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Greetings From Amsterdam,
Loyalty is valued everywhere. But in autocratic regimes, it’s often prized — and compensated — above all else.
That’s certainly the case in Russia, where unwavering allegiance to Vladimir Putin is rewarded with government positions and massive fortunes. The quiet rise of one of these Putin loyalists is the focus of our latest story.
This week’s newsletter also highlights a new controversy over mining giant Rio Tinto’s former copper mine on Papua New Guinea’s remote Bougainville Island. Formerly one of the world’s largest gold and copper projects, the Panguna mine left war and pollution in its wake. Now, a lawsuit funded by anonymous offshore investors is seeking billions in compensation – and raising questions of who stands to benefit.
Here’s the latest in global crime and corruption:
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NEW INVESTIGATIONS
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Meet Dmitry Mironov, the Enigmatic Putin Aide Managing the Kremlin’s HR Department
Russian official Dmitry Mironov may be largely unknown even in his homeland, but he wields increasing influence inside the Kremlin, according to sources who spoke with OCCRP’s partner IStories ([link removed]) .
The 55-year-old belongs to an elite class of former security service officers who have ascended to the top of Putin’s power pyramid in recent years, as the Russian president tightens his circle of trust.
After a long career in Putin’s security detail, Mironov was elevated to a series of government posts before becoming an official presidential aide. Since 2022, he has been in charge of approving ([link removed]) or rejecting candidates for senior posts across the Russian government and the civil service.
Sources inside Russia said his duties extend even beyond these official responsibilities, with Mironov also carrying out “special projects” for the president. One source said Putin calls him “my little son.”
>> Read the full story ([link removed])
Join the fight against corruption.
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THE SCOOP | Documents Reveal Adani Group's Controversial Bid to Run Kenya's Largest Airport
Last month, a whistleblower sparked outrage in Kenya after he claimed in a social media post that the country’s main airport would be leased to one of India’s largest conglomerates, Adani Group.
Documents seen by OCCRP confirmed the news, showing that although experts advised the Kenyan government to put out a public tender to expand the airport, the government instead allowed a “privately-initiated proposal” submitted by Adani Airport Holdings Inc in March to move forward.
According to the documents, the Adani proposal has already been approved to proceed to the “project development phase,” which entails additional consultation and negotiation.
Adani Group, one of India’s largest and most politically influential conglomerates, has interests in energy, agribusiness and weapons as well as its airport division. But it has also been hard-hit by scandal in recent years, including accusations ([link removed]) of fraud and insider trading. (It has denied the claims).
>> Get the scoop ([link removed])
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MORE OCCRP REPORTING
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Lawsuit Promises Justice for Bougainville Mining Disaster. Some Say It’s Nothing But a Cash Grab.
High up in the forested mountains of Papua New Guinea’s Bougainville Island lies an abandoned, kilometer-wide crater, formerly one of the world’s largest gold and copper mines.
Run by Anglo-Australian giant Rio Tinto, the Panguna mine once earned millions for Papua New Guinea (PNG) and helped bankroll its newfound independence. But it also poured waste into local waterways and fueled anger among locals who felt robbed of the profits. When an armed uprising ultimately shuttered the mine in 1989, the impoverished island was left reeling.
Nearly three decades later, in late 2022, human rights activists, the local government, and the mine’s former operators joined forces to produce a definitive assessment of the mine’s toxic legacy that they hope will pave the way towards compensating affected communities.
But some now worry the effort will be undermined by a class-action lawsuit launched in May — and backed by anonymous offshore investors who stand to make hundreds of millions of dollars if it succeeds.
>> Read the full story ([link removed])
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THE OCCRP NETWORK
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🇷🇸 KRIK: Drawing on advice from our Serbian member center KRIK, an article from the Reuters Institute presents a six-step plan for newsrooms to combat SLAPPs ([link removed]) – lawsuits aimed at intimidating journalists and burdening newsrooms with legal costs.
🇵🇪 OjoPúblico: An investigation ([link removed]) from our Peruvian member center reveals the failures of a more than decade-long effort to regulate small and artisanal gold mining and prevent illicit extraction. The investigation found that at least 5,800 miners registered through a government system did not report their production between 2021 and 2023.
🇸🇧 In-Depth Solomons: Social media giant Meta said scores of Facebook posts ([link removed]) by our Solomon Islands member center were blocked last month due to a “technical error,” but an expert said it was most likely the result of users reporting the website’s content as spam.
** CORRUPTION NEWS
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Greece: A Greek supreme court prosecutor said on Tuesday that no government agency was criminally liable for the illegal spyware attack ([link removed]) that rocked the Mediterranean country two years ago, and that only private individuals may be held accountable for minor offenses in a decision considered by critics to be a cover-up.
Armenia: The wife of Armenia’s Deputy Minister of the Economy received a salary in 2023 from a company to develop a ski resort on the country’s tallest mountain ([link removed]) – an investment project her husband played a crucial role in.
** ORGANIZED CRIME NEWS
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Mexico: U.S. authorities announced the stunning arrest last week of the Sinaloa Cartel leadership ([link removed]) at the Texas border. The cartel’s co-founder Ismail Zambada Garcia, nicknamed El Mayo, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of the other co-founder, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, are now serving time in a federal prison. Experts say these arrests are likely to rearrange the map of organized crime groups in Mexico and could lead to a surge in violence.
P.S. Thank you for reading the OCCRP newsletter. Feel free to reply with any feedback.
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