News

A Corporate Battle in London Threatens the Last Independent News Outlets in Serbia

Dragan Šolak, the former chairman of United Group, and Viktorija Boklag, its former CEO, initiated legal proceedings to halt the sale of the group’s media business. The two minority shareholders accused BC Partners of negotiating the sale behind closed doors, completely bypassing their contractual right to consent. According to their claim, negotiations are at an advanced stage, with a draft agreement already prepared to sell 100 percent of the shares in Adria News to European Future Media Investments.

Source: OCCRP, 2026-05-28; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/a-corporate-battle-in-london-threatens-the-last-independent-news-outlets-in-serbia

UK Targets Russian Crypto Sanctions Evasion Network

The measures took effect immediately and include companies and individuals linked to Russia’s financial sector. The sanctions focus partly on the A7 network, which the U.K. described as a Kremlin-backed system designed to bypass Western sanctions. According to the British government, the network claimed to have moved more than $90 billion last year, an amount it said was roughly equal to half of Russia’s annual military spending. The designation list names several c banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, and individuals accused of helping Russia evade Western restrictions.

Source: OCCRP, 2026-05-28; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/uk-targets-russian-crypto-sanctions-evasion-network

UK Eases Sanctions on Russian Oil and LNG Imports

The U.K. government has rolled back some of its restrictions on Russian energy. New licenses permit the import of certain refined oil products and the maritime transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG) This specific exemption is time-limited and will expire on January 1, 2027. British lawmakers are targeting Kyrgyzstan’s central bank and financial regulators for enabling Moscow to bypass Western sanctions. They are accusing them of enabling the Kremlin to bypass the European Union and the United States.

Source: OCCRP, 2026-05-25; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/uk-eases-sanctions-on-russian-oil-and-lng-imports

EU Prosecutor Investigates €3.5 Million Farm Subsidy Fraud in Romania

The probe centers on an authorized consultant suspected of submitting false and inaccurate documents for 237 funding applications. While the total value of the requested funding amounted to approximately 5.7 million euros, the EPPO estimates the actual damage to the EU budget at roughly 3.5 million euros. The funding was requested from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, a program designed to support the establishment of young farmers and the development of small farms. Three other individuals have been indicted and placed under judicial control.

Source: OCCRP, 2026-05-25; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/eu-prosecutor-investigates-eur35-million-farm-subsidy-fraud-in-romania

Syrian Authorities Seize 25 Million Captagon Pills in Major Port Bust

The drugs were discovered concealed inside a shipment of clay pots at an undisclosed Syrian port, bound for international export. Law enforcement successfully dismantled the trafficking cell, arresting the operation’s ringleader along with seven other suspects. Following the bust, Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab praised the effort on , calling it one of the “largest operations of its kind” and declaring that “Syria will neither be a transit route nor a safe haven for these poisons” The former lawmaker was stripped of his immunity and jailed to serve a 13-year sentence for criminal association and money.

Source: OCCRP, 2026-05-25; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/syrian-authorities-seize-25-million-captagon-pills-in-major-port-bust

Amnesty International: Indonesia Is Using Online Disinformation Campaigns to Brand Critics as ‘Foreign Agents’

State and state-aligned actors have launched coordinated disinformation attacks targeting critics, Amnesty International said in a new report. The watchdog noted that Prabowo’s presidency deepens a repressive trajectory that first gathered pace under his predecessor, President Jokowi. According to the report, state officials routinely weaponize the ‘foreign agent’ trope to suppress dissent, discredit critics, and shield themselves from scrutiny. Whether deployed through public rhetoric or coordinated online campaigns, these allegations serve to delegitimize civil s

Source: OCCRP, 2026-05-25; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/amnesty-international-indonesia-is-using-online-disinformation-campaigns-to-brand-critics-as-foreign-agents

EU Broadens Iran Sanctions Over Middle East Maritime Disruptions

The EU widened its sanctions regime against Iran to target individuals and entities involved in Tehran’s actions disrupting navigation in the Middle East, the European Council said on Friday. Under the new measures, EU citizens and businesses are prohibited from providing funds, financial assets, or economic resources to designated individuals or entities. The updated framework will allow the bloc to introduce restrictive measures, such as travel bans through EU territories and asset freezes, against those linked to Iran’s actions “threatening the freedom of navigation” in the region.

Source: OCCRP, 2026-05-25; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/eu-broadens-iran-sanctions-over-middle-east-maritime-disruptions

A UK Lawmaker Urges Investigation After Sierra Leone’s First Lady Admits Continued Use of Subsidized Housing

Fatima Bio, the wife of Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, has held onto a taxpayer-subsidized apartment in South London. Member of Parliament for Bermondsey and Old Southwark Neil Coyle said that he had asked Southwark Council to investigate the use of the property. Council homes in the United Kingdom are specifically designed to provide below-market rents for individuals with limited housing options, where eligibility is typically conditioned by low income and limited savings. Speaking to OCCRP, Member of. Parliament forBermondsey.

Source: OCCRP, 2026-05-25; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/a-uk-lawmaker-urges-investigation-after-sierra-leones-first-lady-admits-continued-use-of-subsidized-housing

Russian Woman with FSB Ties Claims CIA Cooperation

Nomma Zarubina admitted to lying to the FBI in 2021 about her connections to Russia’s top domestic security and counterintelligence agency, FSB. She also admitted to deceiving immigration authorities about her role in a New York-area prostitution ring. A transcript of that hearing, made public on the court docket this week, has peeled back the curtain on a far more bizarre geopolitical drama. The revelation occurred when a judge asked her if she had been confused when she lied to federal agents about her Russian intelligence connections.

Source: OCCRP, 2026-05-25; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/russian-woman-with-fsb-ties-claims-cia-cooperation

Prosecutors Decline To Investigate Claims OCCRP Violated Swiss Banking Secrecy Laws

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. Reyl did not respond to a request for comment before publication. Under Switzerland’s banking secrecy laws, a criminal complaint can only be filed if a person is found guilty of a crime.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-18; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/prosecutors-decline-to-investigate-claims-occrp-violated-swiss-banking-secrecy-laws

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