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Hidden within a drab Damascus shopping center sits the unmarked office of Shorouk for Protection, Guarding and Security Services — an unassuming security company that raked in at least $11 million from the United Nations to protect U.N. offices during the Syrian civil war.
Now, internal documents reveal the company was secretly owned by the intelligence services of former President Bashar Assad’s regime.
As the United Nations poured money into the firm, those intelligence services were engaged in a violent campaign to crush opposition.
In one leaked memo, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad wrote that ensuring Shorouk and other security firms maintained their U.N. contracts was important because their personnel were monitoring U.N. employees for Assad. icij.org/investigations…
#CaspianCabals journalists from over a dozen countries probed the Kremlin’s control and Western interests in a critical Russia-Kazakhstan oil pipeline, and how its influence and impact spread to Europe, the U.S. and beyond.
Over the past two years, the Netherlands' oil imports from Kazakhstan have increased eightfold, ICIJ’s Dutch partner @nrc found, largely driven by sanctions on Russian oil. But the relationship between the countries' oil industries is “toxic and shaky.” buff.ly/3ZrXTbU
@nrc A small town in Germany is thriving thanks to a local refinery that plays a pivotal role in processing crude for the petrochemical industry, where at least some of the oil comes from Kazakhstan, ICIJ’s German media partners @derspiegel and @ZDFheute found. buff.ly/3OKrc4O
Since the 1950s, Israel Bonds, which sells bonds to fund Israel’s government, has evolved, increasingly courting banks and other institutional investors.
In recent years, U.S. states and municipalities have sunk billions into Israeli bonds. buff.ly/3SwnUUM
Thousands of records obtained by ICIJ reveal Israel Bonds’ tight relationship with U.S. institutional investors, and how some officials who buy Israeli bonds have had access to gala dinners, cocktail celebrations, and private meetings with Israeli leaders.buff.ly/3SwnUUM
A spokesperson for Israel Bonds told ICIJ that the bonds are safe investments with steady returns, and described the group’s sales strategy as “just like any other business.” But ethics experts say such dealings are not always so straightforward.
Interpol has asked governments worldwide to find and provisionally arrest Isabel dos Santos, yet the former Angolan billionaire isn't hiding. Instead, she often posts about her lavish lifestyle at a Dubai residence.
Newly leaked Dubai property data reviewed by ICIJ for #DubaiUnlocked reveal that dos Santos and her mother, Tatiana “Kukanova” Regan, co-own an apartment in a building called Sadaf, Arabic for “seashell,” overlooking Dubai Marina and the Persian Gulf. buff.ly/3ykHpIP
The eldest daughter of Angola’s former president, dos Santos came under scrutiny by authorities on three continents after ICIJ’s #LuandaLeaks revealed how lucrative deals obtained under her father’s rule helped her become Africa’s richest woman. buff.ly/3UY5DBE
Did you miss the launch of our #SwaziSecrets investigation?
Catch up with the stories our partners worked on in this thread!
@amaBhungane, @AJEnglish, @FinUncovered, @OpenSecretsZA, @jeune_afrique, @TheAfricaReport, @MakandayMedia, @PremiumTimesng buff.ly/4dBIMTK
A member of the Qatari royal family invested about $50 million in Newsmax, bolstering the conservative outlet at a time when Qatar was facing diplomatic pressure and seeking U.S. allies.
Sheikh Sultan bin Jassim Al Thani, a former Qatari government official and the owner of a London-based investment fund, Heritage Advisors, invested in Newsmax in 2019 and 2020.
The investment has not been previously reported. buff.ly/3ITH5mh
The documents were obtained by ICIJ from a trove of roughly 100,000 leaked files from Genesis Trust, a Cayman Islands-based financial services provider now called Highvern.
Newsmax and Heritage Advisors confirmed the investment. buff.ly/3ITH5mh