Good news in Central America. Bad news in Central Asia.
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🚨 ATTACK ON THE OCCRP NETWORK 🚨
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🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan: Authorities in Kyrgyzstan raided the homes of current and former journalists at Temirov Live, which OCCRP has worked with on numerous occasions. At least 11 people, including Temirov Live’s director, were detained and could be held for months according to our sources.
This is not the first time Kyrgyz police have targeted our colleagues at Temirov Live. The harassment began in late 2021, shortly after they exposed how the family of a state security official may have benefited from corrupt deals involving a state oil company ([link removed]) .
The entire OCCRP network stands with the journalists at Temirov Live, and we will continue to report on the officials behind their persecution.
➡️ Read more ([link removed]) about the Kyrgyz authorities’ extensive surveillance and harassment campaign against Temirov Live.
** MORE PRESS FREEDOM NEWS
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🇺🇦 Ukraine A group of unknown men tried to force their way into the home of investigative journalist Yuriy Nikolov, who recently revealed signs of mass corruption in the country’s Defense Ministry. This is the latest incident of harassment directed against Nikolov by anonymous individuals who appear to be affiliated with prominent Telegram channels that attack critics of the government.
In an interview with New Voice of Ukraine ([link removed]) , Nikolov explained why he believes the recent attack on his home is related to his reporting.
🇪🇺 European Union: Our Dutch partner obtained a series of documents ([link removed]) that reveal how some of Europe’s most powerful politicians killed legislative proposals in the 1990s that would have prevented media monopolies within the bloc.
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** GLOBAL CORRUPTION NEWS
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🇬🇹 Guatemala: To the relief of the global anti-corruption community, Bernardo Arevalo was sworn into the presidency this week ([link removed]) , after a lengthy battle with the country’s attorney general. She had used her position to suspend his political party, and attempted to block him from assuming office.
Not familiar with Guatemala’s Attorney General? María Consuelo Porras was the winner of the 2023 “Person of the Year” award, which OCCRP bestows onto those who do the most to advance organized crime and corruption. >> Read more ([link removed])
Arevalo, who ran on an anti-corruption platform, has acknowledged that many of the same elites who attempted to sandbag his political campaign will continue to serve in government for reasons beyond his control.
🇺🇸 United States: Never Back Down, a super PAC that supports Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, may have flouted U.S. campaign finance laws during the Iowa Caucuses. DeSantis, the governor of Florida, came in second to former President Donald Trump.
What are Super PACs? These entities, spawned from two controversial Supreme Court decisions in 2010, can receive and spend unlimited amounts of money, including contributions from corporations, to advocate for political campaigns and causes. However, they are legally barred from directly coordinating with political candidates and parties themselves.
In an analysis piece in The Conversation ([link removed]) , a political science professor lists situations in which the Desantis-backing super PAC appears to have disregarded the rules around coordination on multiple occasions.
🇵🇹 Portugal: The Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) said Portugal has made “unsatisfactory” progress ([link removed]) in implementing policies recommended by the body to prevent corruption.
The country has, for instance, failed to institute an adequate asset and income declaration system for members of parliament.
🇨🇳 China: The former leader of China’s state-owned banking giant Everbright Group was arrested for alleged corruption ([link removed]) this week. Tang Shuangning is the latest high-profile official or businessperson to be targeted in President Xi Jinping’s sweeping campaign against corruption.
* China Strengthens Bribery Law: At the end of 2023, the Chinese government announced several amendments to its anti-bribery laws ([link removed]) , including harsher penalties and broader authority over who can be punished. One key provision is that many of the same anti-bribery laws governing state-owned enterprises will apply to private companies ([link removed]) once the legislation goes into effect this March.
** FOLLOW THE MONEY NEWS
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🇪🇺 European Union: The European Banking Authority published guidelines to help companies prepare for a new law ([link removed]) that imposes anti-money laundering regulations on crypto-asset service providers.
🗽 New York City: New York Mayor Eric Adams has raised $732,000 to pay for legal services ([link removed]) related to a federal investigation into his relationship with the Turkish government. A large portion of the money Adams raised came from billionaires with extensive financial interests in the city, including former mayor Michael Bloomberg, Ukrainian-British oligarch Leonard Blavatnik, and cryptocurrency investor Brock Pierce.
New York City Council allowed public officials to raise money for legal defense funds in 2019, after former mayor Bill de Blasio was restricted from doing so during his tenure.
P.S. Thank you for reading the OCCRP newsletter. Feel free to reply with any feedback.
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