that barred him from bulldozing before sunrise. More recently, it handled Kushner's $340-million acquisition of the Watchtower properties in downtown Brooklyn.

When Trump paid a $250,000 fine in 2000 for secretly funding a million-dollar lobbying campaign against an Indian casino in upstate New York, he was represented by Greenberg.

Giuliani brought Marc Mukasey, the stepson of ex-U.S. Attorney General and lifelong Giuliani friend Michael Mukasey, with him to Greenberg; Mukasey is now representing legendary leg man Roger Ailes. Mukasey launched into a tirade recently against New York Magazine reporter Gabriel Sherman, calling the Ailes biographer "a virus" willing to "use any woman" to Weinerize the Trump debate adviser. His dad, who once branded Trump a "peril" to national security, delivered a Republican Convention speech the night after Rudy's screed.

This intertwine may or may not have something to do with why the Greenberg firm lets Rudy, one of its newest partners, hired early this year ostensibly to run a cybersecurity unit, travel the country with Trump, introducing him at rallies and fundraisers, challenging Hillary Clinton's health based on stuff he finds in corners of the internet, declaring her Clinton Foundation troubles worse than Watergate, wearing a "Make Mexico Great Again Also" cap, and helping draft policy speeches diagnosing African Americans for white audiences.

I even watched Rudy on TV, before one joint trip to Ohio, loading suitcases into the back of a Trump SUV in front of Trump Tower, the only baggage that slows him down.

Rudy has actually been more visible in his buddy's campaign than he was at times in his own $50 million presidential attempt in 2008, when he managed to convert the months-long top ranking in the polls into a single delegate. The imperial 2016 candidate who hates losers, especially ones who wind up in Vietnamese prisons, has instead embraced an epic dud, his solitary act of empathy in a campaign of callousness. He could've trashed Rudy like he did John McCain: "I like people who weren't caught with their command center down."

But the onetime comb-over twins just had too much in common. Though bombs-away hawks today, they got multiple draft deferments during the Vietnam War, with athlete Donald citing bad feet as his excuse and Rudy using an ear defect to sidestep his ROTC obligations.

Trump is now warning of a rigged election, invoking the image of Philadelphia blacks cheating at the ballot box and calling for voter suppression squads to "monitor" suspect precincts. Rudy said the 1989 mayoral election he lost was stolen and spent millions on suppression squads, dispatching off-duty white cops and firefighters to minority districts, when he won in 1993.

The two amigos also spark similar antipathy in Mexico, their latest joint destination — Donald for a mantra of insults, and Rudy for a multi-million-dollar anti-crime contract his consulting company won in Mexico City that flopped so badly the police chief declared he was "no fan" of Giuliani's. Rudy even tried to lend credence to the Trumpian fantasy that "thousands" of Muslims in Jersey City celebrated 9/11, quibbling only with the number.

Then there's the wife trifecta. No one in American public life, other than perhaps their kindred spirit Newt Gingrich, has ever mastered the art of a bad divorce like Rudy and Donald, carrying on as if spousal humiliation was the point.

Ask the kids. When Trump married mistress Marla Maples nearly four years after he walked out on Ivana, the three convention stars, Don Jr., Ivanka and Eric, didn't show up. Andrew and Caroline Giuliani made strained appearances at Rudy's 2003 wedding to Judi Nathan, but in 2007, both distanced themselves from their father's presidential pursuit, with Caroline Facebooking her preference for Obama, as close to the ex-mayor's heart as she could plunge the dagger.

Rudy's wife Donna found out he wanted a divorce when he announced it on TV, just as Marla had a couple of years before. Rudy then chose Mother's Day to alert the press that he would be having dinner with his new love and led the cameras on a 10-block walk with her after dinner, kissing her goodbye while his wife and kids simmered. His divorce lawyer declared "we're going to have to pry her off the chandeliers to get her out of" Gracie Mansion. Even Donald Trump was offended, writing an open letter to New York Magazine and urging Donna and Rudy "to sit down with each other in a room, without your lawyer, and see if you can settle this."

But Rudy was only following in the divorce-as-spectacle footsteps of Donald, who'd used the New York Post as his personal hammer a decade before, relishing in Marla's "best sex I ever had" headlines even as they horrified young Ivanka and Don. Trump told Newsweek the scandal was "great for business," and pushed Marla to seize on the opportunities it presented, including half a million to pose in "No Excuses" jeans.

He'd brought his mistress to the same Atlantic City boxing matches he brought his wife to, aboard the same helicopter, just as he'd set up Marla in a sparkling suite on the Aspen slopes while he was vacationing with his family. Young Don told his father then "you just love your money," a line he did not revive in his convention script. Ivanka, shocked by headlines on newsstands during her walk to school, just wept.

Rudy and Donald first got together in the late 1980s shortly before Donald became a co-chair of Giuliani's first fundraiser for his 1989 mayoral campaign, sitting on the Waldorf dais and steering $41,000 to the campaign. A year earlier, Tony Lombardi, the federal agent closest to then-U.S. Attorney Giuliani, opened a probe of Trump's role in the suspect sale of two Trump Tower apartments to Robert Hopkins, the mob-connected head of the city's largest gambling ring.

Trump attended the closing himself and Hopkins arrived with a briefcase loaded with up to $200,000 in cash, a deposit the soon-to-felon counted at the table. Despite Hopkins' wholesale lack of verifiable income or assets, he got a loan from a Jersey bank that did business with Trump's casino. A Trump limo delivered the cash to the bank.

The government subsequently nailed Hopkins' mortgage broker, Frank LaMagra, on an unrelated charge and he offered to give up Donald, claiming Trump "participated" in the money-laundering — and volunteering to wear a wire on him.

Instead, Lombardi, who discussed the case with Giuliani personally (and with me for a 1993 Village Voice piece called "The Case of the Missing Case"), went straight to Donald for two hour-long interviews with him. Within weeks of the interviews, Donald announced he'd raise $2 million in a half hour if Rudy ran for mayor. Lamagra got no deal and was convicted, as was his mob associate, Louis (Louie HaHa) Attanasio, who was later also nailed for seven underworld murders. Hopkins was convicted of running his gambling operation partly out of the Trump Tower apartment, where he was arrested.

Lombardi — who expected a top appointment in a Giuliani mayoralty, conducted several other probes directly tied to Giuliani political opponents, and testified later that "every day I came to work I went to Mr. Giuliani to seek out what duties I needed to perform" — closed the Trump investigation without even giving it a case number. That meant that New Jersey gaming authorities would never know it existed.

It's hard to watch Giuliani invoke his 14-year history as a federal prosecutor when he calls for Clinton's prosecution and square it with the seedy launch of his own relationship with Trump.

When Rudy was mayor, Trump hired the lobbying firm that included name partner Ray Harding, the head of the state's Liberal Party, whose ballot line had provided the margin of difference in Giuliani's 1993 election. Harding's firm quickly went from three lobbying clients to 92, and it steered the controversial, 90-story Trump World Tower, the tallest residential tower in city history, through three levels of Giuliani administration approvals despite loud opposition from community groups led by Walter Cronkite.

Both Harding and his son, a top Giuliani official, wound up felons. His other son, Robert Harding, a Giuliani deputy mayor, has long been a lobbyist at Rudy's current employer, Greenberg.

The Giuliani administration also wrote a 1995 letter of support to HUD for $365 million in mortgage insurance for Trump's Riverside South project, affirming that the Westside Yards site was in a blighted neighborhood, a contention so ludicrous that Donald had to eventually withdraw the application. A board of Giuliani appointees, pushed by Harding's firm, also approved renovations at Trump's 100 Central Park South, where Eric Trump now lives.

Rudy wound up a friend, speaking at Fred Trump's 1999 funeral, doing a grope scene with Donald in a 2000 Inner Circle skit, inviting Donald and Melania to his Gracie Mansion wedding and attending Trump's 2005 Mar-A-Lago wedding.

As aligned as Trump and Rudy appear, there are enough stark differences to make the embrace uncomfortable, at least if the blank-slate broadcast interviewers would do a search or two. When Mitt Romney ran against Giuliani, he said Rudy made New York a "sanctuary city," based on Giuliani's urging undocumented people to settle in the city. PoliFact found the assertion "true."

