Πολεμώντας το οργανωμένο έγκλημα και τη διαφθορά

 

OCCRP Η κοινοπραξία ερευνητικών κέντρων, μέσων ενημέρωσης και δημοσιογράφων για την Αναφορά του  Οργανωμένου Εγκλήματος και της Διαφθοράς, που δραστηριοποιείτα στην Ανατολική Ευρώπη, τον Καύκασο, την Κεντρική Ασία και την Κεντρική Αμερική ενημερώνει για εγκληματικές δραστηριότητες σε όλο τον κόσμο  και ζητάει τη βοήθειά μας OCCRP NETWORK UNDER ATTACK OCCRP Faces Lawsuit — Serbian businessman Stanko Subotić is suing OCCRP, publisher Drew Sullivan, and Dragana Pećo, a reporter from our Serbian member center.   Subotić has been at the center of several OCCRP investigations, including a recent story in our OpenLux project. But the new lawsuit, which was lodged in Geneva, relates to this 2018 story that detailed how Subotić stood to profit handsomely from the expansion of Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport. We stand behind our reporting and will not be intimidated by vexatious lawsuits.  Meanwhile, OCCRP Serbian member center KRIK faces a separate attack 👇 🇷🇸 Dangerous Media Campaign Against KRIK  — Pro-government media have launched a smear campaign against our Serbian member center KRIK and its editor in chief, Stevan Dojčinović. Front-page stories have falsely tied the outlet to a leading figure in the Kavač, one of two warring Montenegrin criminal clans at the center of a major KRIK/OCCRP joint investigation last year. By suggesting our colleagues are part of a gang war, this disinformation campaign could have life-threatening consequences. Watch Stevan explain the situation in his own words.  You can also support KRIK by donating to them directly. 🇬🇶 Partner in Equatorial Guinea — Some good news for Delfin Mochache Massoko, an Equatoguinean reporter on our investigation into the country’s oil minister.  A judge in South Africa has ordered NJ Ayuk, an influential lawyer implicated in our report, to apologize for a series of defamatory statements he made against Massoko. Thank you to everyone who shared our story.  Join the fight against corruption. SUPPORT OCCRP NEW INVESTIGATIONS 🇦🇱 A Tale of Alleged Land Theft in Albania 🇺🇸 — Artur Shehu lives in a mansion in Miami. But back in his home country of Albania, the alleged drug trafficker is accused of stealing land meant to be returned after the collapse of the communist government.  🌐 The Big Picture: Albania has struggled to return land seized under communist rule to its original owners. Prime Minister Edi Rama pledged to resolve the land crisis when he was elected in 2013 but has so far seen little success. Underworld figures like Shehu are accused of using forgery and other means to hijack the process for their own gain. 🇧🇾 Belarusian Businessmen Making Inroads Into the EU 🇱🇹 — Alexei Aleksin and Alexander Zaytsev both have ties to the regime of Alexander Lukashenko as well as sprawling business empires that, we reveal, extend to Lithuania.  But there are some irregularities, to say the least. One company belonging to Aleksin is based out of a dilapidated, trash-strewn apartment that reeks of urine. Others tied to him have no employees, yet were able to move millions of euros over two years.  🌐 The Big Picture: Aleksin and Zaytsev are part of a new generation of Belarusian businessmen who, unlike earlier oligarchs, are free from EU sanctions. The nature of their activities in Lithuania raise serious questions about what they are doing in the EU member state. OLIGARCHS & CRIME BOSSES 🇷🇸 Group America Leader Arrested 🇺🇸 — In case you missed it, the FBI arrested Mileta Miljanić, the alleged leader of the Group America criminal syndicate, after searching his home in Queens, New York.  If you’re not familiar with Group America, you can read our 2020 investigation into the global drug-trafficking syndicate, which has roots in New York and the Balkans — and allegedly enjoys ties to intelligence agencies, possibly including the CIA.  🇺🇦 US Sanctions Ukraine’s Kolomoisky 🇺🇸— The State Department has banned Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky from entering the United States, citing his involvement in “significant corruption.”  Kolomoisky and his business partner are accused of stealing $5.5 billion from PrivatBank, then Ukraine’s largest lender, during the time they owned it. This 2019 OCCRP investigation revealed how the pair may have used a Cypriot subsidiary to funnel the money out of Ukraine.  🇰🇬 Upping the Ante for Kolbayev 🇺🇸 — The United States is offering $5 million for information that could help disrupt the criminal network of Kamchibek Kolbayev, Kyrgyzstan’s most powerful gangster.  Despite being a wanted man, Kolbayev appears to have maintained his political influence from the shadows. Three separate sources have told OCCRP and partners that Kolbayev has a relationship with Raimbek Matraimov, the Kyrgyz power broker and former customs official at the center of our award-winning “Plunder and Patronage” investigation.