Press Review - Week of 5 June 2026

Press Review – Week of 5 June 2026

This week’s press review covers the concerns raised by Transparency International France following the publication of the French Agence française anticorruption (AFA) and the French Service statistique ministériel de la sécurité intérieure (SSMSI) on the 2025 statistics on breaches of probity; the investigation conducted by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office into suspected fraud involving post-Covid public aid granted in Corsica; the Paris Court of Appeal’s confirmation of the seizure of a villa and related assets belonging to Russian oligarchs on the basis of the presumption of money laundering; the establishment of a specialised court in Hong Kong dedicated to international commercial disputes; as well as a Russian court’s decision authorising the enforcement of a judgment ordering Euroclear to pay €200 billion to the Russian Central Bank.

#White collar crime

France faced with a lasting deterioration of public integrity

On 1 June 2026, Transparency International France responded to the publication by the AFA and the SSMSI of data on offences against public integrity recorded in 2025. The association sets out three main observations. First, a concerning rise in offences against public integrity, with 1,125 cases recorded compared to 968 in 2024, and an increase of more than 35% in corruption-related offences. Second, an anti-corruption public policy deemed overly complex and not sufficiently clear, notably due to the limited powers of the AFA. Finally, Transparency International warns of the consequences of this deterioration for democratic trust and the rule of law. >Read the article.

Corsica: The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating allegations of widespread fraud involving post-pandemic Covid-19 aid

Searches were carried out on 27 and 28 May, notably at the Corsican Regional Authority, as part of an investigation led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation focuses on possible irregularities regarding the allocation of public aid intended for businesses in difficulty following the health crisis. To this end, two European Deputy Prosecutors, assisted by the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Financial Offenses (OCLCIFF) and the National Directorate of the Judicial Police, carried out eight searches at nine different locations. The period under review spans from June 2021 to June 2022, during which aid funds were disbursed and public contracts were awarded. Additionally, the prosecutors are examining potential conflicts of interest, as some authorizing officers may not have recused themselves in accordance with legal and ethical requirements. In a joint study published on 30 April 2026, the AFA and SSMSI estimated that Corsica was among the areas most affected by breaches of integrity between 2016 and 2025. > Read the article.

French courts uphold the seizure of a villa linked to Russian oligarchs on the French Riviera, reinforcing France’s anti-money laundering strategy

The Paris Court of Appeal has upheld the criminal seizure of a villa located in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, together with €17.2 million, as part of an investigation targeting assets allegedly linked to former Russian minister Viktor Khristenko and his associates. The decision is based on the legal mechanism of the presumption of money laundering, which allows the existence of a laundering scheme to be inferred where complex legal and financial arrangements appear to serve no purpose other than concealing the origin of funds or the identity of the beneficial owner. The court highlighted the involvement of offshore companies, nominee shareholders, international financial flows and a circular transaction structure. The ruling reinforces the use of the presumption of money laundering as a tool for the seizure and confiscation of assets whose lawful origin cannot be established. Previous constitutional challenges to this mechanism have been unsuccessful, as it was found not to infringe either the rights of the defence or the right to an effective remedy. > Read the article.

#Arbitration and Mediation

Hong Kong to launch international commercial court

Hong Kong’s judiciary has announced the establishment of the Hong Kong International Commercial Court (HKICC), a specialized court designed to hear complex international commercial disputes. Operating as a division of Hong Kong’s High Court, the new court aims to strengthen Hong Kong’s attractiveness as an international dispute resolution hub by offering the advantages of judicial proceedings, including authoritative judgments, procedural transparency, a structured appellate process, and enhanced enforceability of judgments, particularly in Mainland China. The HKICC will be composed of Hong Kong judges with substantial expertise in commercial law and may, on an ad hoc basis, include judges or practitioners from other common law jurisdictions. The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to reinforce Hong Kong’s position as a leading centre for international commercial dispute resolution alongside arbitration and mediation. >Read the article.

Russian court grants enforcement against Euroclear

In December 2025, the Russian Central Bank launched proceedings against Euroclear, seeking damages in relation to Russian state assets frozen as a result of EU sanctions imposed following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022. In late May 2026, the Commercial Court of Moscow authorised the immediate enforcement of a judgment ordering Euroclear to pay €200 billion to the Russian Central Bank. Reuters reported that the Russian Central Bank could seek to enforce the judgment against Euroclear assets located in China, the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan. The Russian Central Bank notably argued that, by implementing sanctions not recognised by Russian courts, Euroclear had violated Russian public policy and the Russian Constitution. It also initiated proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) challenging EU regulations providing for the freezing of its assets and their use to finance support for Ukraine. Euroclear confirmed that it would appeal the decision.>Read the article.