News – Page 2

Lebanese Judge to Question Beirut Blast Suspect in Bulgaria

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 court refused Lebanon’S extradition request on December 10.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-18; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/lebanese-judge-to-question-beirut-blast-suspect-in-bulgaria

Lithuania Arrests 21 in Hot-Air Balloon Cigarette Smuggling Crackdown

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 security concerns” as well as continue to continue the operation. The smuggling network “may have directly maintained contacts with accomplices operating in the Republic of Belarus,” prosecutors say.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-18; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/lithuania-arrests-21-in-hot-air-balloon-cigarette-smuggling-crackdown

Italy and Romania Freeze Assets Linked to Alleged Mafia Groups

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 betting and online gaming licenses and shops in the Italian provinces of Catania and Syracuse, to launder funds. Some of the assets were purchased in Romania, requiring coordinated action by authorities.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-18; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/italy-and-romania-freeze-assets-linked-to-alleged-mafia-groups

Anti-Corruption Protests Force Bulgaria’s PM to Resign

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 government’s 2026 budget. The protests caused his government to withdraw the budget, but they continued for more than two weeks until he announced he would step down.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-18; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/anti-corruption-protests-force-bulgarias-pm-to-resign

Nepal Charges Airport Project Chief with $172K Corruption

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 commission said it could not substantiate the source of the funds, seen by OCCRP.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-17; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/nepal-charges-airport-project-chief-with-172k-corruption

Hong Kong Upholds National Security Law in Jimmy Lai Verdict

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 to appeal. Prosecutors accused Lai of using his newspaper, overseas media appearances and contacts with foreign politicians to campaign for sanctions against Hong Kong and China after the 2019 pro-democracy protests.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-16; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/hong-kong-upholds-national-security-law-in-jimmy-lai-verdict

Greek Authorities Prepare More Arrests in EU Farm Subsidy Fraud Case

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 EU’s agricultural subsidy system of more than 19.6 million euros. The group, active since at least 2018, exploited loopholes in the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, prosecutors say.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-16; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/greek-authorities-prepare-more-arrests-in-eu-farm-subsidy-fraud-case

Trial of Meydan TV Journalists Begins in Azerbaijan A Year After Arrests

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 homes.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-13; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/trial-of-meydan-tv-journalists-begins-in-azerbaijan-a-year-after-arrests

Ukrainian Teen Reunited With Baby After Yearlong Separation in Turkey Evacuation Scandal

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 to Turkish hotels under “Childhood Without War,” a mass evacuation program organized by businessman Ruslan Shostak.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-13; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/ukrainian-teen-reunited-with-baby-after-yearlong-separation-in-turkey-evacuation-scandal

Ukraine Probes Bail Money in ‘Operation Midas’ Case

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) paid tens of millions of hryvnias in bail for five suspects in “Operation Midas” Investigators want to know whether any of the money came from the same “back office’ that allegedly laundered kickbacks and other illicit proceeds. Operation Midas is a 15-month-long probe into an alleged kickback network at state-owned Energoatom, where “shadow managers” and officials are accused ofsuppliers to pay 10–15 percent bribes.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-13; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/ukraine-probes-bail-money-in-operation-midas-case

Archives