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Hello John,
In Kyrgyzstan, authorities have detained at least six current and former employees of independent media outlet and OCCRP partner Kloop, amid a broader crackdown on investigative journalism.
Giorgi Bachiashvili, former right-hand-man to Georgia’s richest man and founder of the ruling party Bidzina Ivanishvili, has been arrested abroad and returned to face what he says are politically-motivated bogus charges of crypto theft. His lawyers warn he faces the risk of torture in prison.
A South African anti-corruption probe is examining claims of military intellectual property being transferred to state-backed firms in the United Arab Emirates.
An analysis of Cyprus’ scrapped “Golden Passport” citizenship-by-investment scheme has revealed significant donations were made to political parties by individuals and corporate entities linked to the citizenship program.
Several years on from our Azerbaijani Laundromat investigation, a former conservative parliamentarian from Germany has affirmed in court details of the indictment against him — which includes allegations that he accepted bribes from the Azerbaijani government.
Read on for the latest in global crime and corruption.
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Journalists Jailed, Lawyers Barred: Kyrgyzstan Tightens Grip
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In Kyrgyzstan, six current or former staff of independent media outlet Kloop — a longtime OCCRP partner center that has collaborated with us on several major investigations — were detained earlier this week, marking an escalation in an ongoing crackdown on investigative journalism. Kloop is known for exposing corruption and organized crime in Central Asia.
Kloop videographer Aleksander Aleksandrov and former Kloop cameraman Joomart Duulatov were transferred to the State Committee for National Security (SNC) temporary detention facility and will be held there until July 21.
They have been charged with participation in calls for mass riots, which carries a prison term of up to eight years.
The other four detained were released, as was another Kloop employee who had been detained on Friday.
Kyrgyz authorities released videos of some of those who have been released “confessing” to lying about the government and asking forgiveness of President Japarov.
In a statement, Kloop founder Rinat Tukhvatshin described the events as “abductions rather than lawful detentions”, warning that Kyrgyzstan is “dismantling the last vestiges of democratic process and press freedom”.
“Criminalizing the profession means being prosecuted by the authorities just for doing your job,” Kloop's chief editor Anna Kapushenko wrote on Facebook. “And if you do your job well, they’ll put you in jail.”
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The detentions come amid a broader crackdown on investigative journalism, with authorities accusing journalists of incitement and spreading anti-government disinformation.
In early 2024 a court ordered Kloop to shut down, but it continues to publish despite the ban.
Among its notable investigations was the Plunder and Patronage series, which exposed high-level corruption in the Kyrgyz customs system.
Read the full story →
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Georgia Arrests Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili's Former Advisor
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On Tuesday, Georgia’s Special Services announced that Giorgi Bachiashvili - longtime aide to Georgia’s shadow ruler Bidzina Ivanishvili - had been detained.
His legal team published a statement condemning what they described as his “forcible return” and warning that he faces the risk of torture. Yesterday, Bachiashvili appeared in court in Tbilisi.
Bachiashvili fled Georgia in March, ahead of a trial on charges relating to the alleged theft of cryptocurrency, which he claimed were politically motivated. He was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison. At the time, he wrote that he would “make all efforts to ensure the international community understands exactly who Ivanishvili is, especially in the U.S.”
“This is not a legal system where truth prevails, nor one where rights are protected — especially for those like me who have been deliberately targeted by Bidzina Ivanishvili and his corrupt machinery,” he wrote on Facebook on March 4, announcing his departure. “I would have been completely defenceless in prison, face to face with Ivanishvili’s executioners.”
On Monday, The Guardian published an interview with Bachiashvili, which had been carried out at an undisclosed location, with the outlet citing safety concerns.
“Ivanishvili’s grip on this power is existential for him,” he told The Guardian. “He is fighting for his life. He’s like a machine only working in favour of his reptilian desires. And that desire is to stay alive.”
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Golden Touch: Cyprus passport scheme probe continues
The Auditor General of Cyprus published findings earlier this week on donations to political parties linked to the erstwhile “Golden Passport” scheme, which was halted in 2020 amid allegations of corruption.
Over 1.12 million euros worth of donations between 2016 and 2021 were made by people or companies connected to the citizen-by-investment scheme, according to the Auditor General.
The Auditor General found that donations did not come directly from foreigners, which would be illegal under Cypriot law. Instead they were made by Cypriot companies linked to citizenship applicants. Some people made political donations after they were naturalized.
An Al Jazeera investigation in 2020 exposed two politicians offering advice on how an investor could circumvent regulations and obtain a passport, even with a criminal record, leading to the Golden Passport scheme being scrapped.
Read the full story →
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South Africa Probes UAE Military IP Theft Allegations
A South African anti-corruption agency is investigating two separate claims that South African defense firm employees who went to work in the United Arab Emirates may have taken sensitive information with them.
Defense firm Paramount Group said it is cooperating with South Africa’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), which is investigating claims that state-backed UAE companies unlawfully obtained intellectual property.
Two briefings obtained from the SIU by OCCRP raise allegations of misappropriated military IP by employees of another firm, the state-owned South African defense company Denel SOC Ltd.
Paramount has confirmed it launched an internal probe to determine if its own employees had passed on IP that led to the collapse of a major joint venture.
Founded in South Africa and now headquartered in the UAE, Paramount filed for bankruptcy last year after losing an arbitration case in London against Abu Dhabi Autonomous Systems Investments Company (ADASI). In a legal filing, ADASI called Paramount’s bankruptcy a “stall tactic” designed to buy time while moving assets.
Read the full story →
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Former German MP Affirms Indictment in Bribery Case
A former conservative parliamentarian from Germany, Eduard Lintner, has confirmed to a court that the indictment against him in the Azerbaijani Laundromat trial is correct — including allegations that he accepted bribes.
However, he told the court that he did not consider the payments he received from the Azerbaijan government to be bribes, saying he "thought it was the kind of lobbying that is still practically omnipresent today," German media reported
The case centers on Azerbaijan’s covert strategy to buy political influence in Europe, particularly within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a body tasked with safeguarding human rights.
The Azerbaijani Laundromat was a complex money-laundering operation and slush fund that handled $2.9 billion over a two-year period, which was revealed in 2017 by OCCRP and several media partners.
Read the full story →
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‘The Baku Connection’ Receives Press Prize Special Award
OCCRP and partners were among the winners of The European Press Prize 2025.
'The Baku Connection Project', a cross-border investigation coordinated by Forbidden Stories in collaboration with OCCRP and 15 other media partners, received the Special Award.
The judges said the award was being given to recognize the “pure collaboration and solidarity in the profession” represented by the project, which continued the work of Azerbaijani outlet Abzas Media after several of its journalists were arrested in late 2023.
Read the full story →
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