As mayor, Giuliani was the top Republican champion of the assault-weapons ban, sued the gun industry and called for "uniform licensing" of all guns, contending that the free flow of firearms into the city from unregulated states was killing New Yorkers.

Rudy was also one of the only elected pro-choice Republicans who even supported partial birth abortion. He's recently begun to perform same-sex marriages. He is, in all of these respects, an anti-Trump surrogate.

Yet Trump has said he might name Rudy to chair an immigration commission or to head homeland security. Trump apparently forgets that Rudy already gave us one homeland security secretary, his business partner and former correction and police commissioner Bernie Kerik, who blew up like a land mine before he could take office and wound up sentenced to four years in federal prison, partly for lying to the White House.

[learncyberium]

How Cyberium blockchain can be implemented in Law Firms?

Introduction 

In this article, we will explore how the Cyberium blockchain can be used to bring automation and transparency to law firms. We will discuss the potential benefits of using blockchain technology in the legal industry and some of the challenges that need to be addressed before widespread adoption can occur. The use of blockchain technology in the legal sector has the potential to revolutionize the way that contracts are created, executed, and enforced. By creating a shared, immutable ledger of all contract-related activity, blockchain could provide a single source of truth for all parties involved in a contract. This would eliminate the need for manual reconciliation of multiple contract versions and make it easier to track changes over time. In addition, smart contracts could automate many of the manual processes currently required to execute a contract, such as payments and notifications. One of the biggest challenges facing the adoption of blockchain in the legal industry is the lack of regulatory clarity. Until there is a clear understanding of 

Many companies will be hesitant to use How blockchain-based contracts will be treated under existing laws and regulations. In addition, it will be important to ensure that blockchain-based agreements are binding and enforceable in court. Otherwise, there is a risk that they will not be given the same legal weight as traditional contracts. Despite these challenges, the potential benefits of using blockchain in the legal industry are too great to ignore. Blockchain could save law firms millions of dollars each year by bringing automation and transparency to contract management. In addition, it could help improve legal documents' accuracy and make it easier to track changes over time. Ultimately, blockchain could help to make the legal industry more efficient and effective, benefiting both lawyers and 

their clients. 

Top 10 Benefits of Using Blockchain In Law Firms 

1. Reduced Costs: One of the biggest benefits of using blockchain in law firms is the potential to reduce costs. Blockchain could save law firms millions of dollars each year by automating contract management and eliminating the need for manual reconciliation. 

2. Increased Efficiency: Another benefit of using blockchain is the increased efficiency it can bring to the legal industry. By streamlining contract management and automating many manual processes, blockchain could help to make the legal industry more efficient and effective. 

3. Improved Accuracy: Blockchain-based contracts can be stored on a shared, immutable ledger, providing a single source of truth for all parties involved. This would eliminate the need for manual reconciliation of multiple contract versions and make it easier to track changes over time. 

4. Enhanced Security: Blockchain technology can help improve legal documents' security by storing them on a distributed ledger. This would make it more difficult for hackers to tamper with or delete contracts and provide a record of all contract-related activity. 

5. Greater Transparency: The use of blockchain in the legal industry would also create a more transparent environment, as all contract-related activity would be stored on a public ledger. This would make it easier for regulators and law enforcement officials to track and investigate potential wrongdoing. 

6. Improved Compliance: By making it easier to track and monitor contract-

related activity, blockchain could help law firms to improve their compliance with regulations. In addition, smart contracts could automate compliance-related tasks, such as KYC checks and anti-money laundering monitoring. 

7. Faster Settlements: Blockchain technology could also help speed up legal dispute settlement. By creating a shared, immutable record of all contract-related activity, blockchain could provide a clear and concise history that could be used to resolve disputes quickly and efficiently. 

8. Reduced Risk: Using blockchain in the legal industry can also help reduce risk. By storing contracts on a distributed ledger, blockchain can provide an immutable record of all contract-related activity. This would make it more difficult for fraudsters to tamper with or delete contracts and would give evidence of any wrongdoing. 

9. Greater Accessibility: The use of blockchain in the legal industry can also help to make legal services more accessible. By storing contracts on a distributed ledger, blockchain can provide access to contract-related information to anyone with an internet connection. This would make it easier for people to find and compare contracts and could help to increase competition in the legal services market. 

10. Improved Customer Service: The use of blockchain in the legal industry can also lead to improved customer service. By automating contract management and providing a single source of truth for all parties involved, blockchain can help to streamline the process of resolving customer queries and complaints. In addition, smart contracts could be used to automate the delivery of legal services, such as automated document generation and contract execution. 

The benefits of using blockchain in the legal industry are clear. By reducing costs, increasing efficiency, improving accuracy, enhancing security, and providing a more transparent and accessible environment, blockchain can help law firms improve their operations and provide better client services. In addition, smart contracts can automate many compliance-related tasks and make it easier for law firms to deliver legal services. As the legal industry evolves, blockchain will likely play an increasingly important role in its operation. 

[squarwell-breakingnews]

Success against Delhi mantri plea symbolises ED’s aggressive approach in court | India News - Times of India

Success against Delhi mantri plea symbolises ED’s aggressive approach in court | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate recently came up trumps in court in its case against Satyendar Jain even when the Delhi minister and senior AAP functionary was represented by top-notch lawyer Kapil Sibal. The twin successes over which court should hear Jain’s bail application, represent the aggression that has come to symbolise the approach of the anti-money laundering agency. Jain moved…

[znewstech]

Success against Delhi mantri plea symbolises ED’s aggressive approach in court | India News - Times of India

Success against Delhi mantri plea symbolises ED’s aggressive approach in court | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate recently came up trumps in court in its case against Satyendar Jain even when the Delhi minister and senior AAP functionary was represented by top-notch lawyer Kapil Sibal. The twin successes over which court should hear Jain’s bail application, represent the aggression that has come to symbolise the approach of the anti-money laundering agency. Jain moved…

[opedguy]

Fake News from the Washington Post

LOS ANGELES (OnlineColumnist.com), Aug. 18, 2022.--Using only anonymous sources, the Washington Post reports that 76-year-old former President Donald Trump can’t find a lawyer to represent him because of his past track record of going rogue, not following legal advice or paying the bills.  “Everyone is saying no,” said a unnamed GOP lawyer, saying no lawyer is willing to take on Trump’s expected legal problems stemming from his business dealings in New York, any indictments that might come from the Jan. 6 House Select Committee hearings or, more recently, the Department of Justice and FBI’s Aug. 8 raid on Trump’s Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago residence where the recovered some 11 boxes of classified documents. Washington Post doesn’t know whether or not Trump will ever get indicted for any of the allegations facing him.  Losing by 40% last night in Jackson Hole, 56-year-old Rep. Liz Chensy said in defeat she would do anything to prevent Trump from the White House.

So, Cheney admitted that it’s not about the facts, certainly not for the Washington Post, New York Times, broadcast outlets like CNN and MSNBC who spent five years insisting Trump was a Russian asset.  None of the broadcast and print outlets every admitted or apologized to Trump for spending five years spewing endless fakes stories about Trump’s ties to the Kremlin.  Another anonymous lawyer said that no one trusts Trump after all his tweeting during the Mueller Special Counsel investigation.  What was Trump supposed to do, accept the baseless witch-hunt built off former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s opposition research AKA the Steele dossier?  No one at the Washington Post questioned the factual basis to the endless stories about Trump’s Russian contacts.  Even after Mueller said Trump had no Russian contacts March 23, 2019, the Post kept writing fake Russian stories.

So, when the Post writes today about Trump’s many alleged crimes, where’s the credibility, after spending so much fake news on Trump? “In the olden days, he would tell firms representing him was a benefit because the could advertise off it.   Today it’s not the same,” said 56-year-old former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen.  Cohen was convicted of income tax evasion, money laundering and bank fraud, spending two years in prison.  How low can the Washington Post go quoting convicted felon Michael Cohen?  Washington Post and other news outlets did the same thing with 51-year-old former Attorney Michael Avenatti, convicted of extortion and stealing cash from legal trust accounts, including Stormy Daniels.  But no, it never stopped the Post from quoting Avenatti as gospel if it besmirched Trump, all because Avenatti was a renegade bipolar disorder ready for a break down.

