Also, the "Foreign Agents" law inches closer to becoming law in Georgia. 

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Greetings From Amsterdam,

This is OCCRP Weekly! Our journalists have been combing through property records — from Dubai to London — for the past several months. This week’s edition shares the results of their reporting.

Navigate this Newsletter
1. Dubai Unlocked: CryptoQueen and Afghan contractors accused of corruption found in leaked data
2. New Investigation: The bodyguard of Azerbaijan's president and three UK mansions
3. Georgia approves “foreign agents” law
4. Lithuanian prez candidate blames our member centers for his loss
5. Russian Defense Ministry rocked by bribery scandal
6. PBS documentary on our Venezuelan colleagues' reporting


** 🇦🇪 DUBAI UNLOCKED
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On Tuesday, OCCRP and 70+ other media outlets published an investigative series revealing alleged criminals and political elites who’ve secretly bought properties in Dubai. The project includes a database of notable people we found in the leaked data. You can browse the archive here ([link removed]) .


** CryptoQueen and Associate Managed to Sell Dubai Properties After Being Charged
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One of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency scandals was over OneCoin, a digital asset marketed as the successor to Bitcoin but which turned out to be a pyramid scheme. The alleged mastermind behind the scam, which cost investors $4 billion, was Ruja Ignatova, also known as the CryptoQueen. Ignatova has been on the lam ever since U.S. authorities began to pursue her in 2017. Her whereabouts are unknown.

In this investigation, we reveal that Ignatova and her security adviser, Frank Schneider, were able to liquidate Dubai assets despite being charged in the U.S. for their alleged roles in the OneCoin scandal.

💡 Key Finding: Leaked Dubai property data reveals Ignatova’s penthouse apartment was sold in late 2019, two years after the OneCoin cryptocurrency collapsed leading to U.S. charges against her.

🌐 The Big Picture: Once U.S. charges were filed, Ignatova and Schneider should have been subject to greater scrutiny from realtors in the UAE, which requires them to run background checks on buyers and sellers of properties, and report any suspicious transactions to authorities. But the alleged fraudsters' assets were sold for millions, potentially depriving victims the chance to recoup some of their losses, which in some cases involved family savings.

>> Read the Full Story << ([link removed])

🔎 Finding Schneider: The CryptoQueen’s security advisor is missing. But reporters found clues that he may be in Indonesia.


** As the U.S. Was Rebuilding Afghanistan, Contractors Snapped up Properties in the UAE
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Afghan contractors suspected of skimming U.S reconstruction funds own luxury properties in Dubai, OCCRP reveals.

💡 Key Finding: The former speaker of Afghanistan's parliament, Mir Rahman Rahmani, and his son Ajmal were accused by the United States of profiting from a corrupt fuel supply contract before the Taliban retook the country in 2021.

In this investigation, we reveal that the two have spent more than $15 million on real estate in Dubai. We found at least three other Afghan contractors accused of graft who also own real estate in the emirate.

🌐 The Big Picture: U.S. government auditors say billions of dollars in American reconstruction funds were stolen or misused over the two decades of Western intervention in Afghanistan.

Much of that money quickly made its way to Dubai. “We heard stories of people showing up with suitcases full of cash and purchasing blocks of apartments in the Emirates,” said Graeme Smith, a senior Afghanistan analyst with the International Crisis Group.

>> Read the full story << ([link removed])

The Rahmanis reject U.S. allegations that they profited from a corrupt fuel supply contract. In January, they challenged sanctions placed on them in a lawsuit filed against the American government on January 31.
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** Family of Ilham Aliyev’s Security Chief Owns Vast Property Holdings in the United Kingdom
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Some government officials are much wealthier than their official salaries would suggest — especially when they work for despots. This appears to be the case for Baylar Eyyubov, the head of security for Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

As of 2020, Eyyubov’s official income as the dictator’s bodyguard has never exceeded $22,000 a year. But our reporters found that he and his family are multi-millionaires — and their wealth isn’t in Azerbaijan.

