Top 10 Europe stories of 2017
By Tom Carnegie, 22 Dec 17
The arrest of a Gibraltar based financial chief executive, the EU tax haven blacklist and expats angry at Brexit were among the top stories driving the agenda in 2017. To see the others, click through the slides.
Our most read story in Europe for 2017 was the arrest of STM’s chief executive Alan Kentish.
Kentish was arrested by the Royal Gibraltar Police in October in relation to a tax issue in 2015 involving an STM client company.
A second arrest was confirmed days later but that person’s identity has yet to be revealed.
Kentish and the second person were released from police bail without charge in mid-November, but STM subsidiaries subsequently came under regulatory scrutiny.
At the time, the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) said it has concerns about compliance, governance and controls and the provision of professional and trustee services. Days later, the regulator called on STM Group to “work together” after the firm ordered lawyers to block the investigation.
As of mid-December, IA understands that the Gibraltar police’s anti-money laundering investigation is ongoing.
