Benjamin Muscat

Public Notice by Malta's Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit that it has imposed a fine of €89,516 on Novum Bank Limited for regulatory breaches.

Public Notice by the Malta Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit that it has imposed a fine of €259,927 on Merkanti Bank Limited, formerly MFC Merchant Bank Limited, for regulatory breaches. Editor's Note: Research by OffshoreAlert at the Malta Business Registry showed that Merkanti Bank Limited was incorporated on June 17th 2003, its directors are Christian Farrugia, a citizen of Malta; Friedrich Hondl, a citizen of Austria; Otto Karasek, a citizen of Austria; Samuel Morrow, a citizen of the United States, and George Portanier, a citizen of Malta, and its shareholders are Merkanti Holding Plc, of Malta, and Scully Royalty Ltd., of the Cayman Islands. Merkanti Holding Plc was incorporated on May 28th, 2015, its directors are Mario P. Galea, a citizen of Malta; Samuel Morrow, Benjamin Muscat, a citizen of Malta; Silke Stenger, a citizen of Germany, and Martin Ware, a citizen of the United Kingdom, and its shareholders are Merchants Employees Incentive Corp., of the Marshall Islands; Scully Royalty Ltd., and MFC 2017 II Ltd., of the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands General Registry showed that Scully Royalty Ltd.'s directors are Dr. Shuming Zhao, Friedrich Hondl, Indrajit Chatterjee, Jochen Dümler, Michael J. Smith, and Silke S. Stenger. There was no record of any company with the name MFC 2017 II Ltd. when OffshoreAlert searched the Cayman companies register.

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

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

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

Public Notice by Malta Financial Services Authority that it imposed a fine of €80,500 on Novum Bank Limited for regulatory breaches.

A Cayman Islands fund - Traded Life Policies Fund - has become the latest investment scheme operated by Marbella-based, British fund manager Jeremy Leach to collapse in dubious circumstances.