Alfa

• PARIS - Former officer Mai-Linh Camus heads into consultancy

• LONDON - Anwar Darkazally wants corporate intelligence to go green

• LONDON - Sibylline keeps hiring

• LONDON - BAE and Lord Powell part ways

One year of war all but wipes out Russian private investigation market 

The conflict in Ukraine has had an unprecedented impact on the world of corporate intelligence in and on Russia. Despite the huge decline in contracts, a few niche firms are still eking out an existence.

Dechert and del Rosso's counterattack against Azima and hackers for hire exposes ENRC's involvement 

Investigator Nick del Rosso, accused of conspiring with a Dechert lawyer to conduct a hacking attack for a Gulf emirate, is launching a legal counteroffensive with the law firm. Against this backdrop, hackers for hire allegedly involved in the affair are having their own stand-off.

Nassonov and Pechenizhky, EU and NATO event planners in war-torn Ukraine 

Amid the turmoil of war, a group of Ukrainian entrepreneurs are finding caterers and concierge services, and organising summits and conferences, for international organisations in Kyiv.

Turmoil and gains for Ukraine's spymasters at heart of the war 

The Ukrainian intelligence landscape has undergone deep tectonic shifts since Russia's invasion nearly a year ago. Former prominent figures have fallen while previously less sought-after services have risen in power, cooperation partnerships have been formed and missions refocused.

• PARIS - Goron poised to take over from MPP as LVMH provider

• BASEL/BRUSSELS - Anti-money laundering banking lobby registers in EU
  

• FRANCE - GEOS heads to El Salvador for the EU
  

• WASHINGTON - Alvarez & Marsal ropes in investigations star Kenneth Jones

• BRUSSELS - EU forks out €4m to help small businesses do due diligence
  

Glencore, US Justice Department and Swiss authorities enter final talks over compliance monitor 

The Swiss trading giant is still negotiating its compliance monitor with US and Swiss authorities after pleading guilty to bribery before New York and London courts in the second quarter of 2022. In this, it is heavily relying on McLarty Associates' strategic advice.

Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman lead the charge against sanctions 

The two businessmen are each trying as much to distance themselves from the Russian government as to take on sanctions imposed on them by the UK and the European Union - and they are using the same circles of French and British lawyers to do so.

Legal battle draws hackers-for-hire and private investigators out of the woodwork 

The US court battle between Kazakh conglomerate ENRC and lawyer Neil Gerrard is bringing elements of the hack-for-hire operation against former aviation magnate Farhad Azima out into the open. Underway behind the scenes is a Black PR campaign to discredit the body of evidence accumulated against Indian cyberspace hackers, corporate intelligence firms and Western lawyers.

Amar Zahid involved in case after case between US and Iraqi telecom industry 

A new governmental agreement may open up the Iraqi market, but consultant Amar Zahid's hands are tied in a case before the US courts against intelligence equipment manufacturer TIC.

Russian asset recovery agency comes into the US's firing line  Free

After several months of suspense, Russia's Deposit Insurance Agency now faces the threat of action by the West against its activities as an administrator of bankrupt banks and recoverer of supposedly misappropriated assets. Its general director has been placed on the US sanctions list.

Ukrainian-orientated lobbyist Yorktown defends telecoms Kyivstar in Washington 

Kyivstar, which is facing disrupted networks due to the war and shareholder agitation, is relying on Yorktown Solutions to help it find support in the United States. The consultancy has extensive experience with Ukraine's key sectors.

UE and US use tried and tested methods for security reform in Tbilisi 

After refusing Georgia the status of candidate for European Union membership, Brussels is pushing the country to relaunch major reform programmes. National security is an area that has come under particular criticism, both in defence and intelligence.

French lawyer Grand d'Esnon leads Alisher Usmanov's fight against EU sanctions 

To head his legal battle against European Union sanctions at the European Court of Justice, Russian-Uzbek business magnate Alisher Usmanov has hired a lawyer who used to advise the late French president Jacques Chirac.

Russian Alfa Group's investment arm A1 still going strong as litigation funder in London 

The entity that helps Russia's Deposit Insurance Agency fight its legal battles, A1, is still helping it hunt for assets. The UK sanctions on its leaders, including founder Mikhail Fridman, do not seem to have hindered its work in London.

Russian banks negotiate with US treasury's OFAC to secure presence in Central Asia 

Hit directly or indirectly by US sanctions, Russian banks are negotiating with the US treasury to be able to continue operating in Central Asia.

Corporate raider Nat Rothschild exposes his relationship with Indian ex-hacker Rajat Khare 

Financier Nat Rothschild, a member of the British branch of the Rothschild family, has taken over an Indian IT company in partnership with Rajat Khare, well-known to readers of Intelligence Online as an Indian "hack for hire" pioneer.