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February 7, 2025

Greetings From Amsterdam,

In this edition of OCCRP Weekly, we’ll be tracking the odd movements of a vessel bringing wheat to Egypt — and looking at documents that show the Russian company behind the shipment has a history of selling grain sourced from occupied Ukraine.

Plus, a former Bangladeshi official is jailed on years-old bribery allegations; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife is being investigated amid his ongoing corruption case; major arrests in the ongoing investigation into the encrypted phone company Sky Global; a hunger strike in Georgia; and the assassination plot that led to an impeachment.


** Our Latest Scoop
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** Russian Company Behind Egypt Wheat Cargo Had History of Selling ‘Stolen’ Ukraine Grain
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In January, some 20,000 tons of wheat were unloaded in Egypt ([link removed]) from a vessel rerouted from Syria. A Russian company called Pallada LLC exported the shipment.

Documents obtained by OCCRP show that the company had obtained small quantities of wheat from occupied regions of Ukraine in the two months leading up to the ship’s departure. It’s unclear if this wheat — considered “stolen grain” by Ukraine — made its way to Egypt. That’s because of gaps in some Russian export paperwork, and the ship repeatedly turning off its tracking system before arriving in Egypt.

Before the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s Russian-backed regime on December 8, Ukraine had repeatedly accused Syria of purchasing such shipments. (It also thanked Egypt ([link removed]) in 2022 for turning away a vessel believed to be full of the nabbed grain.) But Assad was ousted while the ship in question was on its way to Syria. The vessel then loitered near Cyprus for nearly three weeks before anchoring in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria on December 30.

Both Pallada and the ship, known as Mikhail Nenashev, have previously come under scrutiny for exporting grain from occupied areas of Ukraine. Export quota documents issued by Russian-backed authorities also show that Pallada was granted permission to export thousands of tons of wheat, barley, and meslin from occupied regions in 2023.

Data from the Egyptian Maritime Transport and Logistics Sector indicate that 24,290 tons of wheat arrived on the shipment to Egypt. That’s about 3,000 tons less than Russian export records recorded before its departure in late November — but records otherwise indicate it is the same cargo.

Top officials in Ukraine say the missing tracking data and gaps in paperwork should have raised “red flags” and led to scrutiny by the Egyptian government.

While the Egyptian data omits the price of the wheat, global average wheat prices in December suggest it was worth about $6.7 million.


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** Global Crime and Corruption News
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** Former Bangladesh Securities Commission Chair Denied Bail in Corruption Case
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The ex-chair of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange commission was arrested ([link removed]) on Tuesday — years after allegations of money laundering and bribery against him were made known to the government.

The arrest of Shibli Rubayat ul Islam comes after mass protests in August 2024 forced long-term former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina out of power, allowing a new leadership to spearhead a corruption crackdown. Under Hasina’s government, between $17 billion and $30 billion in public funds are reported to have been lost to corruption, fueling public outrage in a country with widespread poverty.

The allegations against Rubayat ul Islam’s include those exposed by OCCRP in a 2023 investigation. He is accused of involvement in a scam that defrauded a Hong-Kong-based company of more than $13 million. The issue was investigated by an Australian firm and reported to Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission in 2021, but no action was taken at the time.

A court on Thursday denied Rubayat ul Islam bail. His lawyer denied the allegations and said the money in the case “is not illegal.”


** Read the full story ([link removed])
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You can also explore OCCRP’s original investigation ([link removed]) into Rubayat ul Islam’s scheme and his decades-long friendship with his alleged co-conspirator.


** Israel Investigates Sara Netanyahu for Alleged Witness Intimidation
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Sara Netanyahu has become entangled ([link removed]) in a years-long corruption case against her husband, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In late December, she came under investigation for alleged witness intimidation and obstruction of justice.

