United KingdomAn investigation by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), including the BBC, revealed that a WhatsApp group chat named 'Traders of Greater Europe' was used to facilitate illicit cash transfers worth hundreds of millions of euros globally. The group, consisting of 532 members, arranged cross-border payments for organized crime and extremism, including funding militants linked to the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria. The group operated from late February to December 2022, with over 82,000 messages exchanged. The system utilized the hawala method, an informal money transfer network that avoids electronic records and bypasses financial regulations like the SWIFT system. While hawala is illegal in most EU countries, it remains legal in the UK under certain conditions. The discovery came after a 2024 court case in Belgium that convicted several individuals, including the network’s leader, Abu Adam.
Bias read (Center): The article presents a factual investigation into the misuse of hawala networks for criminal activities without overtly taking a political stance. It reports on the findings of an independent journalistic network (EBU) and does not frame the issue through ideological lenses. The focus is on the law,
