Thread by @acbold

#29Leaks coverage: a thread!

(A note: many of the outlets use paywalls. To make reading through the thread a bit easier, I used a “no paywall” (NP) Tag for Tweets with links to non-paywalled sites.) 1/

First is @suzipeep, @Kim_Prince, and @MichaelWestBiz’s reportage on what looks suspiciously like AU taxpayer money being siphoned from a national defense contractor, then distributed in accordance with the interests of a Russian aviation tycoon. 2/ crikey.com.au/2019/12/04/29-…

This investigation comes after the AU Department of Defence has already been heavily criticized for lack of due diligence in its procurement processes. @jarrapin has tweeted that Sen. Rex Patrick will be raising this issue in Senate later today. (NP) 3/ michaelwest.com.au/operation-slip…

Also from @CrikeyINQ’s @suzipeep is an overview of #29Leaks itself, which touches on how journalistic collaboration around large datasets has become standard practice and how models for such collaborations continue to be refined. 4/ crikey.com.au/2019/12/04/29-…

Article touches on a culture clash, of sorts, that I also noticed during the investigation: “[#29Leaks] joins one of humankind’s most collaborative communities — technologists — with one of the world’s most competitive — journalists.” 5/

Next up - @DavidhBrown, @YourCodship, @GeorgeGreenwood, @Effy_Yeomans, @alexralph, and @katie_gibbons1 jumped into the messy heart of Formations House for @thetimes with an overview of the institution’s operations and scandals (Video is NP). /6 thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/g…

In reporter @katie_gibbons1’s undercover interview, FH CEO Charlotte Pawar deftly steers the conversation to avoid direct liability for FH client activity while giving a tutorial on money laundering basics. The balancing act is interesting to watch. /7 thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/u…

The Times also covers some of the (I daresay) quirkier examples of FH staff and clients stretching the limits of legality. Pawar describing her dead grandmother’s continued directorship as an “oversight” reads a bit like a Wes Andersen screenplay prompt./8 thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/f…

Anyone doubting FH intent after the Times article should read this @_ostro_ piece by @007_delic et al., in which FH agrees to work with a money launderer who provided proof of a history of criminal fraud *while registering his company* (NP) /9 ostro.si/si/zgodbe/luks…

It’s funny to move straight from Pawar’s protest of a set-up to a scene in which FH decides to work with exactly the kind of customer that Gibbons was pretending to be, right down to the burgeoning luxury car import business. /10

.@manupubby for @EconomicTimes shows, among other things, that FH exported operations to Karachi and then avoided the appearance of outsourcing by having employees use Westernized names.
(NP) 11/ economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/internati…

Pubby also shows how #29Leaks, like many data leaks, contributes new info to existing stories. One of the two different Indian businessmen using FH to open banks in The Gambia was already under investigation for fraud & covered by @FinancialTimes (NP) 12/ m.economictimes.com/industry/media…

Really enjoyed @ShirshoD and @KevinGHall’s coverage of the Iranian National Oil Company’s evasion of US and EU sanctions through shell companies for @McClatchyDC. The story gathers threads from a number of offshore leaks and investigations. (NP) mcclatchydc.com/news/investiga…

All the #29Leaks coverage coming out of @occrp is amazing, and there’s more to come. Here’s their overview of the investigation, including an interactive globe with summaries of major findings. (NP) /14 occrp.org/en/29leaks/

Picking up where @manupubby left off, @occrp details FH setup of a Gambian bank for fraudster Arun Panchariya. Duplicity on many levels here. Pawar helped Arun evade scrutiny, and then provided him an org that was not actually a legally valid bank.(NP) /15 occrp.org/en/29leaks/roa…