The probe is led by the Israeli police and the cybercrimes unit of the attorney general’s office. They began looking into the case after an Israeli investigative television program aired reports alleging that Sara Netanyahu instructed one of her husband’s former aides to orchestrate protests and an online smear campaign against a key witness in his corruption case.

Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on bribery and fraud charges. He is accused of receiving inappropriate favors from Israeli businessmen, as well as attempting to strike a deal with a leading media outlet in which he would promote legislation to weaken the outlet’s competitor in exchange for favorable coverage.

Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, having led the country for a three-year term in the 1990s, followed by another 12-year streak from 2009 to 2021. He was voted out in fall 2021, but he returned to the premiership late the following year.


** Read the full story ([link removed])
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** Netherlands and Spain Arrest People Suspected of Supplying Encrypted ‘Sky’ Phones to Criminals
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Authorities in Spain and the Netherlands arrested four people suspected of distributing and managing a quarter ([link removed]) of all subscriptions toSky ECC — a Canadian encrypted phone app favored by criminals because of the absolute secrecy it promised.

A joint force of European law enforcement agencies tapped servers and cracked Sky ECC in 2021. They found a huge trove of messages containing evidence of illicit activities, including drug trafficking and murder.

The Dutch Public Prosecution Service alleged that the four new suspects were deliberately enabling organized crime, and turned a profit of roughly $7 million. One, known by the alias Sky111, allegedly worked directly for Sky Global Inc., the company that developed the phone service.

An investigation we published in October revealed how Sky111 was in direct contact with a Serbian reseller who French investigators believe was affiliated with the mafia — and that he discussed this Serbian reseller’s alleged mafia ties with the CEO of Sky ([link removed]) .


** Read the full story ([link removed])
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Plus, explore OCCRP’s recent Crime Messenger project ([link removed]) , piecing together how the company worked — and the crimes the encrypted phones enabled.


** Georgian Journalist on Hunger Strike as Foreign Officials Call for Release
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Fourteen embassies in Georgia, as well as international human rights groups and media associations, have called for the immediate release of a detained journalist who has been on hunger strike ([link removed]) for nearly four weeks.

Mzia Amaglobeli is the founder and director of online outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti. She faces up to seven years in prison on charges of assaulting a police officer during protests in early January. The altercation occurred after Amaglobeli was arrested and released earlier that same evening for placing a protest sticker on a wall.

Amaglobeli’s lawyer acknowledges that the journalist slapped the officer. Both he and embassies have called the charges against her an example of media intimidation and restriction. Violence and harassment of journalists ([link removed]) have increased amid their coverage of anti-government protests in Georgia.


** Read the full story ([link removed])
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** Philippines Vice-President Sara Duterte Impeached Over Assassination Plot, Corruption
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The Filipino House of Representatives voted Wednesday to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte ([link removed]) over charges including conspiracy to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., bribery, and involvement in extrajudicial killings.

Lawmakers argue that Duterte poses a threat to national security and stability. The impeachment complaint for the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte now moves to a Senate trial.


** Read the full story ([link removed])
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** Notes From The Newsroom
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You can now keep up with the latest OCCRP reporting and engage in dialogue with other readers by following us on BlueSky ([link removed]) !

Calling all Journalists: Submit your published investigative work for a chance to participate in the next Floodlight Summit ([link removed]) ! Floodlight is the bridge between two worlds: hard-hitting investigative reporting, and gripping film and television. If your story is selected for the summit, you will have the opportunity to pitch it to the entertainment industry and explore the possibility of collaborating to adapt it into film or television.

This Tuesday, Transparency International will release its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index — the leading global indicator of corruption in the public sector. Focusing on 180 countries and territories, the Index can help you unpack how countries have responded to corruption over time, as well as steps taken (backward or forward) in the last year. Interested in learning how corruption is undermining global climate action? This tool can help ([link removed]) .

Until next week.
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P.S. Thanks for reading OCCRP Weekly. Feel free to reply to this email with feedback, thoughts, or questions.

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