Quoting Michael Cohen shows how low the Washington Post goes to get out a story, all because it advances their anti-Trump agenda.  Post writers like 60-year-old Jennifer Rubin doubled down with fake stories about Trump.  Today, she finds every reason why Trump should be fried in Sing Sing for his crimes removing classified docs from the White House. Rubin would be the first one to cite Michael Cohen, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Ut.) or Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) or anyone else willing to sell Trump down the river. No Post columnist has written more fake columns citing bogus facts about Trump’s ties to the Kremlin or, now, his abuse of the 1917 Espionage Act.  Rubin would never say that 79-year-old President Joe Biden has endangered U.S. national security starting a proxy in Ukraine against Russia and threatening to defend Taiwan May 23 in the event of a Communist Chinese invasion.

Trump has plenty of top attorneys to represent himself in the event the indictments start flying from Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland, or, to be more accurate, from Obama deep-stater 54-year-old Deputy Atty. Gen. Lisa Monaco.  Garland said Aug. 9 that he signed the search warrant to remove boxes of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago.  “President Trump is represented by some of the strongest attorneys in the country, and any suggestion otherwise      is only driven by envy,” said Trump’s spokesman Taylor Budowich.  No one knows yet what, if anything, Trump will face in the way of indictments.  Cheney said in her loss to 58-year-old neophyte Harriet Hageman that he work was only beginning in overdrive to prevent Trump from running for president.  Losing by 40%, the once popular Cheney destroyed her political career to go after Trump, her patriotic duty.

Anything from the Washington Post, other than weather reports, are most likely fake news, only promoting a Democrat political agenda. What does the Post say about Cheney’s landslide defeat in Wyoming?  Only that Trump has a stranglehold on the Republican Party.  But in reality, Cheney lost because she stabbed the GOP in the back, obsessing herself with Trump at the expense of her political career. Voters gave Hageman a whopping victory because they realized Cheney’s fixation on Trump, all because she’s part of the Jan. 6 House Select Committee where they’re all convinced, without proof, that Trump planned and orchestrated the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.  Cheney went over the deep end with her Trump obsession, like other anti-Trump Republicans who despise him for whatever reason.  Four years of economic prosperity and solid foreign relations with Russia and China, was enough to hate Trump.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

[fastworldnews1]

Crypto exchange BitMEX co-founder gets 6 months house arrest for US charges

The co-founder and former chief executive of the cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX has been sentenced to six months of house arrest after pleading guilty to violating the US Bank Secrecy Act, US prosecutors said.

Arthur Hayes, 36, will also pay a $10 million fine and serve two years of probation following his house arrest for failing to establish an anti-money laundering program at BitMEX, which he founded with Benjamin Delo and Samuel Reed in 2014.

Hayes was sentenced in federal court in Manhattan on Friday.

“While building a cryptocurrency platform that profited him millions of dollars, Arthur Hayes willfully defied US law that requires businesses to do their part to help in preventing crime and corruption,” Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said in a statement.

Prosecutors had sought a “significant” prison term, saying a $10m fine was not enough to deter other cryptocurrency companies from similar behavior.

Hayes' lawyers had sought probation, without home detention.

A spokesperson for Hayes declined to comment on the sentence.

Delo and Reed have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.

The three were charged in 2020 with failing to implement a “know your customer” requirement as required by federal law.

Prosecutors said BitMEX was “in effect a money-laundering platform,” and Hayes did nothing after learning in 2018 of allegations that BitMEX was being used to launder proceeds from a cryptocurrency hack.

BitMEX last year agreed to pay up to $100m to settle separate charges for unlawfully accepting customer funds to trade cryptocurrency without being registered, and failing to conduct customer due diligence.

https://ift.tt/woKOJVu

[criminal-lawyer-in-delhi]

Choose The Best Supreme Court Advocate In Delhi

Sidhant Dhingra & Associates is a well reputed and renowned law firm in Delhi. Established in the year 2016, it is known for offering its client cutting edge services. The organization believes in offering complete legal support to its clients.

The company is headed by Advocate Sidhant Dhingra and has a team of lawyers working under his guidance. Each member of this team has extensive experience in the field of law, making them the best criminal lawyer in Delhi.

The advocates of this company are well read and knowledgeable about all the internal as well as international laws. This makes them capable of handling legal work of both domestic as well as international clients.

Irrespective of the kind of legal trouble you are in and at what stage you need help, Sidhant Dhingra & Associates provide end to end legal services to their clients. The areas of law where you can seek help from Advocate Sidhant Dhingra, a Supreme court Advocate, and his firm are as follows:

Economic Offenses

NDPS Cases

Sexual Offenses and POCSO Cases

Money laundering

Anti-corruption

Cyber Crime

Terrorism and Sedation

Matrimonial Cases

Following legal services are offered by Sidhant Dhingra & Associates

Arranging for bail

Filing of FIRs and Complaints

Filing criminal appeals and revisions in high court and supreme court

Handling litigations for offenses under criminal law

Handling litigation work for offenses under bank and financial institution fraud

Handling litigation work for economic and cyber crime offenses

They have a dedicated team of researchers. These researchers carefully study each case and find out all the facts about the same. They even try to get information about the case that the opposition will present. Equipped with all this information, Advocate Sidhant Dhingra and his team of experienced lawyers are able to offer the best legal advice and services to their clients.

Below are some of the top reasons for choosing services of Sidhant Dhingra & Associates

Get The Best Lawyer To Handle Your Case

Each and every member of Sidhant Dhingra & Associates has ample of skills to handle the toughest of criminal cases in the best possible manner. This makes them the best criminal lawyer in Delhi to handle your case.

Get The Best Legal Solutions

At Sidhant Dhingra & Associates, they study each case separately, and offer the best customized solutions to their clients. They work hard to come up with strategies and techniques through which complicated cases can be handled with ease.

Get Services Of Licensed Lawyers

Each person working with this company is a licensed advocate and has proper credentials to represent the clients in the required court of law, be it sessions court, high court or supreme court.

Get Moral And Emotional Support

Legal battles can be frightening for the common man. At Sidhant Dhingra & Associates, they offer legal counseling to their clients. They explain in detail what the case involves and what the client can expect in the court. They give a patient hearing to what the clients have to say and answer each and every question they have in mind in detail.

Sidhant Dhingra & Associates is ranked amongst the best criminal law firms in Delhi. They are the best go to option for any sort of criminal or white collar legal trouble.

There are certain legal matters which an individual can handle on his own. Like fighting a speeding ticket, etc. However, there are several other legal matters and situations where taking the risk of going without an attorney can result in big penalties. If the matter happens to be criminal in nature, it becomes absolutely essential that one should opt for the services of only the best criminal lawyer in Delhi.

The very first thing that a person is told when they get involved with or charged with any criminal matter is that they have a right to an attorney and if they do not have one, the state shall arrange one for them. It is because hiring the services of a qualified attorney is important to ensure that your case gets proper representation in the court. The attorney will not just present your case in a legally acceptable manner but also protect your best interests. There are several reasons for hiring the services of a Supreme court advocate to fight your criminal case.

There is a very old saying that prevention is better than cure. Hiring the services of an expert, experienced and highly respectable attorney like Sidhant Dhingra, may be just the prevention that you and your family need to avoid financial bankruptcy or jail time. These attorneys will protect you to the best of their level. They will get the best plea deals and negotiate on your behalf to ensure that you get a mild punishment only in case you genuinely made any mistake.

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT NEWS, RESOURCES AND STUDIES, MAY 1 2022

Welcome to my latest summary of the top news, studies and helpful resources for ecommerce, social media, SEO and content marketing (with a special focus on Etsy), compiled since my last update at the end of March. I am trying to get them out more often but there just isn’t enough time in the day lately! 

For those who are new to these updates, remember: you don’t have to read everything! Just skim through the topics for the parts you are interested in or are trying to learn. The whole idea here is that you save time by getting summaries of things you might want to know more about. 

