Person of the Year

There’s only one prize whose winners include foul-mouthed Filipino leader Rodrigo Duterte, authoritarian Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and cigarette-smuggling, gangster-loving Montenegrin Premier Milo Djukanovic.

It’s OCCRP’s “Person of the Year” award, which since 2012 has singled out those who do the most to wreak havoc around the world through organized crime and corruption.

With this honor, OCCRP aims to promote accountability by shining a light on those judged to have done the most to bolster corruption and the political collusion that often accompanies it.

After a first round of nominations from journalists and members of the public, a group of judges with expertise in organized crime and corruption selects a winner and finalists.

Read more about this year’s winner, and past laureates, below.

Current champion
2023
2023
2023
personoftheyear/maria-consuelo-porras.png

María Consuelo Porras

María Consuelo Porras, Guatemala’s Attorney General, has been a key instrument in derailing democracy, working to keep the corrupt government in power by overseeing efforts to prevent president elect Bernardo Arévalo from assuming office, and brutally persecuting honest prosecutors, journalists, and activists.

Read more...

Yevgeny Prigozhin

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch and mercenary leader, has become perhaps the most conspicuous avatar of everything that is darkest about his motherland in his fusion of crooked money and brutal violence, his sneering cynicism, and his impunity in the face of even Russian law.

Read more...
personoftheyear/Yevgeny-Prigozhin.png
2022
2022
personoftheyear/Yevgeny-Prigozhin.png

Yevgeny Prigozhin

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch and mercenary leader, has become perhaps the most conspicuous avatar of everything that is darkest about his motherland in his fusion of crooked money and brutal violence, his sneering cynicism, and his impunity in the face of even Russian law.

Read more...

2021
2021
2021
personoftheyear/Lukashenko_transparent.png

Aleksandr Lukashenko

Belarusian President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, Europe’s brutal last dictator, has been named 2021’s Person of the Year in recognition of all he has done to advance organized criminal activity and corruption.

Read more...

Jair Bolsonaro

Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil, has been named the OCCRP’s 2020 Person of the Year for his role in promoting organized crime and corruption.

Read more...
personoftheyear/JairBolsonaro.png
2020
2020
personoftheyear/JairBolsonaro.png

Jair Bolsonaro

Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil, has been named the OCCRP’s 2020 Person of the Year for his role in promoting organized crime and corruption.

Read more...

2019
2019
2019
personoftheyear/JosephMuscat.png

Joseph Muscat

Prime Minister of Malta directly responsible for increase in criminality and lack of prosecutions in Malta during his term.

Read more...

Danske Bank

Largest bank in Denmark, enabler of large-scale money laundering through branch in Estonia.

Read more...
personoftheyear/DanskeBank.png
2018
2018
personoftheyear/DanskeBank.png

Danske Bank

Largest bank in Denmark, enabler of large-scale money laundering through branch in Estonia.

Read more...

2017
2017
2017
personoftheyear/RodrigoDuterte.png

Rodrigo Duterte

President of the Philippines, responsible for more than 1,000 extrajudical killings, endorsing vigilantism and systematic violations of human rights.

Read more...

Nicolás Maduro

Venezuela's ”Lord of Misrule,” whose corrupt and oppressive reign is so rife with mismanagement that citizens of his oil-rich nation are literally starving and begging for medicine.

Read more...
personoftheyear/NicholasMaduro.png
2016
2016
personoftheyear/NicholasMaduro.png

Nicolás Maduro

Venezuela's ”Lord of Misrule,” whose corrupt and oppressive reign is so rife with mismanagement that citizens of his oil-rich nation are literally starving and begging for medicine.

Read more...

2015
2015
2015
personoftheyear/MiloDjukanovic.png

Milo Djukanovic

Montenegrin president with a long history of befriending organized crime figures, involving himself in corrupt practices, and bribing voters.

Read more...

Vladimir Putin

Russian President who turned his country into a major money-laundering center; enabled organized crime in Crimea and in the Donbass region of

Read more...
personoftheyear/VladimirPutin.png
2014
2014
personoftheyear/VladimirPutin.png

Vladimir Putin

Russian President who turned his country into a major money-laundering center; enabled organized crime in Crimea and in the Donbass region of

Read more...

2013
2013
2013
personoftheyear/RomanianParliament.png

Romanian Parliament

The European legislative body that did the most in 2013 to advance corruption — by making it legal.

Read more...

Ilham Aliyev

Azerbaijani leader whose family grabbed large shares of the country's most lucrative industries, including telecoms, minerals, and construction, often through government deals.

Read more...
personoftheyear/IlhamAliyev.png
2012
2012
personoftheyear/IlhamAliyev.png

Ilham Aliyev

Azerbaijani leader whose family grabbed large shares of the country's most lucrative industries, including telecoms, minerals, and construction, often through government deals.

Read more...

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

And get our latest investigations on organized crime and corruption delivered straight to your inbox.

We need your input!👂
We’re updating our website and we would value your feedback! If you can spare 5 minutes right now to help us improve our website designs, we’d appreciate it.
👉 Leave feedback