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Greetings from Sarajevo,
This past Sunday was a somber day in the world of investigative journalism.
It marked the fifth anniversary of the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who uncovered corruption that reached up to some of Malta’s most powerful people. Two men suspected of carrying out the car bombing ([link removed]) that killed Caruana Galizia are now on trial.
Before her death, Caruana Galizia investigated topics including:
* A scheme to sell Maltese passports to wealthy foreigners, set up by the government of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat (OCCRP’s 2019 Corrupt Person of the Year ([link removed]) ).
* Suspicious offshore companies set up by top members of Muscat’s government.
* A Maltese minister’s alleged visit to a German brothel.
Her unfinished investigations have been continued by a consortium of media outlets, including OCCRP, led by French journalism group Forbidden Stories. You can read more about Caruana Galizia’s legacy here. ([link removed])
Now, here’s the latest in global corruption:
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NEW INVESTIGATIONS
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🇮🇳 More Signs of Pegasus in India — India has dismissed reports that it bought the military-grade spyware Pegasus from Israeli firm NSO Group as “sensationalism.”
But customs records obtained by OCCRP bolster the claims. We found that India’s domestic spy agency imported hardware from NSO Group that matches equipment used to deploy Pegasus in other countries — and tracks the timeline laid out by a New York Times report ([link removed]) earlier this year. >> Read more. ([link removed])
More Alleged Ties Between India and Pegasus
➡️ 2021: The Pegasus Project, a global investigation led by Forbidden Stories, revealed that world leaders, activists, journalists, academics, and lawyers around the world were potentially targeted with the infamous spyware.. You can see the full list here. ([link removed])
Our colleagues at Amnesty Lab and The Wire confirmed ([link removed]) that the phones of 10 Indians showed forensic evidence of either an attempted or successful hack.
Not familiar with the Pegasus Project? You can learn more about this award-winning project here ([link removed]) , as well as why everyone should be concerned ([link removed]) about the surveillance industry.
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🇬🇪 Potential Corruption Behind a Georgian Tragedy 🇬🇪 Last week, three children in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi were electrocuted when they climbed into a city fountain to retrieve a ball.
OCCRP uncovered ([link removed]) that the fountain was refurbished by Greenservice+, a company whose owners were previously convicted for corruption. Reporters also found that the companies that inspected the fountain were hired by Greenservice+ themselves.
After our report was published, Georgian officials arrested nine people ([link removed]) , including the director of Greenservice+ and the deputy head of environmental protection service in Tbilisi.
Join the fight against corruption.
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** THE OCCRP NETWORK
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🇷🇺 IStories: Our Russian member center created an interactive map of foreign assets ([link removed]) tied to politically connected people in Russia.
🇷🇴 Context.ro: Our Romanian member center documents allegations of severe shortcomings at the country’s anti-money laundering agency ([link removed]) .
🇲🇽Aristegui Noticias: Our Mexican partner reports ([link removed]) on an extra revenue source for the country’s airlines: airport fees from customers who never boarded their flights.
In Mexico, airlines collect service charges on behalf of airports. But airports only receive the fees for the 92 to 93 percent of passengers who actually board their plane. The airlines have reportedly been pocketing the difference, and will have made roughly 4.6 billion pesos — around $229 million — from these charges by the end of 2022.
🇳🇬 Premium Times: Our Nigerian member center reports ([link removed]) that over 5,000 doctors in the country have migrated to the U.K. in the past eight years, accelerating Nigeria’s “brain drain.”
** MORE CORRUPTION NEWS
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Global Tax System Proposed in UN: The U.N. is considering a proposal ([link removed]) to establish an international entity tasked with preventing tax dodging across borders. The proposal includes the possibility of implementing a minimum tax.
Austrian Leader’s New Cybersecurity Gig: The former head of Israeli spyware firm NSO Group has teamed up with Austria’s former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to launch a cybersecurity startup called “Dream Security.” ([link removed]) Kurz was forced to resign following a corruption investigation last year.
One of Iraq’s Largest Corruption Scandals: Iraq’s finance ministry discovered on Sunday that five companies stole $2.5 billion dollars ([link removed]) from a government tax commission account. The acting finance minister was forced to resign.
Peruvian President’s Battle With Prosecutors: Peru’s top prosecutor, Patricia Benavides, has filed an official complaint against Peruvian President Pedro Castillo for allegedly leading a corruption ring ([link removed]) , giving congress a chance to vote on suspending him from office.
The complaint comes days after members of congress accused Benavides of having ties to organized crime.
** MORE ORGANIZED CRIME NEWS
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Credit Suisse and the U.S. Mortgage Crisis: Credit Suisse has agreed to pay $495 million to settle accusations ([link removed]) that the bank made fraudulent and deceitful claims about the risks of U.S. mortgage-backed securities, which contributed to the 2008 financial crisis.
Crypto Exchange Settles Financial Crime Charges: The U.S.-based virtual currency exchange Bittrex agreed to pay more than $50 million ([link removed]) to settle accusations that it violated sanctions, anti-money laundering regulations, and suspicious activity reporting requirements.
Mexico Sues U.S. Gun Makers: The Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs has filed a lawsuit against five gun dealers in the United States ([link removed]) for allegedly providing weapons to cartels in Mexico.
** AWARDS
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🏆 Allard Prize: Pavla Holcová, the founder of our Czech member center, was selected for the 2022 Allard Prize for International Integrity ([link removed]) , awarded to those who combat corruption or protect human rights, especially through promoting transparency.
** EVENTS
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DOC NYC: Our documentary “The Killing of a Journalist” will screen at the largest documentary festival in the U.S.
🗓️ Nov. 12 & 14 at Cinépolis Chelsea and streaming inside the U.S.
>> Tickets here. ([link removed])
International Institute for Strategic Studies: OCCRP Co-Founder Paul Radu joins an expert panel for a discussion on how criminal groups have infiltrated governments across the world and what can be done about it.
🗓️ October 27, 13:00-14:15 BST
>> Register here. ([link removed])
P.S. Thank you for reading the OCCRP newsletter. Feel free to reply with any feedback.
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