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Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
@OCCRP
Dec 6 • 5 tweets • 2 min read • Read on X
Romania’s constitutional court annulled first-round presidential election results amid allegations of Russian meddling that helped far-right candidate Calin Georgescu emerge as a surprise frontrunner.

The court has ordered the election process to restart.
occrp.org/en/news/romani…
The decision follows findings from the country's intelligence service that Russia influenced the vote through a coordinated social media campaign.
occrp.org/en/news/romani…
Georgescu, known for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "great patriot" and labeling Ukraine "an invented state," was rapidly rebranded as a pro-Western candidate through TikTok and Telegram posts.
The campaign reportedly involved controversial figures, including American businessman Douglas Anderson, who has ties to Russian officials, and a Romanian influencer previously arrested for cryptocurrency fraud.

Context.ro discovered that far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu benefitted from bots and foreign accounts that promoted his online campaign.

The 62-year-old was polling between 3-5% before Nov. 24 first-round vote.
occrp.org/en/news/calin-…

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More from @OCCRP

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Dec 4
NEW: An international money-laundering ring run from Moscow & Dubai has been moving billions in crypto and cash for criminal operations, @NCA_UK says.

84 people have been arrested as part of “Operation Destabilise,” involving police from the U.K., Ireland, the U.S. & France. Photo credit: U.K. National Crime Agency
Several alleged key figures in the ring had “multiple links to the Russian financial sector,” the NCA said.

Some were sanctioned by the U.S. today, including Georgy Rossi, founder of the TGR group of companies, one of two “criminal enterprises” allegedly running the network. Georgy Rossi (right) and Elena Chirkinyan, his "second-in-command" (left). Photo provided by NCA.
The other, Smart, was led by Russian national Ekaterina Zhdanova, who the U.S. sanctioned in 2023. Ekaterina Zhdanova. Photo provided by NCA.
Read 7 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Nov 20
NEW: Two Canadian banks continue doing business with alleged Toronto-based mafia boss Angelo Figliomeni despite high-profile 2019 organized crime and money laundering charges.

OCCRP and @TorontoStar learned that the banks hold four of Figliomeni's mortgages. Image
Figliomeni moved to Canada in the early 2000s after he was convicted on weapons charges as well as mafia membership in his native Italy.

In 2015, Canadian media reports described him as a suspected "Toronto-area mafia leader." Photo credit: York Regional Police. A mugshot of Angelo Figliomeni.
TD Bank and RBC maintained two mortgages apiece with Figliomeni despite these reports.

Even after Figliomeni’s 2019 arrest in what Toronto-area police called its biggest-ever mafia bust and the subsequent collapsed court case, both banks continued to maintain the loans. Image
Read 6 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Nov 1
NEW: The world’s top climate change conference, #COP29, opens soon in Azerbaijan.

The host government, led by the ruling Aliyev regime, is among the world’s most repressive.

We’ve been investigating them for over a decade. Here’s what you need to know ⤵️
occrp.org/en/project/kno…
For our latest story, we looked into the official corporate partners of #COP29.

Almost all of them are linked to the ruling Aliyev family and their inner circle.

It’s indicative of how this regime operates.

But it’s just our latest finding.
occrp.org/en/project/kno…
For years, OCCRP has worked with local journalists to expose how the country’s elite, led by the Aliyev family, has enriched itself.

They have built up staggering wealth.

Even the president’s 11-year-old son owned a London office building.
occrp.org/en/project/the…
Read 7 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Oct 10
NEW: A court in Kyrgyzstan today sentenced two journalists to 5+ years in prison in a case that has sparked international condemnation from rights groups.
occrp.org/en/news/kyrgyz…
They are among 11 journalists from @TemirovLive, OCCRP’s local partner, who were detained in January for allegedly inciting and organizing mass riots.

Press freedom groups have called the case political.
occrp.org/en/project/unc…
One of the two is Makhabat Tazhibek kyzy. Her husband Bolot Temirov — who founded @TemirovLive — is in exile, stripped of his citizenship.

The judge said their son will now need to go to an orphanage for the six years of her imprisonment. Image
Read 6 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Sep 26
NEW: When undercover reporters engaged with a pro-Russia Telegram account seeking to recruit EU citizens to commit acts of sabotage, they were offered $10,000 to:

👀Spy on a military base
🔥Set fire to NATO vehicles
🗡️Commit murder ⬇️
occrp.org/en/investigati…
The “Privet Bot” (“Hi Bot”) account has been repeatedly advertised on Grey Zone, a Wagner-associated Telegram channel with over half-a-million followers.

“Just say privet to us,” it says, calling for European citizens to join the fight against Ukraine’s Western allies. Image
To find out how this works, reporters created a pro-Russian persona from Estonia and said “privet.”

They were asked about their criminal history, military experience, and knowledge of weapons. Were they self-motivated? Prepared for dangerous work? Had they ever killed? Image
Read 9 tweets
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project Profile picture
Aug 29
NEW: During Azerbaijan’s blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh last year, the Red Cross provided lifesaving medical evacuations.

The need was great.

But the @ICRC's efforts were obstructed by the Azeri government — and challenged by the Azerbaijan Red Crescent.
The only road to this contested Armenian enclave, deep in Azerbaijani territory, was blocked for 9 months — first by pro-gov't activists, then by an official checkpoint.

Locals, like Ani Mangasaryan and her sick baby, were cut off from life-saving supplies & medical treatment. Image
The @CIJ_ICJ instructed Azerbaijan to allow “unimpeded movement” in and out.

But a former senior @ICRC employee told us how bureaucratic and logistical obstacles, plus outright bans on movement, limited the humanitarian organization’s ability to evacuate the sick. Image
Read 11 tweets

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