OCCRP Weekly News Round Up

Exactly five years after Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was murdered in her apartment building, a convicted criminal has been indicted as her slayer.  
According to prosecutors, the man is Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, a native of Chechnya currently serving a term in jail for an unrelated murder case.
According to the Guardian, the court will also announce new charges against the suspected hitman, Rustam Makhmudov, and several others involved in the killing as well.

Analysts have often noted that Politkovskaya was assassinated on then-president Vladimir Putin’s birthday.  While human rights groups welcome the announcement that someone will be held responsible for the journalist’s death, revelers across Russia have been been celebrating their next president’s birthday.

Since Putin became president in 2000, 19 journalists have been slain in Russia, and until today, no one has been legally punished for any of the crimes.  Since 1992, a total of 76 journalists have been killed in Russia, according to the country’s Committee to Protect Journalists.

Maybe they should arrest the people who ordered the murders on Politkovskaya’s birthday. But in likelihood they will never be brought to justice.

Instability Continues in Kosovo

Kosovo has made its share of global headlines this week.  The trial of seven accused of organ trafficking began Tuesday in the capital city of Pristina.  A protected witness from Belarus testified Wednesday about his journey to Kosovo to surgically remove his kidney, and said he was not paid the amount he was promised, €15,000.

Meanwhile, violence along the country’s border with Serbia and the northern city of Mitrovica has been linked to organized crime operatives.  Serbian daily newspapers Blic and Press have been linking the unrest to Zvonko Veselinovic, who Press refers to as a “a dubious Serb businessman from Kosovska Mitrovica whose name has been mentioned by media as the organizer of the recent conflict with KFOR [the UN peacekeeping troops] at the Jarinje border crossing.”  Press writes that he is “purportedly the leader of the largest criminal group in northern Kosovo.”

According to Serbian news outlet B92, “Some of the media in Belgrade have stated that Veselinović is the most important figure in northern Kosovo when it comes to petrol and cigarettes smuggling.”

Serbia Progresses Towards EU with Corruption Arrests

Neighboring Serbia is reportedly making strides towards European Union (EU) accession, with an Austrian daily reporting that the country may get candidate status next week.

After capturing indicted war criminals Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic, Serbia’s main criteria for accession rests on relations with Kosovo and the (relatively) easier task of fighting organized crime and corruption.  Although of course, as the first paragraphs of this entry make plain, the two goals frequently overlap.

This week a major investigation into the country’s largest coal mine progressed, with law enforcement arresting 17 former officials and businessmen for suspected embezzlement.

Serbian Justice Ministry State Secretary Slobodan Homen has vowed that crackdowns on graft will continue.

Lord of War’s Trial Begins Tuesday

The long-awaited trial for the man known as the “Lord of War” and the “Merchant of Death” will finally begin on Tuesday after several pre-trial hearings.  Viktor Bout, a Russian national, stands accused of planning to sell arms to Colombian rebels.

In an unprecedented move to curb jurors’ outside knowledge of this high-profile case, Judge Shira Scheindlin has barred jury members from searching for the defendant on the internet.

Jurors will sign a pledge swearing that they will not search for the information online.  If the court learns that the decision-makers broke their oath, they could be charged with perjury.

Kyrgyz Mobsters Target Their Own

Hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz migrant workers do the jobs in Russia that Russians don’t want to do, but they are targeted by fellow Kyrgyz organized crime syndicates, says RFE/RL.

The migrants are now turning to their own country to put pressure on the Russian government to stop the extortion and mistreatment.

"Some of them force Kyrgyz citizens to pay so-called 'protection taxes,' some of them just rob us or steal our belongings. There were cases when Kyrgyz labor migrants were abducted by Kyrgyz criminal groups in Russia and tortured to extort money."

An activist told RFE/RL that some Kyrgyz gangsters "put plastic bags over their victims' heads, extort money at gun point, tie them tightly and lash them."

The government has strong incentives to do something about the allegations, as the remittances from Kyrgyz workers abroad amounts to almost 30% of the country’s budget revenues.

Who is More Prone to Corruption?

Are women inherently more corrupt than men?  Farzana Nawaz writes an interesting blog post today exploring the topic for Transparency International

VALERIE HOPKINS