Dec 06 2025

Belgium Reportedly Detains Former EU High Official Over Alleged Fraud

Belgian authorities are said to have detained former EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Tuesday. The probe involves a suspected fraud scheme connected to the training of European diplomats. Federal Police carried out searches at the College of Europe in Bruges and at the European External Action Service (EEAS) in Brussels. Investigators are looking into allegations that the College received advance notice of the selection criteria for a nine-month training project tender conducted in 2021–2022. “There are strong suspicions that, during the tendering process for the programme, confidential information related to the ongoing procurement was shared with one of the candidates participating in the tender,” the EPPO said.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-05; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/belgium-reportedly-detains-former-eu-high-official-over-alleged-fraud

Dec 06 2025

Lithuanian Journalists Accuse Populist Party of Threatening Independence of Public Broadcaster

Proposed legislation would make it easier to fire the head of the country’s public broadcaster. The proposal was submitted last month by Remigijus Žemaitaitis, who founded Nemunas Dawn in 2023. Journalists at Lithuanian National Television and Radio began holding moments of silence on air this week. They now plan to take their protest to the streets in a public rally outside parliament in the capital, Vilnius, on November 14. The parliament is moving to fast-track the bill.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-05; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/lithuanian-journalists-accuse-populist-party-of-threatening-independence-of-public-broadcaster

Dec 06 2025

Ukraine Detains Ex-Energy Deputy in Sweeping Nuclear Power Corruption Probe

Ukrainian authorities detained a former deputy energy minister today on suspicion of embezzling funds from the state-owned nuclear power company. The move comes amid a wider corruption investigation, which has ensnared people close to President Volodymyr Zelensky who are suspected of laundering about $100 million from Energoatom, the state energy enterprise. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) did not name the official it detained, but said in a publicthat he had held his government post until July.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-05; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/ukraine-detains-ex-energy-deputy-in-sweeping-nuclear-power-corruption-probe

Dec 06 2025

Bankera Revelations Lead to Raids, Court Fight

Bankera’s founders appeared to siphon funds from investors, OCCRP and 15min revealed. Lithuanian authorities carried out more than 30 raids at companies associated with Bankera last week. Investigators are looking at possible “embezzlement of property,” according to 15min. Bankera’s founders acquired Pacific Private Bank (PPB) in Vanuatu, and moved millions of euros raised in a 2018 cryptocurrency fundraiser out of Lithuania to the Pacific island nation. PPB received a temporary reprieve this week thanks to a stay of the revocation.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-06; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/bankera-revelations-lead-to-raids-court-fight

Dec 05 2025

Drunk Texting Leads to Jail for Woman Accused of Hiding Links to Russian Intelligence

Nomma Zarubina, 34, had her bail revoked and was ordered into pre-trial detention in an emergency hearing late on December 2. She was indicted in a U.S. federal court last year for allegedly lying to the FBI about her contact with an officer from Russia’s intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB) She was later charged with transporting women for prostitution. “The audacity demonstrated by this latest violation of the defendant’s bail conditions, while a bail hearing is pending, is extraordinary,” said the prosecutor.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-05; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/drunk-texting-leads-to-jail-for-woman-accused-of-hiding-links-to-russian-intelligence

Dec 05 2025

Greek Court to Hear Case Against Aid Workers Allegedly Smuggling Migrants

More than 20 humanitarian workers are set to stand trial in Greece on migrant-smuggling and money-laundering charges. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison. The charges concern the defendants’ work with the now-defence group. The Mytilene Court of Appeals on the Greek island of Lesvos is expected to hear the case on December 4. The case depends on deeply flawed logic, Human Rights Watch said in a Wednesday . “After a years-long investigation found no new evidence,” the group said.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-05; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/greek-court-to-hear-case-against-aid-workers-allegedly-smuggling-migrants

Dec 05 2025

Scam Network Crackdown Takes Aim At Firms Behind Fraudulent Ads

Authorities in Europe and Israel have targeted companies and suspects behind fraudulent social media advertising campaigns. Coordinated actions by law enforcement in Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, and Israel in November led to two arrests and other suspects questioned. At that time, 600 million euros ($699 million) had been laundered by the network, according to Eurojust, the EU agency for criminal justice cooperation. Europol has now put the figure at 700 million euros $816 million.  Sebastian Bley, senior specialist in economic crime at Europol, told OCCRP that the targeted n

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-05; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/scam-network-crackdown-takes-aim-at-third-party-marketing-firms

Dec 05 2025

Credit Suisse Faces Swiss Charges for 2016 Mozambique Loan Scandal

Prosecutors say Credit Suisse allowed money laundering linked to Mozambique’s “tuna bonds” fraud. The fraud devastated the country’s economy in the 2010s. Prosecutors say a 2016 transfer of about $7.86 million should have triggered red flags. The bank failed to report it and later allowed most of the money to be moved to account, prosecutors say. The deficiencies enabled more than $2 billion in loans to be issued to three Mozambican state-owned companies, they say.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-05; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/credit-suisse-faces-swiss-charges-for-2016-mozambique-loan-scandal

Dec 05 2025

Italians With Alleged Mafia Ties Doing Business in Slovakia

Antonino Vadalà was convicted in October 2024 for cocaine trafficking in a criminal organisation with ties to the ‘Ndrangheta Italian mafia group. His name had come up when Slovakian investigative journalist Jan Kuciak was looking into an agricultural subsidies fraud scheme. The killings sparked nationwide protests that eventually brought down the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico. Fico was re-elected in 2023, and once again leads the government. He was never implicited in the fraud.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-12-05; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/italian-mafia-figures-doing-business-in-slovakia

Dec 05 2025

Rio Favelas Turned into War Zone as Police Raid Leaves 64 Dead

The Red Command is Brazil’s oldest criminal organization. It is involved in drug and arms trafficking, bank robberies, kidnapping, and other crimes. Its members opened fire on the 2,500 officers involved in the operation. The Alemão and Penha complexes are among Rio’s largest favelas, home to more than 90,000 residents combined.. A videocaptures the sound of hundreds of gunshots fired in less than a minute. “It started at 5 a.m. A lot of gunfire,” said Antonio Carlos Marcos, a resident of Complexo doAlemão.

Source: OCCRP, 2025-10-30; https://www.occrp.org/en/news/rio-favelas-turned-into-war-zone-as-police-raid-leaves-60-dead