Dec 19 2025
Reyl & Cie S.A. requested interrogations and searches at the offices and homes of three Swiss journalists who cooperated with OCCRP. The probe took place amid a wider investigation into alleged anti-money laundering weaknesses at the Geneva-headquartered private bank. There is no evidence it has filed a complaint against Reyl or taken other enforcement action. …
Dec 19 2025
Lebanese investigating judge Tarek Bitar is expected to travel to Bulgaria on Wednesday. Igor Grechushkin is a Russian-Cypriot ship operator linked to the 2020 Beirut port explosion. Bulgarian authorities have been “very cooperative,” and questioning will proceed regardless of the status of the extradition request, a source said. GrechUSHkin’s lawyer, Ekaterina Dimitrova, said the Bulgarian …
Dec 18 2025
The arrests follow a large-scale operation involving 80 coordinated raids across the country. Investigators seized smuggled cigarettes, weapons, luxury vehicles, and surveillance equipment. Last month, authorities identified more than 100 individuals believed to be involved in the broader network. The balloon smuggling activity caused Lithuania’s government toa state of emergency earlier in December, citing “national …
Dec 18 2025
Italian and Romanian authorities freeze assets worth more than 40 million euros. The assets are linked to an Italian suspect, the EU judicial cooperation agency says. The suspect may have ties to the Santapaola-Ercolano family and the Cappello Bonaccorsi clan. Authorities allege he used assets registered in his own name and those of relatives, including …
Dec 18 2025
Rosen Zhelyazkov announced his decision to step down just before parliament was scheduled to hold a no-confidence vote. His unpopular government has already survived five such votes andof corruption since coming to power at the beginning of 2025. The latest wave of protests that triggered his ouster began in November following the announcement of his …
Dec 17 2025
Nepal’s anti-graft body has filed corruption charges against Binesh Munakarmi. He is the head of the Pokhara Regional International Airport Project. The CIAA accuses him of abusing his position and amassing illegal wealth. It also accuses his wife, Purna Keshari Gosai, of holding illicit assets in her name on behalf of a family member. The …
Dec 16 2025
Hong Kong court convicts Jimmy Lai on national security charges that could send him to prison for life. Lai, 78, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, was found guilty of two counts of conspiring to collude with foreign forces. The court will sentence him at a later date, and he has the right …
Dec 16 2025
Greek authorities prepare further arrests in a major European Union farm subsidy fraud case. 15 suspects were arrested in Crete this week. Investigators have seized 33 million euros ($34.7 million) in illegally obtained subsidies. The arrests follow an October crackdown in which authorities arrested 37 members of an organized criminal group accused of defrauding the …
Dec 14 2025
12 journalists, including staff at OCCRP’s member center Meydan TV, have gone on trial in Azerbaijan. Six of the defendants are staff members of the outlet: Ramin Jabrayilzada (Deko), Aynur Ganbarova (Elgunash), Khayala Aghayeva, Aytac Ahmadova (Tapdig), Natig Javadli and Aysel Umudova. All six were arrested in December 2024 amid searches of some of their …
Dec 13 2025
Nastya, now 17, and her daughter, Melek, were recently moved into a Ukrainian mother-and-child center. They will receive housing, food and basic support, activists who have followed the case say. Nastya’s experience was a central case in an investigation published last week byand its partnersand Investigace.cz. The report detailed how hundreds of children were taken …