For new readers, please let me know what you think, and if you have any questions or comments. You can reply below on this post, email me through my website, or contact me on Twitter.

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

Ecommerce spending in the US has dropped quite a bit in the last several months, especially for clothing and home furnishings, says the Wall Street Journal [paywall; audio and text]. “This March was the first month since the pandemic hit during which e-commerce sales declined from the same period a year earlier while in-store sales rose…The drop in online spending was 3.3%, the first year-over-year decline since November 2013.”  The big ecommerce leaders such as Amazon and Walmart are adapting. 

While merchants who ship to Germany have been required to register and pay for packaging recycling since 2019, a new law involving marketplaces will take effect in July 2022, so both Etsy and eBay have published details. In brief, those marketplaces will be required to check that businesses shipping to Germany are properly registered under the Act. While many of the plans available seem quite expensive for microbusinesses that don’t do many sales to Germany, I’ve seen several reports that “Reclay” is pretty cheap compared to most, see here for example. You can sign up with them here. No doubt more helpful articles will appear in the coming months, so stay tuned here if you want more information. [It would be great if this change means Etsy has to make it easier to exclude a country from shipping profiles!]

Beware of fake intellectual property claims from AI lawyers: not lawyers who use AI, but lawyers who are created by AI. The Next Web tells an interesting tale.

ETSY NEWS 

See my coverage of the Etsy boycott and strike here.

Many sellers outside of the US have recently received the following notification: “To comply with anti-money laundering regulations in your region, we’re required to verify your bank account to confirm that you own it.” They have 30 days to do so or they can no longer receive deposits. However, some have been selling for many years without any issues, were already verified years ago, and most aren’t aware of any legal reasons this is needed in their own country/province/state etc. Furthermore, the process can take several days to finish, and once you initiate it, you cannot receive any deposits until the verification is complete, which can possibly take over a week, although many are reporting only 2-3 days. One of the largest threads is here if you need help. Because this is Etsy, of course the procedure isn’t working in some countries, namely Turkey and the Philippines. Etsy says they are working on the Turkish issue, but in the meantime, sellers cannot get their money released. If you are having an issue, please let me know, and I will try to find some help for you.

Reserves seem to be on the upswing again, with more sellers reporting them with no apparent reason, or immediately after they start to reverify their bank accounts (see above). This seller says there is no reason for her shop to be on reserve, and that Etsy was not sending her full deposits for 6 weeks earlier this year. Others are claiming similar situations, with no apparent risk factors for a reserve. Some of the bank account examples could involve the reverification process - perhaps the payment processors decided the account was risky? If you see any other odd examples, please let me know. 

As you have probably noticed, Etsy is testing awarding individual badges for the 3 core components of its Star Seller program. That means sellers can still get visible recognition even if they only score 95% and up on one or two of the factors instead of all three.

Another Etsy test - longer videos, with sound! This is only available through invitation, to US sellers using the iOS version of the Etsy Seller Preview app. As with many Etsy features, some are finding it buggy. 

Yet another test: adding customer photos to the listing photos. Here is a thread, and I tweeted a screenshot. 

Etsy is making it easier for brands (including Etsy shops) to search for and file intellectual property complaints against Etsy listings. I haven’t had a reason to try it yet, but if it is truly easier than the previous format, that will be a blessing to folks who frequently have their stuff ripped off. Keep an eye out for more complaints of takedowns! 

Apparently ombre is out and “gradients” are in. That and more here in Etsy’s top 5 home decor trends post. “228% YoY increase in searches on Etsy for gradient rugs…221% YoY increase in searches on Etsy for minimalist decor” These points are also covered in the spring and summer trends podcast [transcript with podcast links]

There is now a dedicated page for shipping partner discounts here. Most are for Americans, although there is a link to Packlink Pro which can be used in several EU countries. That includes “cost-effective” recycled packaging products, available to US sellers only, through EcoEnclose. Etsy also put out some tips on making your business more environmentally-conscious and making sure buyers know that. 

5 days into the quarter, Etsy came out with their seller calendar for April through June, in English, German, French and British English. There isn’t really much on it, so I wonder if they are starting this now with plans to do much more with it in the future? It does include the “All things Home Sales Event running May 25 to June 2; more details here.

Etsy’s 2021 Global Seller Census came out March 31. Note that the percentage of shop owners who identify as women has dropped below 80% for the first time in my memory. Only 32% are running their business as their only job; note that would likely include people who only do it part time due to circumstances or choice. Also, “3 in 10 sellers (29%) now export their goods outside their home country” which seems shockingly low. [If you are looking to expand your Etsy sales, consider shipping to at least a few of Etsy’s largest countries: United States, United Kingdom, German, Canada, Australia, and France would be a good start. This is an even more useful strategy if you sell niche items.] The full pdf of the report can be found here. 

Update from my last report: replying to 4 and 5 star reviews is not a test or bug, but a permanent change. Not sure why they can’t announce these changes upfront instead of weeks later after tons of people have been asking questions. 

There is a new Etsy forum category for new sellers. It is run by Etsy employees, although they will be bringing in their favoured “experienced” sellers for some threads. However, it appears older sellers are also able to post.

Etsy’s first quarter 2022 financial results will be out May 4. My report on that should be out on Tumblr by the end of the weekend. 

I haven’t had time to thoroughly read Etsy’s 2021 Integrated Annual Report, but if you are interested, you can do so here. Looks to be most of the same stuff they always say, so unless you are a speedy skimmer, I wouldn’t waste the time. 

Reverb says “there are currently no plans to increase the transaction fees” to follow parent company Etsy’s recent move. 

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

Google doesn’t recommend changing URLs back and forth just to run tests. And if you don’t like Google rewriting your title tags, there are also some things you shouldn’t do [text and video], namely keyword stuffing/spamming and using superlatives. Note that Google says it is not rewriting them as much recently, though. 

While it might seem like a good idea to fill some website pages with AI-written pieces, Google says those are spam, so don’t do it! 

Doing your own coding? Here is what Google wants you to know about structured data. [semi-advanced video with a transcript link] 

More people are shopping by voice these days, be it on dedicated devices such as Alexa or just on their phones. Optimizing for voice search is probably a good strategy. 

This isn’t really SEO but it is about Google search so I am putting it under this topic: basic and advanced search filters and operators for Google. 

There might have been a Google algorithm update around April 20th-21st. 

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

General

If your product or service lends itself to be talked about in group settings, you might want to look at setting up a Discord server for your customers. 

French social app BeReal is getting more popular and might be one to watch in the near future. Or maybe Meta will just copy it instead. 

Sprout Social’s annual report on the best times to post to social media is out now. Remember that this will vary by your target market and your specific followers, but if you are struggling to get attention, it’s worth trying their suggested times. 

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta

Meta’s ad revenues were up in the first quarter of 2022, as were active Facebook users. They don’t have strong projections for the second quarter.  

It’s true: Meta really wants to introduce virtual tokens and coins that they’ve nicknamed “Zuck bucks”. They sound similar to award programs on Twitch, TikTok and Reddit. 

Meta is also getting ready to launch NFT trading and display on both Facebook and Instagram, although the company won’t officially confirm this yet. 

Facebook’s ad targeting relies on “interests” that are wrong nearly ⅓ of the time. “The researchers also note that Facebook’s system often doesn’t distinguish between positive and negative interactions, which can also lead to inaccuracies.”

Instagram

Instagram’s algorithm now supposedly favours originality over reposting someone else’s content; Hubspot has the details. 

Product tagging is slowly rolling out to all US accounts (you don’t have to be running a business). “Users who see a product tag on Instagram can tap it to buy the product within the app or via the brand’s product detail page.”

It’s not enough to have a lot of Instagram followers. You need followers who actually buy from you. 

If you are advertising on IG, check out these different reports that can help you determine how well the campaign worked. 

Here’s a great thread from Twitter explaining that using hashtags isn’t enough for you to get seen on Instagram. The most important things a post needs to get seen on IG are: “likes, comments, saves, tapping through to your profile — and most importantly — TIME SPENT. Instagram wants people to stay on the app, so if your content is achieving that, it’ll get boosted.”

