Greetings from Sarajevo, 

Why would a major tobacco company promote a “world without smoke”? Read this week's OCCRP newsletter for more. 

Also, don’t forget to join our webinar on May 10, which will focus on one of the largest threats facing journalists today — frivolous lawsuits known as ‘strategic lawsuits against public participation,’ or SLAPPs. 

The webinar is available to members of our Accomplice program. Donate any amount to receive a registration link. 

Now, here’s the latest in global corruption:

NEW BIG TOBACCO STORY

🚬  Philip Morris Sponsored "Smoke Free" Zones — “Smoke Free Beach,” “Smoke Free Island,” “Smoke Free Space.”

You can find this kind of marketing language in dozens of municipalities, hotels, and companies in Europe that signed partnerships with Philip Morris International, one of the world's largest tobacco companies. But PMI doesn’t appear to be interested in a world without tobacco.

We found that PMI's "Unsmoke Your World" campaign seems to be accompanied by a marketing push for its star product IQOS, which heats branded tobacco sticks inside a proprietary device, instead of burning it with a flame. Read the full story. 

🌐 The Big Picture: In the face of falling cigarette sales, this story shows how Philip Morris International appears to have gone “all-in” on IQOS, which the tobacco giant says is safer than cigarettes. But health experts say there is no clear evidence to support such a claim. PMI continues to sell hundreds of billions of cigarettes a year. 

🙋 Have you seen “smoke free” advertisements where you live? If so, you can help OCCRP journalists by filling out this form.

MORE INVESTIGATIONS

🇮🇳 An Indian Tycoon and an Iranian Sanction Busting Scheme 🇮🇷 — Petrochem is a major Dubai-based petrochemical company run by Yogesh Mehta, a prominent Indian tycoon. 

Using shipping records and satellite tracking data, we reveal how Petrochem was involved in a trade in sanctioned Iranian goods. Read the full story.

🌐 The Big Picture: Neither India nor the United Arab Emirates ban trade with Iran. But misdeclaring the origin of cargo violates customs regulations and laws in India, the U.S., the U.K., and other countries.

The revelations of this story could also affect the involved companies’ access to the U.S. banking system and the financial institutions that form the linchpin of international commerce.

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🇦🇪 #DubaiUncovered — Dubai has long been known as a playground for the global rich. Now a new data leak shows that the emirate’s real estate is attracting another clientele: sanctioned politicians, criminals, and dodgy officials from Russia and the EU. Read the full story.

🌐 The Big Picture: London saw roughly $66 billion in foreign investment as of 2019. But foreigners have invested more than twice as much in Dubai. And, just like the British capital, the Emirate has attracted plenty of shady characters.

IT WAS HIT!

“The Killing of a Journalist,” an OCCRP documentary about the murder of our Slovakian colleague Jan Kuciak, had a timely world premiere two days before World Press Freedom Day. The film, directed by OCCRP's Matt Sarnacki, has received several positive reviews. Here are a few of them:

➡️ 3BrothersFilm:” Everyone assumed that Kocner was behind Kuciak’s murder, but no one could have predicted the depths of corruption that would come to light during the investigation into Kuciak’s murder.

The Killing of a Journalist traces this investigation, which pulls on the thread of corruption in Slovakia and manages to unravel the whole damn democracy. Sarnacki and his team chart the investigation with remarkable clarity.” Read More.

➡️ ButWhyThoPodcast: “With elegant cinematography, engrossing pace, strong support material, and interviews with key figures, Sarnecki presents a tragic story of murder, crime, and investigative prowess that celebrates journalism as a crucial tool to seek justice.” Read More.

➡️ InTheSeats: “The Killing of a Journalist starts with the big picture and eventually makes it smaller and smaller. This is a risky move that pays off. The documentary also successfully argues for that structure. One that accurately reflects how things actually unfolded between 2018 to present day. Taking Kocner away from controlling the government felt like David killing Goliath.” Read More.

🇷🇺 RUSSIA AND UKRAINE 🇺🇦

Uncovering Bucha Killers: The New York Times reported on how OCCRP's Ukrainian member center, Slidstvo.Info, helped uncover the identities of 10 Russian soldiers who law enforcement believes committed war crimes in the town of Bucha.

Cross-Border Journalism: Our Russian colleague Roman Anin joined other journalists from Eastern Europe on the IJ4EU podcast to discuss how cross-border collaboration has helped them bypass censorship laws and reach larger audiences. 

The Russian Info Silo: Anin also spoke about his life in exile with the News Literacy Project after being labeled a so-called “foreign agent” by the Russian government, and how hard it is for Russians today to access news from independent sources.