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. 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."

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…

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…

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.

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.

OCCRP stands with our member center @MXvsCORRUPCION, which Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has accused of being “an opposition group” for receiving funding from the U.S. government and other international organizations. A non-profit newsroom @MXvsCORRUPCION, or MCCI, investigates power, corruption & organized crime in Mexico.

In 2022 it published findings about property used by López Obrador’s son, a house owned by an executive of a company that received gov't contracts.
contralacorrupcion.mx/anuario-de-la-…

The International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) continues today with various panels and a plenary with our Co-Founder, Paul Radu (@Idashboard), and leaders from across the anti-corruption space. #IACC2024 Paul Radu(@Idashboard) will join @PublicEyeSuisse’s @AngelaMattli, @HenriThulliez of @PPLAAF, @FPCThinkTank’s @skcoughtrie & @eleanorrose of @TBIJ, for the session "Tackling SLAPPs: A Critical Frontier in The Global Fight against Corruption" #IACC2024

Authorities in Moscow issued arrest warrants against two investigative journalists with Important Stories (IStories), accusing them of spreading fake news about the Russian army.

#PressFreedom #russia #moscow occrp.org/en/daily/18815…
Both journalists –– editor-in-chief Roman Anin, and reporter Ekaterina Fomina – fled Russia after the government cracked down on free media, following the invasion of Ukraine.

Mining magnate Beny Steinmetz has faced negative headlines, outwitted business foes & confronted lawsuits.

OCCRP found that when he came under pressure, companies controlled by a Greek businessman struck deals that ended up helping him out. Reporters used thousands of documents — including leaks and court filings from around the world — to uncover a paper trail of the deals between firms owned by Greek businessman Sabby Mionis and Israeli mining magnate Beny Steinmetz.

🇮🇳Documents obtained by reporters at OCCRP and the @FT suggest that the politically powerful Adani Group – one of India’s biggest conglomerates – sold more than two dozen shipments of coal to a state power company for 3x its original price. 👇

occrp.org/en/investigati… The politically powerful Adani Group is a massive conglomerate with interests in everything from airports to television stations.

Led by billionaire Gautam Adani, it is perceived as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Drug lords.
Notorious politicians.
Terrorism financiers.

In the gleaming cityscape of Dubai, some of the world’s wealthy + most wanted have taken advantage of secrecy, lax regulations & a hot property market.

Who are they? Come see.

Welcome to #DubaiUnlocked. Using leaked data obtained by @C4ADS, we worked with @e24 to lead an investigative project involving 140 journalists from 74 media outlets to compile a global picture of who owns what in Dubai.

occrp.org/en/dubai-unloc…

NEW: Since 2016, Azerbaijan’s electricity exports to Georgia have skyrocketed.

The market is worth hundreds of millions. Some of the electricity is used in Georgia, the rest is transited to Turkey.

So why is the trade handled by offshore companies? And who's behind them? occrp.org/en/investigati… We found out. His name is Sulkhan Papashvili, one of Georgia’s richest businessmen. And the offshores are his.

But our reporters, along with @ifactgeorgia and @MikroskopEng, also found much more.

NEW: For 20 years, Baylar Eyyubov has been head of security for Azerbaijan’s authoritarian president.

Our reporters found that his family owns 3 posh mansions all on one street in north London, all held through offshore companies.

And there's much more. 👇
occrp.org/en/investigati… In Azerbaijan, Eyyubov is close to the top.

Here he accompanies Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban to Ankara for the inauguration of Turkey's President Erdogan in 2023.

In the second photo, he can be seen opening the door to Aliyev's limo.

NEW: Fiji-based entrepreneur Zhao Fugang's promotion of China’s interests on the Pacific island isn’t any secret — he runs an official “service center” for Chinese citizens inside a hotel he owns — but Australian authorities say he is hiding something:

occrp.org/en/investigati… Australian intel + police agencies say Zhao is more than a businessman or political operative.

They suspect he is a senior organized crime figure — and are pushing Fiji to move against him.

Fugang, who denies wrongdoing, has not been charged w/a crime.

“Is this a prank?”
“What donation?”
“I work in a school, I barely survive.”

After journalists at our partner @CivilNetTV found unusual patterns in donation data reported by Armenia’s ruling party, they started calling listed donors to find the truth ⬇️
occrp.org/en/investigati…
Half of the 31 donors reached for comment denied making contributions.

Others refused to answer or said they couldn’t remember if they gave or not.

Multiple OCCRP investigations have revealed U.S. real estate purchases made by politically exposed individuals, often with cash ⤵️

https://twitter.com/transparencyUSA/status/1755653334852399239

In 2022 an @IllicitFlows report said U.S. real estate is the No. 1 destination for laundered dirty money.

At least $2.3 billion was laundered over the past five years through U.S. real estate, the report said.

occrp.org/en/daily/14991…

NEW: Software giant SAP agreed to pay at least $220 million to settle bribery charges filed by the U.S. SEC after its investigations w/the Dept. of Justice.

SAP allegedly used third-party intermediaries to bribe government officials in 7 countries.

occrp.org/en/daily/18389… The SEC said that an employee of SAP Azerbaijan, a subsidiary, gave gifts worth around $3,000 to employees at state-owned oil giant SOCAR to help ensure SAP was awarded a $1.6 million contract.

Authorities in Kyrgyzstan continue their chilling campaign against independent journalists.

11 reporters from OCCRP partner TemirovLive remain in a 48-hour pre-trial detention today.

Their homes & offices were all searched Tuesday.

An update on the deleterious situation: 👇 The @UNHumanRights Office of the High Commissioner expressed concern late Tuesday, noting that authorities in Kyrgyzstan searched the premises of several independent media outlets this week and detained at least 14 journalists.

ohchr.org/en/statements/…

‼️ Kyrgyz police have detained multiple current and former journalists from @TemirovLive, an OCCRP partner. They have also searched their apartments. The authorities speak of incitement to riots — an absurd claim. occrp.org/en/daily/18365… Bolot Temirov and his colleagues have collaborated with OCCRP on several investigations. Some of the arrested journalists are currently working on more stories with us. They are independent professionals who serve the Kyrgyz public.

NEW: Our 2023 Corrupt Person of the Year isn’t a domineering dictator — she’s one of the many dry bureaucrats helping to derail democracy.

Step forward María Consuelo Porras, Guatemala’s attorney general and protector of the political elite. Porras is overseeing efforts to prevent president-elect Bernardo Arévalo from taking office after he won the election in August.

Her efforts — including suspending Arévalo’s political party — have sparked protests and helped throw Guatemala into a political crisis.

NEW: When Moscow needs gunpowder — the explosive powering its relentless artillery fire in Ukraine — it relies on two Central Asian neighbors that have ramped up exports of a key ingredient: cotton pulp.
occrp.org/en/investigati… Kazakhstan & Uzbekistan have taken a neutral stance on the war in Ukraine while continuing to maintain long-standing diplomatic & economic ties with Moscow.

Each has increased exports of cotton pulp, a key ingredient in gunpowder, to Russia since the 2022 invasion.