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Jul 28 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
NEW: OCCRP exposes the luxury properties, offshore companies, and vast investments connected to Andrei Kostin, sanctioned head of the Russian state lender known as “Putin’s piggy bank,” VTB. 1/

occrp.org/en/asset-track…

occrp.org/en/asset-track…
On paper, many of them are owned by Eric Whyte, a Canadian who lived in the Soviet Union as a boy. OCCRP discovered at least 10 of his companies in secretive offshore financial jurisdictions that controlled a portfolio of luxury properties across Russia and Europe. 2/
These include Hotel Tannenhof, a “luxury bolthole” in the Alps where rooms rent for up to $6,000 a night. Publicly the hotel appears to belong to an Austrian couple — but reporters found it was owned by VTB until 2015, then sold to two companies, one belonging to Whyte. 3/
The setup is “reflective of how we know oligarchs have been hiding their wealth,” said veteran financial investigator Tamara Makarenko, adding that OCCRP’s findings offer “compelling” evidence that Whyte has been acting as a proxy for Kostin. 4/

cdn.occrp.org/projects/ericW…
To read more about the hidden assets of Russia’s most powerful oligarchs, visit OCCRP’s #RussianAssetTracker initiative. 5/

occrp.org/en/asset-track…
This story shows why international collaboration matters. OCCRP found the information that allowed us to identify Kostin's proxy in @ICIJorg 's #PandoraPapers, a massive leak of offshore documents shared with media partners around the world. 6/

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More from @OCCRP

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Jul 26
NEW: A South Korean doomsday sect whose leader is in prison for abusing devotees has turned itself into a business giant in the Pacific island nation of Fiji, partly thanks to support from the country’s repressive government. Our latest with @newstapa🇰🇷 1/
occrp.org/en/investigati…
Grace Road Church’s charismatic leader Reverend Shin moved hundreds of her followers to Fiji a decade ago to prepare for the apocalypse. She was arrested in 2018 for abusing them, and now sits in a South Korean prison. 2/
South Korean police are still seeking the arrest of other church members still in Fiji. But while Fiji’s government has promised to investigate them, they remain free. @OCCRP and @newstapa found serious shortcomings in the Fijian investigation. 3/
Read 4 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Jul 22
NEW: The whistleblower behind the #PanamaPapers is speaking out for the first time since 2016.

In an interview with @derspiegel’s @f_obermaier and @b_obermayer, John Doe says offshore secrecy is enabling Vladimir Putin’s war machine. occrp.org/en/panamapaper…
2) This interview is the first time the whistleblower has spoken publicly since shortly after the publication of the Panama Papers, a massive collaborative investigation led by @ICIJorg.

Here are our stories from the award-winning project: occrp.org/en/panamapaper…
3) In this new interview, the whistleblower discusses the rise of authoritarianism, the ongoing threat of corporate crime, and what other whistleblowers can do to protect themselves.

Below are a few highlights from the Q&A 👇
Read 7 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Jul 6
NEW: Who’s Carlos Sein Atachahua?

The Peruvian allegedly laundered millions for an int'l drug trafficking syndicate. While he’s kept a low profile, South American authorities say he made a fortune working w/ crime groups like the ‘Ndrangheta in Italy. 1/
occrp.org/en/investigati…
Atachahua’s Buenos Aires based organization allegedly shipped cocaine to Europe in packages stamped with Peruvian suns, likely a reference to the Inca god Inti. 2/
The Inca sun logo has been found across the Atlantic, where Atachahua's organization allegedly worked with Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta crime group to reach the European market.

To bring his profits back to South America, police say he used corrupted money exchange houses. 3/
Read 5 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Jun 30
NEW: Syria has been able to export $80M+ worth of phosphates — a key fertilizer ingredient — to Serbia, Ukraine, and four EU states since 2019.

The shadowy trade has helped enrich Bashar Al-Assad’s sanctioned regime and ppl w/ ties to Russia’s elite. 1/
occrp.org/en/investigati…
Using port records, satellite images, and open-source materials, reporters mapped 15 voyages where ships started in a Syrian port before heading to Europe.

Location data for eight of these journeys shows that ships switched off their tracking systems, known as AIS. 2/
Take the Kubrosli-y, a Comoros-flagged vessel that disappeared from AIS while heading in the direction of Syria. It then reappeared near Cyprus before continuing on to Ukraine.

FB photos from a Syrian gov't agency show that it indeed docked in Syria. 3/
cdn.occrp.org/projects/syria…
Read 7 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Jun 23
NEW: Leaked emails provide an inside look at the “Fisherman’s Hut” — a striking-looking structure on the shores of Russia’s Lake Ladoga that locals refer to as “Putin’s dacha.” /1
occrp.org/en/asset-track…
The building was first exposed as a vacation destination for Putin by the TV network Dozhd in 2016. Now, OCCRP and @meduza_en have found blueprints, interior design plans, and other materials that provide fresh details about new buildings going up around the complex. /2
In addition to the striking main building, a second structure — entered into the land registry as a “barn” — features a spacious open-plan dining area, a restaurant-style kitchen where guests can watch the chefs, a brewery, and a tea room with stunning views of Lake Ladoga. /3
Read 6 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Jun 21
THREAD: Following the trail of a mysterious email domain, reporters found dozens of interconnected companies and nonprofits that are tied to Bank Rossiya — known as “Putin’s bank” — and hold assets worth at least $4.5 billion.

Our story from yesterday 👇
occrp.org/en/asset-track…
2) Many of these properties, including an enormous palace on the Black Sea, have been connected to Putin in previous reporting. But until now, they have not been known to be connected to each other. ImageImageImage
3) These firms have a variety of owners, including wealthy bankers and oligarchs — but also the children of Putin’s friends and even his alleged mistress. They look like “a cooperative ... in which its members can exchange benefits and property,” an anti-corruption expert says.
Read 4 tweets

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