LinkedIn

6 tips for improving your LinkedIn ad campaigns. “Do you want to tell more people about your event or drive more registrations? Rather than creating a single image or video ad, try LinkedIn’s updated event ad format. According to LinkedIn, users have reported doubled results and lower costs compared to image ad formats.”

You can now add a link in your profile on LinkedIn; great for people wanting to drive traffic to a website.

Pinterest

WooCommerce has a new Pinterest extension that creates shoppable pins. It includes stats so you will know if it is worth your time.

  Reddit

You can now search within particular communities and even get results for individual posts, making Reddit a lot easier to use for marketing research as well as when you are getting traffic from it and want to see why.

Snapchat According to some Snapchat research, 92% of Gen Z is interested in augmented reality (AR) when shopping. “Sixty percent of Gen Z consumers said that AR experiences feel more personal and over half of Gen Z would be more likely to pay attention to an ad that uses AR.”

TikTok

TikTok is still huge; here’s how to use it for marketing, and how to set up an ad campaign on the platform.

And if that isn’t enough for this edition, here is how the TikTok algorithm keeps users sucked in. “One of the key ranking signals on the TikTok algorithm is video completion. Each time a user watches a video in full, that video will be more likely to be suggested to other users' feeds.”

Twitter

There is way too much speculation on what Elon Musk’s potential purchase of Twitter will mean, so I am not going to overload you with it; I am sure you have seen enough. The deal might even fall through, so let’s wait and see what happens in the next few months. On to other Twitter news…

Twitter is testing new types of ads, including ones with smaller thumbnails included.

They are also working on the long-requested edit button! Twitter Blue users will get to test it first.

Don’t you hate it when you get tagged in a conversation on Twitter and it keeps going even though you are not involved? The solution may be “unmentioning”, currently in a slow roll out.

YouTube

YouTube now has a search insights tool, so creators can see what viewers are looking for. It is rolling out to brands and creators this month, but “[i]t will only provide aggregated data from the past 28 days on English language search terms from the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia and India.”

ONLINE ADVERTISING (NOT SOCIAL MEDIA OR ECOMMERCE SITES) 

If you use Google Ads Automation, make sure you have conversion tracking set up correctly. 

Bing’s Ethical Shopping Hub now appears in Canada and the US, not just the UK any more. 

Google Ads accounts will no longer be able to create or edit extended text ads as of June 30. Responsive search ads (RSAs) will replace them, and RSAs are very different. 

There are 9 more things you can’t do/sell on Google Ads, including mail-order brides and bail bond services. The new additions take effect June 21. 

Yet another article saying that ending advertising didn’t really affect a company’s profits. Like many of the proponents of the “no ads” approach, this was a larger entity that had brand presence already, some of it through good basic SEO. Not paying for ads can also work well for a business serving a well-defined niche without much competition, as the customer base will often do most of the promotion for you in those cases. 

Digital audio and video ad spending was up over 50% in 2021, with social media up over ⅓, and search ads close to ⅓.

STATS, DATA, TRACKING 

Another article on why you should set up Google Analytics 4 sooner rather than later. (In case you missed it, the Universal Analytics version of GA will disappear next July.) Also, Google isn’t going to bother to fix the lag in real time reports in GA3. 

Does your old Google Analytics set up have “Goals” that you would love to transfer to GA4? Google has a setting for that.

ECOMMERCE NEWS, IDEAS, TRENDS (minus social media)

General

If you are looking to expand your digital sales to another platform, check out this list of 20 places to sell everything from ebooks to art to video courses. 

Dropbox is beta testing Dropbox Shop, a way for users to sell digital items to customers. You can also now allow tipping. 

The used clothing trend continues, and Target is the latest to hop on board, pairing up with ThredUp on a new section of Target’s website. “The secondhand market is set to expand 10% to 15% over the next decade, according to McKinsey and Company; ThredUp sees it reaching $77 billion in four years.” Lululemon is also launching a US-wide resale site on Earth Day. 

Amazon

Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA) users now pay a 5% “fuel and inflation” surcharge starting April 28. 

Amazon announced “Buy with Prime”, a way to use your Prime account on non-Amazon websites. The first merchants will be current FBA sellers, but the plan is to expand beyond that eventually. Their expanded fulfillment capacity that they claim was needed during the pandemic will now be ready to go for this new program. 

The SEC has been investigating Amazon for over a year, including on their use of third-party marketplace vendor data to optimize Amazon’s own products. 

The problem of ecommerce returns is continuing to get more public scrutiny, and Amazon frequently leads the way. “Amazon wouldn’t share its overall returns numbers, but in 2021, the National Retail Federation estimates 16.6% of all merchandise sold during the holiday season was returned, up more than 56% from the year before.” While Amazon claims it doesn’t use landfills for returns, it does admit to “energy recovery”, which means burning things they couldn’t resell, return to the manufacturer, or donate. 

May 2 will be Amazon Pet Day in the United States, which involves discounted items and offers to buy or rent “iconic pet movies”. 

BigCommerce

You can now run multiple stores, including from other builder sites such as Wordpress, through BigCommerce’s Multi-Storefront. 

eBay

Starting June 1, eBay sellers using Promoted Listings will have to pay fees on the shipping and taxes etc. instead of just the final sale price. As with Etsy Offsite Ads fees, this will have a disproportionate effect on non-US sellers and sellers whose products have higher shipping fees. 

eBay is slowly testing giving sellers the ability to spend money from their Managed Payments accounts directly on eBay. Currently it is by invitation only. 

The company put out its usual spring Seller Updates in April, for the United States, the United Kingdom, and several other countries. 

Shopify

Shopify is trying to buy Deliverr, a fulfillment software company. 

Shipping It’s not your imagination: over 70% of online shoppers in North America and Europe have had issues with home delivery in 2022, and a quarter of those folks decided not to use the retailer involved again. Meanwhile, at least 2,000 packages get delivered by drone each day around the world, a number that is expected to increase substantially this year alone. Drones also deliver non-retail items such as blood to remote clinics. 

Royal Mail increased some prices on April 4; check out the current charges here [pdf].

Around a third of USPS first class packages will be slower as of May 1, although the majority will have the same projected delivery times. 

BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

Experienced online business people will often advise others to cancel orders from customers who ask too many questions or send too many messages. The truth is, questions themselves aren’t the problem; it is certain types of questions that should trigger your concern. This statement on Reddit put it perfectly: “I believe problem customers know who they are. They ask a higher than normal number of questions at the outset that reflect a fear of something going wrong. Because they have been disappointed in the past and they believe they can avoid it. But the truth is they are going to be disappointed no matter what. And they are more likely to ask for discounts. Because they know they’ll feel they were overcharged (eventually) and they want to avoid that. So if they are asking positive questions like “what’s fun for x” or “what do people like?”, that’s enthusiasm. But if there are more negative questions that show they are already seeing problems …. run away”

The Help Scout site is consistently one of the best resources on all things customer service, and here is another example: 47 tips on the best way to talk to customers. While a few of the points are meant for larger companies that have whole departments for customer care, most are useful for replying to buyer emails and responding to reviews, as well as for designing FAQs and other instructions. 

Sole proprietorships in the United States increased by 2.6% in 2019, the last year we have full stats for. 

Knowing what triggers your target market is the first step in triggering them to buy from you. Here’s an explanation of how, using Casper the mattress company as an example. 

What if you didn’t have to buy things you didn’t need very often? Tulu is offering those things for rent in apartments and dorms. “Today, millennials and Gen Zs don’t think about cars. They want to get from point A to point B and as long as they can get it in an affordable, convenient way, the ownership just becomes a constraint.”

MISCELLANEOUS

Privacy search engine DuckDuckGo has released its new desktop browser in beta for Macs. 

Google parent company Alphabet saw revenue increase by 23% in the first quarter over 2021, but that was lower than projections. YouTube’s performance was well below expectations, and the war in Ukraine also played a part. Google search ad revenue was strong, though, mirroring good numbers from the smaller Microsoft Bing.

