On the night of Oct. 13, 2016, Aleksandar Stankovic’s car pulled toward an intersection in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, sliding to a halt beside a darkened BMW where two men sat inside unseen, cradling automatic weapons.
FK Partizan supporters light flares in the stands during a match in Belgrade (Photo: Aubrey Belford)
Accused of involvement in stealing billions from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, Prime Minister Najib Razak did what autocratic leaders around the world do when scandal is in the air. He cleared house.
It’s a grave matter. About 2.8 million Moldovans are listed on the official electoral roll for the country’s Oct. 30 presidential election. But Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) partner RISE Moldova has found that many approved voters have already departed this earth.
On Sept. 2, Uzbek authorities confirmed the death of President Islam Karimov, the strongman who ruled the country for 25 years. The announcement came after nearly a week of official denials of media reports of his passing, reflecting the secretive nature of the Central Asian country.
The casual, obscenity-laden telephone transcript splashed in Bosnian media at the start of this month appeared to reveal a startling act: One of the country’s most powerful politicians being told that he was protected from major corruption investigations.