Organized Crime Takes Lead in Italy’s Economy

Organized crime represents the biggest segment of the Italian economy, accounting for more than $127 billion in receipts, according to a report issued Monday, the NYT reports.

Canada 2007 OC report

The 2007 Annual Report on Organized Crime in Canada (pdf 2.7 MB) aims to provide an overall strategic picture of organized crime in Canada and give an understanding of the numerous ways organized crime impacts the lives of Canadians. This report, the only comprehensive overview of organized crime in Canada available to the public, highlights a variety of criminal markets and the threats they pose to communities across the country.

Gun control in Japan

The Japanese government adopted legislation Tuesday to toughen punishment for firing or owning guns in connection with organized crime activities, a response to a spate of high-profile shootings by gangsters.

September Issue of the Newsletter

The September 2007 issue of the Newsletter is available here (pdf). A short overview of the content of this issue:

Overview of the Pisa conference and the SGOC panels

Abstracts of the papers presented in Pisa

Pictures from the Pisa meetings

New Executive of the SGOC

Overview of the Turin Young Researcher Workshop on crime and counter crime policies in the Balkans

Conferences to attend

Books to read

Please do not forget to send us articles, announcements, book reviews and other materials that we can include in the newsletter and share with all SGOC members...

Israel:Police arrest ten members of alleged crime organization

Investigators from the International Crimes Investigation Unit carried out an extensive operation on Sunday morning targeted at Rico Shirazi's alleged crime organization.

Mob Wars Hit New Heights in Israel

When an explosion goes off on a busy Israeli street these days, it seems as likely to be a mob hit as a Palestinian attack. Rival underworld gangs are waging bloody battles for control of gambling and protection rackets, targeting each other with bullets, bombs and anti-tank missiles.

Turkey: Gang found to be linked to retired army officers

Nineteen members of the Patriotic Forces Union of Power Movement Association (VKGB), taken into custody on Monday after an extensive operation by the Anti-Organized Crime and Smuggling Department of the Ankara Police, have been referred to court after their interrogation at the police station on Tuesday.

Political Corruption in Poland

Please have a look at this paper http://www.forschungsstelle-osteuropa.de/con/images/stories/pdf/ap/fsoAP65.pdf
and tell us something more about this issue in Eastern European Countries

Political Corruption: an Introduction to the Issues

Please find an interesting paper on the following link http://www.cmi.no/publications/1999/wp/wp1999-7.pdf

Emails expose sordid tale of political corruption

To understand the nature of the Abramoff scandal that rocked Washington in 2006, it is especially helpful to look at the email files that US Senate Indian Affairs Committee have put on the Internet. These emails reveal a sordid, day-by-day account in Abramoff's own words documenting how he maneuvered government officials and others in Washington to transfer millions of dollars in fraudulent fees from his clients into the coffers of the political establishment in Washington.