|
|
|
Hello John,
The fallout from our ‘Bad Practice’ investigation continues. This week, we turn to Finland, where OCCRP member center Yle has made the alarming discovery that over 20 doctors banned or sanctioned in other countries — among them doctors convicted of attempted murder and child rape — are still allowed to practice and have active medical licenses in Finland. Read on for this and more of the latest in global crime and corruption. |
|
| | Quick poll: How do you like this intro?
👍 🤔 👎 |
|
| ‘Bad Practice’ Investigation |
|
| | How Criminals Keep Their Doctors’ Licenses in Finland |
|
| The Bad Practice investigation, led by OCCRP, The Times in the U.K., and Norway’s VG, revealed how doctors stripped of their medical licenses due to serious wrongdoing — including sexual assault, botched surgeries, and illegal sales of prescription medicines — have been able to continue treating patients in other countries. Now, OCCRP media partner Yle has found that over 20 doctors banned or sanctioned for serious crimes in other countries are still allowed to practice and have active medical licenses in Finland. Under Finnish law, doctors can only lose their licenses for crimes committed “in connection with the practice of their profession.” |
|
|
|
One doctor convicted in Sweden over the possession of extensive child pornographic imagery has worked in two health care facilities in Finland in recent years — including with children — despite having lost his license in both Sweden and Norway. It is not known whether he is currently practicing in Finland or elsewhere, but his Finnish license remains active. Reporters found he had changed his name twice in the past five years. Finnish health regulator Valvira carried out an investigation into the doctor in 2022 after being informed of the Swedish and Norwegian bans, but concluded there was no reason to revoke his license. Finland’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health said the law on the supervision of doctors is now under review. Read the full story → |
|
| Our Stories Have ImpactThe Brussels-based Standing Committee of European Doctors, which represents national medical associations across the continent, is calling on the European Union to ensure the proper implementation of an alert mechanism for flagging banned doctors to member states. The body noted it held “deep concerns” about the findings of OCCRP’s ‘Bad Practice’ investigation, and said that fixing the alert system “is vital to uphold the ethical standards of the medical profession and to maintain patient safety and public trust.” |
|
| | | Economies of Scale: Nigeria’s Efforts to Curb Pangolin Trafficking Are Paying Off |
|
|
|
Despite its natural armor, the solitary pangolin remains the world’s most trafficked mammal — and Nigeria has been a key hub for the pangolin trade. As Nigerian authorities seek to clamp down on the illegal wildlife trade, the conviction of a man over the sale of a metric ton of pangolin scales has been welcomed as a step toward improved anti-trafficking measures. On November 7, Steven Chinonso was convicted by the Federal High Court in Lagos for conspiracy, unlawful possession, and the illegal sale of scales estimated to have come from over 2,000 pangolins — many of which were sourced from other African countries, and were bound for Asia, where they are prized in traditional medicine. He was sentenced to one year in prison. Pangolins are found across Africa and Asia. The four Asian species have been hunted to near-extinction. The African Wildlife Foundation estimates that around 2.7 million pangolins are trafficked from the continent’s rainforests each year. The trade in pangolins and pangolin scales is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Nigeria’s newly passed Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill is set to introduce stronger penalties, including sentences of up to 10 years and fines of 12 million naira (approximately $8,300). The Chinoso case is part of a broader investigation into Lagos-based wildlife trading networks, which has so far resulted in the seizure of 3.7 metric tons of pangolin scales, and five arrests. Read the full story → |
|
| | Leaked Russian Records Reveal Obscure Firms Helping Bust Oil Sanctions on North Korea |
|
|
| Since 2017, Russia and its fellow U.N. Security Council members have maintained strict economic sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear testing. These punitive measures include severe restrictions on refined petroleum exports and the sale of crude oil to the isolated dictatorship. However, leaked financial records obtained by OCCRP’s Russian partner IStories reveal new details about the secretive payment channels that facilitate Russian oil exports, and the companies involved in shipping oil overland to North Korea. IStories, together with the Open Source Center, have identified key elements of the network: a Moscow fuel-trading firm, a Far Eastern Russian oil exporter that purports to sell beer, financial intermediaries in the United Arab Emirates, and a Vladivostok company that was paid in cash.