💡 Key Findings:
* Eyyubov’s wife and daughter own offshore companies that spent $114 million on real estate in the United Kingdom — including three mansions on one street in north London.
* Eyyubov’s wife also holds shares in a London cafe called Catalyst, which received a glowing review from the Evening Standard.
* The family, including Eyyubov himself, also own over $46 million in properties in Dubai.

Remains of the Day in Baku: Eyyubov, 73, has served in his role even longer than President Ilham Aliyev himself. He used to provide the same personal protection to Aliyev’s father, Heydar, who ruled Azerbaijan during the country’s first decade of post-Soviet independence.

🌐 The Big Picture: Azerbaijan rarely comes up in discussions about the global rise of authoritarianism. But experts say ([link removed]) the Caucasian country has become one of the world’s least free countries under President Aliyev.

Such regimes often breed corruption — and the proceeds rarely stay at home. OCCRP has repeatedly found that members of Aliyev’s government and family secretly own luxury property throughout the United Kingdom, reinforcing London’s reputation as a haven of dirty money.

>> Read the full story << ([link removed])

The story also leads to Georgia...

Reporters found what appears to be a close relationship between Eyyubov and Sulkhan Papashvili, a wealthy Georgian businessman who has extensive interests in Azerbaijan. And that’s not the only connection we found between Papashvili and Azerbaijani officials.

In a separate investigation published this week ([link removed]) , we reveal that even as Papashvili bought electricity from Azerbaijan’s state energy company, the family members of its leaders entered into business dealings with him on the side.


** GLOBAL CRIME AND CORRUPTION NEWS
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** Georgian Parliament Approves “Foreign Agents” Law Despite Mass Protests
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Lawmakers in Georgia approved the so-called “Foreign Agents” law, which has sparked mass protests since it was introduced in April. If enacted, the bill would mandate that non-governmental organizations and media outlets receiving funds from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence, which subjects them to government scrutiny.

Opponents believe it will suppress independent voices in the country, similar to a law in Russia.

The legislation will now land on the desk of President Salome Zourabichvili, who has previously said that she will veto the law. However, the ruling Georgian Dream political party has enough hands in parliament to eventually override her veto.

>> Read the full story << ([link removed])


** Lithuanian Presidential Candidate Blames Journalists for His Election Failure
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Last month, Ignas Vėgėlė was considered a serious challenger to Lithuania’s incumbent president. However, when citizens voted on Sunday, he failed to qualify for the second round.

Vėgėlė blamed our colleagues for his loss, and announced that he might sue them.

In April, OCCRP member centers Siena and Buro Media were part of a reporting team that revealed that a company owned by Vėgėlė's family may have indirectly violated sanctions on Belarus.>> Read the full story << ([link removed])


** Bribery Rocks Russian Defense Ministry, Senior Officials Detained
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Russian authorities said that they detained senior Defense Ministry official Yury Kuznetsov, alleging his involvement in a large-scale bribery scheme exceeding 100 million Russian rubles (just over US$1 million).

Kuznetsov’s detention comes roughly a month after one of his superiors, Timur Ivanov, was arrested on similar bribery charges.

>> Read the full story << ([link removed])


** PBS Documentary on Venezuelan Colleagues’ Investigation
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Our Venezuelan member center made a documentary with PBS Frontline about a government nutrition program during the country’s economic crisis. It premiered on May 14.

Reporters found that the program bought shoddy food products, including powdered milk that was so low in calcium and high in sodium that a researcher questioned whether it could be classified as milk at all.

You can watch the documentary here. ([link removed]) Many viewers outside the United States will have to use a VPN to watch it.


** See us in Sarajevo
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The IPI World Congress: Several leaders in the OCCRP network will join sessions about challenges facing journalists today, including cybersecurity and reporting from war zones. Register here ([link removed]) to stream the event, which will be held in Sarajevo this year.
P.S. Thank you for reading the OCCRP newsletter. Feel free to reply with any feedback.

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