[bountyofbeads]

Inside a Brazen Scheme to Woo China: Gifts, Golf and $4,254 Wine https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/business/deutsche-bank-china.html

Inside a Brazen Scheme to Woo China: Gifts, Golf and a $4,254 Wine

By Michael Forsythe, David Enrich and Alexandra Stevenson | Published

Oct. 14, 2019 Updated 3:24 PM ET | New York Times | Posted October 14, 2019 8:10 PM ET |

It was a brazen campaign to win business in China by charming and enriching the country’s political elite.

The bank gave a Chinese president a crystal tiger and a Bang & Olufsen sound system, together worth $18,000. A premier received a $15,000 crystal horse, his Chinese zodiac animal, and his son got $10,000 in golf outings and a trip to Las Vegas. A top state banking official, a son of one of China’s founding fathers, accepted a $4,254 bottle of French wine — Château Lafite Rothschild, vintage 1945, the year he was born.

Millions of dollars were paid out to Chinese consultants, including a business partner of the premier’s family and a firm that secured a meeting for the bank’s chief executive with the president. And more than 100 relatives of the Communist Party’s ruling elite were hired for jobs at the bank, even though it had deemed many unqualified.

This was all part of Deutsche Bank’s strategy to become a major player in China, beginning nearly two decades ago when it had virtually no presence there. And it worked. By 2011, the German company would be ranked by Bloomberg as the top bank for managing initial public offerings in China and elsewhere in Asia, outside Japan.

The bank’s rule-bending rise to the top was chronicled in confidential documents, prepared by the company and its outside lawyers, that were obtained by the German newspaper  Süddeutsche Zeitung. The previously undisclosed documents, shared with The New York Times, cover a 15-year period and include spreadsheets, emails, internal investigative reports and transcripts of interviews with senior executives.

The documents show that Deutsche Bank’s troubling behavior in China was far more extensive than the authorities in the United States have publicly alleged. And they show that the bank’s top leadership was warned about the activity but did not stop it.

Josef Ackermann, the bank’s chief executive until 2012, said in an interview with The Times and separately in answers to written questions that he was not familiar with many of the details contained in the documents. But he defended the bank’s broader practices.

“This was part of doing business in this country,” Mr. Ackermann said. “At the time, this was the way things were done.”

For years, Deutsche Bank has been a poster child for misconduct in the finance industry. Regulators and prosecutors around the world have imposed billions of dollars in penalties against the bank for its role in a wide range of scandals. Most recently, the bank has been under investigation for the facilitation of money laundering in Russia and elsewhere.

Deutsche Bank — which for two decades was the primary lender to President Trump — also has been under scrutiny by two congressional committees and by state prosecutors in New York who are investigating Mr. Trump’s finances.

In August, the bank agreed to pay $16 million in a settlement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission related to allegations that it had used corrupt means to win business in both China and Russia, violating anti-bribery laws, though it did not admit wrongdoing.

That penalty, the documents show, amounted to a small fraction of the revenues gained in China from business stemming in part from the activities. The bank’s outside lawyers had warned executives in 2017 that they could face a penalty of more than $250 million from the S.E.C. related to China. There is no evidence that German regulators investigated the bank’s activities in China, though they were alerted to some of it, according to the documents.

Reasons for concern appear throughout the documents, which include internal investigations conducted by two law firms, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Allen & Overy, at the time of the S.E.C.’s action.

Deutsche Bank, the documents show, dispensed hundreds of thousands of dollars to secure meetings for top executives with China’s leadership. An obscure company received $100,000 to arrange a 2002 meeting between Mr. Ackermann and Jiang Zemin, then the country’s president.

In all, the documents show, the bank paid seven consultants more than $14 million, including for help buying a stake in a Chinese bank and winning coveted assignments from state-owned companies. Some of the payments were flagged internally as problematic but allowed to go through.

On multiple occasions, according to the documents, Deutsche Bank tried to win business by collaborating with family members of Wen Jiabao, China’s premier from 2003 to 2013. The Wens’ enormous accumulation of wealth was the focus of a 2012 investigation by The Times that found family members had controlled assets worth at least $2.7 billion.

Winning Over the Wens

Among its many ties to China’s political elite, Deutsche Bank cultivated a deep relationship with the family of Wen Jiabao during his term as premier of China. Mr. Wen himself received gifts from the bank valued at more than $15,000. But it was a family affair, involving his son, daughter and their spouses, as well as a close business associate of the family.

The bank, at least in part through its hiring of people with political connections, won hundreds of millions of dollars in Chinese deals. Such hires can be illegal if they are done in exchange for business. The bank’s outside lawyers calculated that just 19 of its so-called relationship hires helped bring in $189 million in revenue, including a plum assignment in 2006 managing a state bank’s market debut, then the biggest initial public offering in history.

Most of the Chinese government officials entangled in the bank’s activities have since retired, among them Mr. Jiang and Mr. Wen. But two parents of people the bank employed are now members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the country’s pinnacle of power. And the country’s vice president, Wang Qishan, accepted gifts from the bank when he held previous positions, such as mayor of Beijing.

Efforts by The Times and Süddeutsche Zeitung to reach Mr. Jiang, Mr. Wang and Mr. Wen — as well as other Chinese officials, executives and relatives mentioned in the documents — either were unsuccessful or received no response. Several current and former Deutsche Bank employees declined to comment.

Tim-Oliver Ambrosius, a spokesman for the bank, did not respond to specific questions about the documents. In a written statement, he said that the company had “thoroughly investigated and reported to authorities certain past conduct,” adding that the bank had “enhanced our policies and controls, and action has been taken where issues have been identified.”

“These events date back as far as 2002 and have been dealt with,” the statement said.

Mr. Ackermann said that he had cautioned the bank’s staff that “no business is worth risking the bank’s reputation.” Though he pushed employees to increase revenue and profits, he said, “feeling pressure cannot excuse violating compliance rules and regulations or the law of the land.”

Playing Catch-Up

When Mr. Ackermann was picked in 2000 as the next chief executive, his ambition was for Deutsche Bank to be universally recognized as a global leader. And he wanted it done fast.

China was critical. It was the most populous country in the world and on its way to becoming the second-largest economy. Yet Deutsche Bank was far behind its rivals there.

Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley had been at the forefront of helping China modernize its moribund financial system and network of state-owned businesses. In 1995, Morgan Stanley helped set up the country’s first investment bank, China International Capital Corporation. Goldman won the rights in 1997 to bring China Telecom, the country’s phone monopoly, to the international market through an initial public offering in Hong Kong.

Mr. Ackermann had to play catch-up.

A first step for the bank was poaching Lee Zhang, the head of Goldman Sachs’s Beijing office. Mr. Zhang was fluent in the ways of both China and Western business. Born and raised in China, he had studied in Canada and later moved to California, where he worked for Hewlett-Packard and studied business administration. He then went to Hong Kong, eventually landing at Goldman.

Mr. Zhang’s mandate was to transform Deutsche Bank into a player in China. That required winning over the Communist Party.

Mr. Zhang began hiring aggressively. Many of his recruits — dozens and dozens of them, according to spreadsheets compiled by the bank’s lawyers — were young, inexperienced and well connected. They came to know him as Uncle Zhang.

Ma Weiji, whose parents were senior executives at state-owned companies, interviewed for a job in 2007. It did not go well. A senior Deutsche Bank executive emailed Mr. Zhang that Mr. Ma “was probably one of the worst candidates.”

He got the job nevertheless. Soon, Mr. Ma was using his family connections to secure meetings for the bank with his parents’ companies, according to a memo by Allen & Overy.

Another job candidate was a son of Liu Yunshan, then China’s propaganda minister. He “cannot meet our standard,” a Deutsche Bank employee wrote in an email about the company’s equity capital markets group. He was offered a job anyway.

The younger daughter of Li Zhanshu — now a top member of the Politburo Standing Committee — was judged unqualified for the bank’s corporate communications team. She got an offer, too.

Even for qualified candidates, political connections were taken into account.

Wang Xisha, whose father was the top official in Guangdong Province when she applied in 2010, was a veteran of the rival bank UBS and had also interned at Goldman Sachs. During her recruitment process, one banker noted that she would “have access” to a state-owned automaker, according to Allen & Overy. Her father, Wang Yang, is now a member of the Politburo Standing Committee.