Read the full story → |
|
| | Leak Shows Pro-Russia ‘Pravfond’ Operating in Ukraine |
|
| Newly leaked emails and documents reveal Kremlin-backed legal aid foundation Pravfond has been operating inside Ukraine. Tens of thousands of emails and documents obtained by Denmark’s public broadcaster, DR, were shared with OCCRP and media partners, including Schemes, an investigative program on RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service. The emails indicate Russia’s Foreign Ministry allocated vast sums to the Foundation for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad, or “Pravfond” — findings that align with OCCRP’s Dear Compatriots project, based on an earlier leak. The new trove reveals a network of Ukrainian lawyers allegedly working with Pravfond, mainly through an intermediary, Schemes reported. Some of them worked at a Pravfond-backed “Legal Consulting Center” in the capital of Kyiv. Reports were prepared for Russian authorities on alleged “war crimes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine” and “violations of the rights of Russian-speaking people.” They also provided advice for men seeking to avoid getting drafted in Ukraine. Read the full story → |
|
| | Brazilian Billionaire Chairs Group at COP30 as His Company Faces Environmental Civil Suit |
|
| Brazilian building magnate Rubens Menin is chairing a sustainable cities group that launched this week at the UN COP30 climate conference — even as his construction company is embroiled in a civil suit for flooding farmland in a centuries-old community founded by escaped slaves. According to an inspection report from the state environmental agency, Menin’s homebuilding company, MRV, "was responsible for the filling and obstruction" of the Jaguaribe River during a condominium construction project, causing the river level to rise 3.5 meters. "There were some centuries-old trees, jackfruit trees, and many cassava plants… When this water arrived, we ended up losing everything," Rosemeire Nascimento dos Santos, a resident of Quilombo Quingoma, told OCCRP. Read the full story → |
|
| | | Dutch Clerk On Trial For Selling Citizen Data to Criminals |
|
|
| An Amsterdam city clerk is on trial for allegedly selling private data to brokers linked to criminals, which prosecutors say fuelled a wave of shootings and bombings.
Watch the video → |
|
| | | | Turkish authorities have launched a money laundering investigation targeting the corporate network of Ozan Özerk, a Cypriot-Norwegian fintech entrepreneur whose companies were linked to the handling of proceeds of a major global online fraud scheme in our Scam Empire investigation, published earlier this year. The Myanmar junta announced this week 346 arrests in raids on cyber scam centers in the Shwe Kokko area along the country’s border with Thailand, following on from earlier raids on the KK Park scam hub, run by junta-allied militia. A new report from rights group Amnesty International has shed light on the brutal conditions endured by migrant workers working construction on Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh metro project. As Ukraine continues its sweeping “Operation Midas” energy corruption probe, Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court this week ordered former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov to be held in custody until January 2026, with bail set at 51 million hryvnias (about $1.3 million). The leader of Ecuadorian drug trafficking gang Los Lobos has been detained in Spain, where he had been living under a new identity after faking his death in 2021. Wilmer Geovanny Chavarría Barré, known as “Pipo,” is believed to be responsible for at least 400 deaths. Lithuanian authorities this week announced four arrests in a crackdown on cigarette smuggling, after a spate of incidents involving helium balloons carrying illegal tobacco from Belarus. A Bangladesh court has sentenced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death in absentia for crimes against humanity, convicting her of ordering the use of lethal force during last year’s crackdown on student-led protests. Europol this week announced it has dismantled three major cybercrime networks: an infostealer known as Rhadamanthys, the remote-access trojan VenomRAT, and the botnet Elysium. The U.S., U.K. and Australia this week announced sanctions against Russia-based web hosting service provider Media Land, for its alleged support of ransomware and cybercrime operations. Mexican authorities have arrested a suspect over the November 1 assassination of Carlos Manzo, the Mayor of Uruapan City, who was known for taking a tough stance against cartels. Two senior Philippine officials have resigned following mass protests in Manila over corruption in government-funded flood control projects. The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned former Canadian Olympic snowboarder Ryan James Wedding over allegedly running a violent Mexico-based cocaine-trafficking empire. A Bulgaria-led operation supported by Europol and Eurojust led to the arrest of 35 suspects, including an alleged ringleader, of a criminal network that allegedly looted artifacts worth over 100 million euros from archaeological sites across the Balkans.
|
|
| | | Nominate an Anti-Crime and Corruption Hero |
|
| Every year since 2012, we have honored some of the world’s most dubious crime-enabling figures with our "Corrupt Person of the Year” award. But in a global landscape increasingly dominated by audacious corruption, we’ve decided to pivot and start celebrating the people fighting for justice and accountability. OCCRP is seeking nominations for Anti-Crime and Corruption Heroes, to honor those confronting organized crime and corruption head-on, from steadfast activists to threatened journalists and tireless transparency advocates. We're offering $1,000 to each of the winners, and will highlight their important work. Learn more and submit your nomination → |
|
| | MacArthur 100&Change Grant Awarded to Sentinel Project |
|
| OCCRP was one of five finalists for the $100 million MacArthur Foundation 100&Change award. We want to extend our congratulations to the winner, the Sentinel project – which works to prevent pandemics through empowering local communities. As a benefit of being a finalist, OCCRP has joined Lever for Change’s Bold Solutions Network, a network of vetted organizations that can expand their impact by securing additional funding. Read the announcement → |
|
| | | We’re currently hiring for the following roles: |
|
|
| | P.S. Thanks for reading! Got feedback? Simply reply to this email. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
