A murdered Northern Cypriot mob boss who once ran a casino on the island was discovered to have operated a money laundering and illegal betting operation linked to Malta.
The find was made by Turkish police investigating the murder of Halil Falyalı. They found 15 betting sites illegally offering betting that were linked to a crypto-currency exchange. Eleven Maltese companies were implicated, said the authorities. All were under Falyalı and his wife.
Falyalı, who owned the Les Ambassadeurs Hotel & Casino, was ambushed by rival gang members and killed by machine gun fire in February 2020 as he was traveling in a motorcade.
Police have confiscated about $30 million from the crypto accounts while seizing another $40 million using a court order. They also took into custody more than 100 persons in connection with the mob boss’s money laundering ring.
Malta is considered a center of online gambling in Europe, but it has also been criticized for its lax money laundering standards and regulatory oversight.
