Franklin Templeton Investments was established in 1947. It is a large and respected firm that specializes in conservatively managed mutual funds.
It would be highly unusual (and visible) for them to knowingly be involved in money laundering.
It is also unusual that the article refers to it as “a firm called ‘Franklin Templeton Investments’ “. Sort of like saying, “we got our last car from a company called ‘Ford’”
This part of the article doesn’t pass the smell test. Perhaps the article got the name wrong.
maybe there is a single bad apple within the firm doing things and hiding it from his bosses?
There was news or FR talk about Templeton and how the was tied up in this less than a month back.