Bulgaria’s Golden Visas: Missed Targets and a Banking Loophole

Golden Visa programs intended to lure foreign investors to Bulgaria have had mixed results, reporters for OCCRP partner Bivol have discovered. One appears to be a flop, and both are vulnerable to a technicality that could enrich bankers, and not the country.

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OCCRP Condemns Media Raid and Police Questioning

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project condemns a raid at the offices of Botswana’s Center for Investigative Journalism (INK) and the harassment of Joel Konopo, a founding and managing partner of the center.

Joel Konopo

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Romanian Army Land Used by NATO Owned by Friends and Kin of Syrian Dictator

Land belonging to a Romanian military base used by NATO for sensitive training exercises is actually owned by influential Syrian businessmen related or connected to dictator Bashar al-Assad, a close ally of the Russian government. The unlikely landlords got ahold of the land thanks to the local abuse of laws intended to restore property confiscated by Romania’s Communist regime in the 1940s and 1950s.

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Brazil’s Monsters Come Out During Carnival

Millions fill the streets of Rio de Janeiro every February to dance the smooth samba rhythms and watch the giant floats and brightly-costumed performers celebrate the nation’s strengths and mock its shortcomings.

Beija-Flor's winning float: a rat pulling the Petrobras HQ (Photo: AFP)

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Gold for Visas

For refugees and poor migrants, travel can be terrifying, with no guarantee of a welcome at the end. For the one percent,​ ​it's a different story, as a growing number of cash-strapped countries invite them in​ ​—​ ​as long as they bring plenty of money.

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Russian Billionaire Linked to Putin and Manafort Has Shiny New Cyprus Passport

A billionaire businessman with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin has bought a Cypriot passport through a controversial scheme that allows rich investors to acquire citizenship and visa-free access to the European Union, according to documents obtained exclusively by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and The Guardian.

The flag of Cyprus, reimagined for the island country’s new investor citizens. Photo: Edin Pasovic / OCCRP

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A Murdered Journalist's Last Investigation

In late February 2018, Jan Kuciak, a young Slovak investigative journalist, was murdered by a single bullet. His fiancée was killed alongside him.

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India’s Bank of Baroda Played a Key Role in South Africa’s Gupta Scandal

India’s state-owned Bank of Baroda -- one of the country’s largest -- played a crucial role in the financial machinations of South Africa’s politically influential Gupta family, allowing them to move hundreds of millions of dollars originating in alleged dirty deals into offshore accounts, an investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Project (OCCRP) and The Hindu has found.

A man walks past the Bank of Baroda’s headquarters in Mumbai, India, May 3, 2016. Photo Reuters/Danish Siddiqui.

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Report: Russia Laundered Millions via Danske Bank Estonia

The Estonian branch of Danske Bank, Denmark’s biggest bank, closed the accounts of several companies in 2013 after realizing they had been used by a member of Vladimir Putin’s family and Russia’s intelligence service, the FSB, to launder huge amounts of money, according to a leaked report.

Danske Bank, Tallin, (By Pjotr Mahhonin, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Read more: Report: Russia Laundered Millions via Danske Bank Estonia

The Mayor of Belgrade’s Multiplying Bank Accounts

Most of us may need one or two bank accounts. But Sinisa Mali, the mayor of Belgrade, appears to have had control over 45, according to a report obtained by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Serbian investigative journalism outlet KRIK.

Sinisa Mali, the current (and likely future) mayor of Belgrade, appears to have had a lucrative time in office. Photo by OCCRP. Some rights reserved.

Read more: The Mayor of Belgrade’s Multiplying Bank Accounts