In 2006, Deutsche Bank began to engage in what it called referral hiring. The goal was to drum up business for the bank by doling out personal favors to current and prospective clients, the S.E.C. found. Premier Wen Jiabao’s son-in-law, who was a senior official at China’s banking regulator, referred one candidate. Mr. Wen’s daughter-in-law referred another. Both were hired.

A state railway executive in China referred the son of a judge on the Supreme People’s Court. The assistant president of the oil refiner Sinopec referred a candidate, too. So did the general manager of the state-owned Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

Mr. Zhang, reached by phone, declined to be interviewed for this article. He also did not respond to written questions sent through a business associate.

“It’s a relationship country,” Mr. Ackermann said in the interview. “Of course we cultivated these people.”

Cashmere Overcoats

The roster was set. The first nine foursomes to tee off at Deutsche Bank’s Beijing golf invitational in October 2003 were a predictable mix of German and Chinese executives.

The 10th group was different. It included Winston Wen, son of the newly appointed premier, as well as Huang Xuhuai, a close business associate of the Wen family. They were joined by a top official from PetroChina, a state-owned oil company.

The fourth player was Mr. Zhang. The following month, he, Mr. Huang and Mr. Wen would be off to Thailand for more golf, and later to Germany, according to documents compiled for the bank’s internal investigation.

The relationships that Mr. Zhang built with the golfers were microcosms of how the bank made a name for itself in China beyond its strategic hiring. They were showered with gifts. They were enlisted to introduce Deutsche Bank executives to Chinese decision makers. And they were hired as consultants to help win the bank work.

Among dozens of gifts to political leaders and heads of state-run companies, the oil executive received golf clubs and a bag valued at more than $2,500.

Executives at China Life Insurance, which picked Deutsche Bank to help manage its I.P.O. in 2003, were treated to Louis Vuitton luggage, cashmere overcoats, golf clubs, even a sofa, totaling more than $22,000, according to a memo by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

The bank prohibited gifts to public officials unless the legal and compliance departments signed off, and Gibson Dunn found that Mr. Zhang, who generated many of the expenses, had violated that policy.

The law firm’s research showed that from 2002 to 2008, bank officials gave more than $200,000 in gifts to Chinese officials, their relatives and executives of state-owned companies. More than a fourth went to people on the Politburo or their relatives, including Mr. Jiang, the president; and Mr. Wen, the premier.

Some of the gifts, like the crystal tiger for Mr. Jiang, who was born in 1926, the year of the tiger, were “provided” by Mr. Ackermann, according to the internal investigation.

Mr. Ackermann said that while he didn’t recall personally giving the items, he was aware that the bank’s staff thought it a good idea. He has not been accused of wrongdoing in China.

“They said that’s what Goldman and JPMorgan are doing, so we should do it,” Mr. Ackermann said in the interview. “I don’t think Wen Jiabao would be somehow influenced by a gift of a few thousand.”

In 2016, JPMorgan was fined $264.4 million by the Justice Department for its Chinese hiring. Other banks were also known to engage in similar practices. The Swiss bank Credit Suisse paid $77 million last year in criminal penalties and other fines. Goldman Sachs has not been accused of wrongdoing in its China business.

‘Red Flags’

The plan to increase Deutsche Bank’s clout in China also included buying a big stake in a midsize Beijing bank, Huaxia.

The acquisition plan, code-named Project Rooster, involved hiring Mr. Huang, one of Mr. Zhang’s golf partners. Mr. Huang had no experience in banking but had worked in a diamond company run by the wife of the premier, according to a background check that was done for the bank at the time. He was paid the equivalent of more than $2 million.

The bank’s compliance department didn’t stand in the way of the consulting role, but some senior executives were uneasy.

“Based on the information from the search firm, if this person is not known to the market and industry, why are we paying for the service and what are we paying for?” Polly Lee, the bank’s head of compliance in Hong Kong, wrote in an email to Till Staffeldt, a regional executive who was pushing for Mr. Huang’s hiring. “My concern is this individual is fronting for someone else.”

Mr. Staffeldt is now Deutsche Bank’s global chief operating officer for regulation, compliance and preventing financial crime.

Deutsche Bank’s bid for Huaxia was successful. In late 2005, the bank secured a 9.9 percent stake, which later increased to almost 20 percent. It was unclear what Mr. Huang did to help the deal go through, but Gibson Dunn later found that the circumstances around his hiring raised “red flags” that might have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, in part because of Mr. Huang’s ties to the family of the premier, Mr. Wen.

In 2006, Deutsche Bank again brought Mr. Huang on as a consultant. This time, his task was to “study in-depth the financial safety of China’s banking industry.” He received $3 million.

Inside the bank, concerns had been mounting about Mr. Zhang’s use of consultants to win business. Frank Nash, who ran the bank’s Asian corporate finance division until 2004, warned a top executive, Michael Cohrs, about the problematic use of politically connected consultants.

Mr. Cohrs shared those concerns with the bank’s lawyers, including Richard Walker, a general counsel. They concluded that Mr. Zhang was operating inside the law, three people familiar with those discussions told The Times.

Mr. Zhang kept going. In 2006 he turned to another consultant named Huang to help the bank secure a role in the I.P.O. of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. The stock offering was set to be the world’s largest ever. The banks handling the transaction reaped not only huge fees but also coveted bragging rights.

That man, Huang Xianghui, was lacking in banking experience, and a background check found that the Beijing company he claimed to work for did not appear to exist at the address on his business card. But what he did have, according to the bank’s documents, was a previous affiliation with PetroChina, the state oil company. Mr. Zhang hired him.

Mr. Huang’s original contract said he would receive $3 million for services that were “solely focused on the energy industry.” In a draft, someone crossed out “the energy industry” and wrote “ICBC,” a reference to the giant state-owned bank. Deutsche Bank went on to win a high-profile role in the I.P.O.

The success ingratiated Mr. Zhang with his superiors, especially Mr. Ackermann. Mr. Zhang would escort him to meetings with top Chinese leaders, including the president and premier, as well as to gatherings with cultural and academic experts, Mr. Ackermann said. While at Deutsche Bank, Mr. Zhang was appointed to a top government advisory body, signaling his insider status.

“He introduced me to all sorts of people,” Mr. Ackermann said in the interview. “He was always an honest person and had good ethical standards.”

But Mr. Cohrs, who was the head of investment banking, warned the company’s lawyers that he was “scared of how Lee Zhang was doing business and whether there was money being passed around in envelopes,” the documents show.

There was reason to be concerned.

A Settlement, No Wrongdoing

In 2010, the head of I.C.B.C. approached Mr. Ackermann and said he wanted to hire Mr. Zhang, citing his excellent work at Deutsche Bank, according to Mr. Ackermann. He became senior executive vice president at the giant Chinese bank.

Two years later, Mr. Ackermann stepped down as chief executive. A top executive warned his successor, Anshu Jain, that the bank had grown overly reliant on winning business from state-owned companies, an area rife with corruption risks, according to a person with direct knowledge of the warning.

In 2013, when the United States began investigating JPMorgan’s hiring practices in China, Deutsche Bank initiated an internal review. It found a troubling pattern of politically connected hiring, and reported the findings to the S.E.C. and the Justice Department.

The S.E.C. subpoenaed the bank in April 2014. Months later, Deutsche Bank sued Mr. Zhang, accusing him of profiting from one of the consulting companies he had hired because it was owned by a relative. Mr. Zhang denied wrongdoing in the suit.

The Times and Süddeutsche Zeitung found two other consulting companies used by Deutsche Bank that appeared to be owned by Mr. Zhang’s wife.

Amazing Channel Holdings and Speedy Link Holdings, both registered in the British Virgin Islands, list Ji Zhengrong as the owner, according to documents found in the Panama Papers. Mr. Zhang’s wife has the same name, and her birth date, listed in Hong Kong court records, matches the birth date in the offshore company records.

Speedy Link was paid $3.65 million by Deutsche Bank to assist in its successful bid to help manage the I.P.O. of China Life Insurance Company in 2003, according to the bank’s documents. Amazing Channel Holdings was paid $100,000.

