The World Bank has said on Tuesday that if it is true that Lebanese officials had jumped the line  to receive the vaccine, it will suspend its COVID-19 program for the country which includes the funding of the purchase of coronavirus vaccines.

As countries all over the world are frantically trying to get hold of COVID-19 vaccines, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is warning EU governments to be “on guard” against - what it described as - very often fake offers.

Reporters Without Borders called on the international community to press Chinese authorities to immediately release seven journalists who were arrested for reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan a year ago.

The economic downturn resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to increase the number of potential human trafficking victims, with criminal groups targeting people in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in arecent report.

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc across virtually every area of the economy, and organized crime is no exception. OCCRP spoke with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts about how criminal groups are looking to supplement their income by heading online.

An investigation of over 100 whistleblower reports revealed widespread allegations of theft of  COVID-19 unemployment benefits and corruption in South Africa, according to a report released on Monday by Corruption Watch. 

Major international distributors are selling masks and other COVID-19 protective equipment across Europe made by Chinese companies linked to possible forced labor by Uighur Muslims. Some has made it into national stockpiles and government hospitals.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has rejected accusations that it covered up a report critical of Italy’s COVID-19 response, despite warnings from one of the authors that burying it could cause a “scandal of huge proportion” that would damage the agency’s credibility.

An Interpol-led operation conducted throughout 32 countries and across four continents resulted in arrests of more than 200 people belonging to criminal networks involved in the smuggling of more than 3,500 people, most of whom were migrants.

The U.K. Labor party called for “urgent clarity” over the £470 million (US$624.35 million) it found to have been doled out by the government for ten COVID-19 contracts to companies that are either listed, or have a parent company, in a tax haven, it said in a Thursday press release.

In a speech to mark International Anti-Corruption Day – December 9th, the United Nations’ most senior official said that governments must incorporate anti-corruption initiatives into their plans for recovery from the coronavirus crisis.

As the world is eagerly awaiting a vaccine to stop the spread of the coronavirus, some international agencies warn of its possible weaponization and misuse and predict that criminal networks will target storage facilities and distribution networks as soon as vaccines move closer to delivery.

Online scams are increasing globally, with €36 billion (US$42.58 billion) lost in 2019 alone,Scamadviser data warned Tuesday in its latestreport.

Twenty countries across Asia, Africa, and South America are missing out on as much as US$2.8 billion in tax revenue from Facebook, Apple, and Google alone, new research by the organization ActionAid revealed on Monday. 

OCCRP and media partners from across Europe collected over 20 billion euros’ worth of COVID-19 contracts and tenders. Explore our data interactive to learn more about what we found, from pricey masks to a hydroxychloroquine boom.

Thousands South African workers and representatives of unions staged a countrywide general strike and hit the streets on Wednesday, demanding a stronger fight against rampant corruption which they say causes “more job losses, more poverty and more unemployment.”

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s chances to get hold of US$1.95 billion in gold stored in the Bank of England rose on Monday when a U.K. appeals courtoverturned a previous High Court ruling that stated the U.K. had recognized Maduro’s rival as the country’s president.

Police in Indonesia arrested three suspected members of an international crime syndicate that tricked an Italian company into paying 3.67 million euro (US$4.33 million) for non-existent medical equipment,Interpol said Tuesday.

Measures taken by governments to restrict the spread of the coronavirus have led to more sexual abuse cases and especially “children may be at an increased risk of sexual exploitation both online and offline,”Interpol warned on Monday.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned this week that corruption in times of the COVID-19 pandemic is more than just wasted money, and that in fact it erodes the social contract and corrodes the government’s ability to help grow the economy in a way that benefits all citizens.