The Australian Securities and Investments Commission gained the winding up orders against Prospero in the federal court on Thursday.
These members were charged under the most complex AFP-led money-laundering investigation in the nation’s history, it noted. The company’s Australian Financial Services Licence was suspended in December 2023, after Prospero failed to lodge its 2023 audited financial accounts, and it remains suspended. “The liquidators are undertaking urgent enquiries into Prospero’s financial affairs, including securing the assets and records, with a view to discharging claims from clients, creditors and other parties,” BRI Ferrier said in a statement.
The Changjiang Currency Exchange had 12 modern-looking shop fronts in every mainland state in Australia and supplied resources to customers about the country’s anti-money laundering laws. While most of these funds were from customers engaged in lawful actions, the AFP have alleged the company facilitated a system for organised criminals to secretly transfer unlawfully-obtained money in and out of Australia.Some of alleged money laundered by the syndicate was from the proceeds of crime, including from cyber-enabled scams, the trafficking of illicit goods and violent crimes, the AFP alleged.
AFP Eastern Command Assistant Commissioner Stephen Dametto said it would be alleged the highly-organised syndicate purchased false passports for $200,000 each, which could have enabled members to flee the country in the event law enforcement agencies became suspicious.