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 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). 

• 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. 

Now, here’s the latest in global corruption:

NEW INVESTIGATIONS

🇮🇳 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 earlier this year. >> Read more.

Our colleagues at Amnesty Lab and The Wire confirmed 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, as well as why everyone should be concerned 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 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, including the director of Greenservice+ and the deputy head of environmental protection service in Tbilisi. 

THE OCCRP NETWORK

🇷🇺 IStories: Our Russian member center created an interactive map of foreign assets 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.

🇲🇽Aristegui Noticias: Our Mexican partner reports 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 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

Global Tax System Proposed in UN: The U.N. is considering a proposal 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.” 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 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, 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

Credit Suisse and the U.S. Mortgage Crisis: Credit Suisse has agreed to pay $495 million to settle accusations 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 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 for allegedly providing weapons to cartels in Mexico. 

AWARDS

🏆 Allard Prize: Pavla Holcová, the founder of our Czech member center, was selected for the 2022 Allard Prize for International Integrity, awarded to those who combat corruption or protect human rights, especially through promoting transparency. 

EVENTS

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.


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.