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Greetings From Amsterdam,
This week's newsletter begins with a show of gratitude to everyone who helped spread the word about the baseless charges against our jailed Kyrgyz colleagues.
We now have an update on their cases. Unfortunately, a court in Bishkek has extended the pre-trial detention of eight of the eleven journalists. Two were allowed to leave their cells, but placed under house arrest. The eleventh was freed but forbidden from leaving the country.
The rulings were followed by more troubling news. Today, the Kyrgyz parliament adopted a bill similar to Russia's so-called "foreign agents" law, which forces complex reporting requirements upon NGOs that receive foreign funding and work on topics that affect politics — that includes investigative journalism.
Kyrgyzstan’s government is accustomed to the country being overlooked by international media. That’s why your support is so important. With enough public attention, there’s a chance the current regime may reconsider its most damaging attacks on independent media.
If you’re interested in helping us shine a light on Kyrgyzstan’s deteriorating press freedom situation, take ten minutes to share what’s happening on your favorite social media platforms using the hashtag #FreeKyrgyz11.
Now, here’s the latest in the global crime and corruption:
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The Middlemen Who Profit as Food Prices Skyrocket
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With much of Gaza reduced to rubble, livelihoods have evaporated in the besieged strip, and supplies from the outside are barely getting through. As a result, prices have skyrocketed and half a million people are on the brink of starvation, according to the deputy chief of the United Nations’ humanitarian agency, OCHA.
In our latest story, OCCRP reports on the consequences of these price hikes — and the middlemen profiting from the desperation👇
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Israeli Restrictions: Palestinian traders who spoke with OCCRP said the entry of commercial goods continues to be hindered by security checks imposed by Israel, which have caused massive gridlock at checkpoints. For example, goods coming into the city of Rafah from Egypt are now first diverted to Kerem Shalom, an Israeli crossing point, where they’re unloaded and checked before being taken back to Rafah to enter. This process has created queues of trucks carrying basic commodities that can last well over a month.
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👁️ What It Looks Like on The Ground: A journalist in Gaza who visited a Rafah market reported on how prices have spiked since October 7.
🍅 1 kilo of tomatoes went from the equivalent of $0.30 to $4-$5
🍬 3 kilos of sugar has gone from $2-$2.50 to $21-$22
🐔 1 chicken went from an average price of $3 to $21
🧅 1 kilo of onions went from less than $1 to $4-$5
🥚 40 eggs went from less than $3 to $20
💸 A Company Accused of Cashing In: The Egyptian logistics company Abnaa Sinai has long held an effective monopoly over commerce at the Rafah crossing, according to Palestinian traders and an official in Gaza. Abnaa Sinai has piled on costs for its services since Israel began its bombardment, according to the same sources.
👺 Who’s Behind Abnaa Sinai? Abnaa Sinai is one of eight firms operating as part of the Organi Group, an Egyptian conglomerate. The group is run by Ibrahim Al-Organi, a prominent businessman with ties to the government.
Another Organi firm even has a joint venture with a state firm tied to the Egyptian Defense Ministry.
💁♀️ More on the Organi Group: This isn’t OCCRP’s only story into the Organi network’s operations in Gaza. Last month, we reported how another Organi firm charges steep prices to people trying to flee.
>> Read the full story
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🇦🇲 Look Who Reads OCCRP in Armenia: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan responded to our recent investigation, published jointly with Civilnet, in which we revealed multiple irregularities involving donations to his political party.
At a press conference, Pashinyan acknowledged a “problem” with the campaign contributions that we exposed, but claimed the issues did not constitute a criminal offense.
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ICYMI: Last week, OCCRP and Civilnet identified a series of odd patterns in donations to the ruling Civil Contract party, which was elected on an anti-corruption platform. In some cases, they found donations that amounted to at least half of the donors’ yearly income and total savings, according to asset declarations. You can read that story here.
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🌎 Look Who Reads OCCRP in Central America: The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), the largest development bank in the region, is implementing a wide range of reforms following OCCRP’s investigative series into its history of corruption, lax oversight, and lending practices.
- “I read all the reports that you and OCCRP prepared and clearly, when one turns back the clock, there are opportunities to improve the project design and supervision,” said Gisela Sánchez Maroto, who was elected as CABEI’s Executive President last November, in an interview with our partner Redacción Regional.
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Join the fight against corruption.
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🇭🇳 Honduras: Former president Juan Orlando Hernández was convicted in a Manhattan federal court for helping ship 400+ tons of cocaine into the United States during his time in office.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Two British men were acquitted of bribing Saudi officials to secure and retain military contracts worth at least £1.6 billion.
The duo successfully argued in court that they should not have been prosecuted because the quid-pro-quo payments were approved by the U.K.'s Ministry of Defense.
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe: The United States sanctioned President Emmerson Mnangagwa under the Global Magnitsky Act for corruption and severe human rights abuses, which include allegations that members of his government facilitated kidnapping and torture.
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🇻🇪 Venezuela: As Venezuelan banker Julio Herrera Velutini faces bribery charges in the United States, he’s suing the administrator of his confiscated $23-million art collection to ensure its proper care. The art, which includes works by a recently-deceased Colombian master, requires a “meticulously controlled environment with precise temperature and humidity levels,” Herrera Velutini’s lawyers say.
🇦🇺 Australia: Police in Melbourne are preparing for potential revenge attacks after an alleged leader of the Calabrian mafia was killed outside his home in a suspected gangland hit.
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P.S. Thank you for reading the OCCRP newsletter. Feel free to reply with any feedback.
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