At the time, Deutsche Bank’s top lawyer was Mr. Walker, who had been warned of executives’ concerns about politically connected consultants in China.

Before joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Walker had been the head of the S.E.C.’s enforcement division. Now, as the agency’s investigation unfolded, bank officials were feeling optimistic.

Lawyers for Deutsche Bank traveled to the S.E.C.’s office in Salt Lake City to give a presentation on the company’s internal investigation. They argued that its hiring of Chinese princelings was far less extensive and systematic than at other banks, according to a person briefed on the meeting.

The lawyers told Mr. Walker afterward that the S.E.C. seemed to share the bank’s perspective, the person said. The agency’s investigators had concluded that when the bank hired politically connected employees, they were generally well qualified — something the bank’s internal reviews had cast doubt on.

This August, the S.E.C. announced that it was closing its investigation and had settled with the bank without requiring an admission of wrongdoing. Asked about the previously undisclosed Deutsche Bank documents, Chandler Costello, an S.E.C. spokeswoman, said, “The S.E.C. does not comment on details of any investigation, but, as always, the S.E.C. is committed to pursuing violations of federal securities law, wherever or by whomever they may occur.”

Earlier this year, the bank disclosed that it remained under investigation by the Justice Department for its hiring practices and use of consultants in foreign countries.

The German public broadcaster WDR contributed reporting.

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How Deutsche Bank Hired Its Way to the Top in China

Confidential documents reveal the troubled German bank’s brazen campaign to win business in China by charming and enriching the political elite. Here are six key takeaways.

By Alexandra Stevenson | Published Oct. 14, 2019, 12:23 PM ET | New York Times | Posted October 14, 2019 |

Foreign companies have long clamored for access to China, the world’s most populous country and second-biggest economy. But when Germany’s biggest lender, Deutsche Bank, set its sights on China nearly two decades ago, it was late to the game and faced fierce competition.

An investigation by The New York Times and the German newspaper  Süddeutsche Zeitung found that, for Deutsche Bank, playing catch-up meant cutting corners and bending rules. It paid millions of dollars to Chinese consultants with access to politicians, hired dozens of relatives of China’s ruling Communist Party and showered some members of the political elite with lavish gifts, according to confidential bank documents that contain spreadsheets, emails, transcripts of interviews with top executives and internal investigative reports.

A spokesman for the bank did not respond to specific questions about the documents. In a written statement, Deutsche Bank said that it had “thoroughly investigated and reported to authorities certain past conduct,” adding that the bank had “enhanced our policies and controls, and action has been taken where issues have been identified.”

“These events date back as far as 2002 and have been dealt with,” the statement said.

Here are six takeaways from the investigation.

In China, it’s all about who you know

Like other investment banks, Deutsche Bank learned early on that relationships were crucial to securing deals in China, particularly with the Communist Party elite who controlled most of the country’s assets.

Joseph Ackermann, who led Deutsche Bank from 2002 to 2012, turned to Lee Zhang, who had been running the Beijing office of a rival, Goldman Sachs, to help play catch-up. When Mr. Zhang joined Deutsche Bank, he quickly moved to get the bank a seat at the table for some of the biggest public offerings of China’s state-owned companies.

Mr. Zhang led a fast turnaround. Two years after having had virtually no presence in China, Mr. Ackermann was meeting with China’s president at the time, Jiang Zemin. The bank also footed the bill for golfing sojourns with high-profile guests, including the son of Wen Jiabao, then China’s premier.

“He introduced me to all sorts of people,” Mr. Ackermann said in an interview.

By 2006, Deutsche Bank played a leading role in the initial public offering of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world’s biggest offering at the time. This not only brought the bank a windfall, but also gave it fresh bragging rights in China. By 2011, it topped Bloomberg’s rankings for banks managing initial public offerings in China and Asia, outside of Japan.

Playbook Lesson 1: Lavish the political elite with gifts

Deutsche Bank handed out gifts totaling more than $200,000 to Chinese officials, their relatives and the executives of top state-owned companies, the documents show.

Mr. Jiang, the president at the time, received a Bang & Olufsen sound system. The premier, Mr. Wen, was given a crystal horse, his Chinese zodiac animal. Other gifts included a bottle of 1945 Château Lafite Rothschild wine, cashmere coats, golf clubs and stays at luxury hotels. There was even a car seat, valued on internal documents as $3,977, that went to a top executive at the state-owned oil giant PetroChina.

“They said that’s what Goldman and JPMorgan are doing, so we should do it,” Mr. Ackermann said in the interview. “I don’t think Wen Jiabao would be somehow influenced by a gift of a few thousand.”

Playbook Lesson 2: Pay consultants for access

When Deutsche Bank wanted to buy a big stake in a Chinese bank in 2005, it hired a consultant named Huang Xuhuai. Mr. Huang helped provide information about competing bids, enabling Deutsche Bank to come in with the winning bid. Mr. Huang was paid more than $2 million. Though the bank knew Mr. Huang had close ties to the family of the premier, Mr. Wen, which might raise red flags, Mr. Huang was hired again and paid $3 million.

The bank made payments worth more than $14 million to seven consultants who helped it win deals with state-owned companies.

Playbook Lesson 3: Hire the children of political elite

Deutsche Bank hired aggressively. Dozens of these new hires were young, inexperienced and very well connected, according to spreadsheets produced by lawyers for the bank. One was deemed “probably one of the worst candidates” by a senior bank executive. Nevertheless, he got the job. His parents were top executives at big state-owned companies.

Another applicant “cannot meet our standard,” an employee wrote in an email to colleagues. The candidate, the son of Liu Yunshan, China’s propaganda minister at the time, got an offer.

Even the candidates who were qualified were often assessed based on their connections. One banker noted that another candidate, Wang Xisha, whose father is now a member of the top Politburo Standing Committee, would “have access” to a state-owned automaker in Guangdong, where her father was a top official.

An internal bank investigation of 19 of these so-called relationship hires found that they helped bring the bank $189 million in revenue.

“It’s a relationship country,” Mr. Ackermann said in the interview. “Of course we cultivated these people.”

Red flags were raised

The internal bank documents show that while Deutsche Bank’s compliance officials didn’t put a stop to certain practices, some senior executives were uneasy.

When discussing whether to hire Mr. Huang as a consultant, for example, the bank’s head of compliance raised questions in an email. “My concern is this individual is fronting for someone else,” Polly Lee, head of compliance in Hong Kong, wrote to a senior executive, Till Staffeldt.

Mr. Staffeldt went on to become Deutsche Bank’s global chief operating officer in charge of compliance, regulation and preventing financial crime, a job he still holds.

Others were worried about the ties that Mr. Zhang cultivated, too. The head of Deutsche Bank’s investment banking at the time wrote to lawyers that he was “scared of how Lee Zhang was doing business and whether there was money being passed around in envelopes,” according to the documents.

A law firm hired by the bank later found that the circumstances around Mr. Huang’s hiring raised “red flags” that could have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Deutsche Bank paid a relatively modest penalty

In August, Deutsche Bank paid $16 million to settle allegations by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission that it used corrupt means to secure business in China and Russia. The bank was not required to admit wrongdoing. The bank’s internal documents show its legal counsel had warned executives that it could face penalties of more than $250 million from the S.E.C. related to China alone.

Asked about the previously undisclosed Deutsche Bank documents, Chandler Costello, an S.E.C. spokeswoman, said, “The S.E.C. does not comment on details of any investigation, but, as always, the S.E.C. is committed to pursuing violations of federal securities law, wherever or by whomever they may occur.”

In written responses to questions from The Times, Süddeutsche Zeitung and the German public broadcaster WDR, Mr. Ackermann, the former chief executive, said he had cautioned the bank’s staff that “no business is worth risking the bank’s reputation.” Though he pushed employees to increase revenue and profits in China, he said, “feeling pressure cannot excuse violating compliance rules and regulations or the law of the land.”

Alexandra Stevenson is a business correspondent based in Hong Kong, covering Chinese corporate giants, the changing landscape for multinational companies and China’s growing economic and financial influence in Asia.