ICIJ is deeply concerned by reports from Moscow that investigative reporter Roman Anin has been taken in for questioning following a raid on his apartment by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
Roman Anin, the editor in chief of @istories_media, has worked with ICIJ on several major investigations that have exposed global crime and corruption, including #PanamaPapers and #FinCENFiles.
ICIJ Director @RyleGerard says, “We are closely monitoring the arrest and treatment of our cherished member, and partner in investigative reporting, Roman Anin."
"On the face of it, this appears to be a dark day for freedom of the media in Russia. We stand fully behind Anin’s fearless exposure of figures from the criminal and political underworld," @RyleGerard said.
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Five years ago today, ICIJ and more than 100 media partners around the globe published the #PanamaPapers — a massive investigation on the rogue offshore finance industry that continues to change the world. bit.ly/3sRmi9p
Hundreds of tax probes and investigations were launched.
"I started working on the case basically from the minute you all broke the story," a former U.S. prosecutor who was part of the team that led America's legal response to the #PanamaPapers says. bit.ly/3fEaWSA
But after governments fell, new laws were written, criminals were prosecuted, and more than $1.36 billion in unpaid taxes, fines and penalties were recouped, the fight against offshore financial secrecy and chicanery emboldened by #PanamaPapers goes on. bit.ly/3dwcmf5
👑🧵/ Last night's #Megxit interview, in which Prince Harry and Meghan Markle share details of life after being financially cut off from the monarchy, renews attention on the royal family's enormous wealth, private estates, and how those assets are shielded from public view.
2/ Last month, @guardian revealed that Queen Elizabeth successfully lobbied the government to change a draft law in the 1970s in order to conceal her “embarrassing” private wealth from the public as part of the 'Queen's consent' investigation. bit.ly/3cZkmXv
3/ In 2017, ICIJ's #ParadisePapers investigation revealed that Queen Elizabeth's private estate, the Duchy of Lancaster, indirectly invested in a rent-to-own loan company accused of predatory tactics via the Cayman Islands. bit.ly/2ODFIPG
NEW: Together with @BuzzFeedNews and 108 other media organizations we reveal the #FinCENFiles – our latest cross-border investigation.
Using super secretive bank documents and months of reporting, we expose how banks fail to stop dirty money flows. bit.ly/3kDpxwN
#FinCENFiles reveals $2 trillion worth of payments – revealing big-name banks (you’ve heard of them) moved suspicious money even after promising officials they would fix money laundering controls.
These global giants have moved masses of dirty money tied to mobsters, fraudsters and corrupt regimes – sometimes it's for people they can’t identify.
And – you can explore some of the transactions we found here. bit.ly/2ZUGRVV
– Access to data is restricted
– Information is scarce
– COVID-19 makes it harder to meet with contacts
– Leaders and officials are taunting reporters
– Newsrooms and resources are shrinking.
All month we're talking with our team from Chile to Tanzania, Russia to Malaysia - and beyond.
We want to highlight the hurdles these reporters overcome to deliver global-scale investigations.
Get our stories in your inbox each week. Sign up here: bit.ly/2nr7ph7
NEW: Africa’s richest woman @isabelaangola claims to be a self-made billionaire. Today, we reveal the inside story of how she made her fortune while leaving #Angola one of the poorest countries on earth.