IMPACT: Nearly six years after OCCRP first exposed the Milton Group fraudulent call center network, a German court has sentenced a key operator to seven and a half years in prison for his role in the multi-million-euro scam: buff.ly/unfNoDy

On the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the U.K. has sanctioned Georgian channels Imedi TV and PosTV for allegedly spreading false information about Ukraine and its leadership. www.occrp.org/en/news/uk-s...

Former Mayor Arrested in Georgia Over Hotel Permit Issued to Wife’s Company www.occrp.org/en/news/form...

British authorities allege that Alexander Kuksov, a Russian with Maltese citizenship, was part of a major money laundering operation. His brother was convicted for his role in the same network. www.occrp.org/en/news/russ...

Proposed amendments would require government approval for most foreign funding and impose criminal penalties, raising fears of a crackdown on independent civil society and journalism. www.occrp.org/en/news/geor...

Amid reports of Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers evading sanctions, maritime data analyzed by iFact shows vessels hiding their movements across the Black Sea before appearing in Georgian waters. www.occrp.org/en/news/secr...

The European Court of Human Rights ruled that criminal cases against investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova were aimed at punishing her journalism, ordering Baku to pay damages. www.occrp.org/en/news/euro...

"The government has the guns. But the people? They have nothing left to lose.” OCCRP investigative journalist Mahtab Divsalar explains the corruption that led to Iran’s deadly protests. #Iran #IranProtests #corruption

The conviction marks the second time a former German MP has been found guilty of bribery charges stemming from OCCRP’s reporting on the Azerbaijani Laundromat money laundering and influence-peddling scheme. www.occrp.org/en/news/form...

The extortion claims have surfaced during a rare window of connectivity in an otherwise total communications blackout, adding to harrowing accounts of a crackdown on anti-government protests that has left thousands dead. www.occrp.org/en/news/iran...

Georgian security services are investigating an alleged “cyberattack” on a government website after journalists reported on a publicly posted decree containing confidential details about gas purchases from Russia’s Gazprom. www.occrp.org/en/news/geor...

The latest sanctions package also includes measures targeting financial networks accused of moving Iranian oil revenues through front companies abroad.

Last week we and MeydanTV published this story about an Azerbaijani football stadium contract that was awarded to a company linked to President Aliyev’s family. No officials ever responded to our requests for comment. Then, after we published, the data in the public procurement portal changed. 👇

OCCRP Website Hit by Sophisticated DDoS Attack www.occrp.org/en/news/occr...

🚨OCCRP Job Alert🚨 Are you an experienced analyst and writer able to produce high-caliber content for a professional audience? OCCRP Pro is looking for a freelance Senior Analyst to synthesize complex information into clear, actionable insights. Apply now:

🚨OCCRP Job Alert🚨 Are you an experienced analyst and writer able to produce high-caliber content for a professional audience? OCCRP Pro is looking for a freelance Senior Analyst to synthesize complex information into clear, actionable insights. Apply now:

From Tehran’s squares to quiet provincial towns, Iranians of all ages have taken to the streets as economic hardship fuels unprecedented nationwide unrest and a harsh state crackdown. www.occrp.org/en/news/doze...

While President Ilham Aliyev has publicly criticized corruption among state officials, the Ministry of Youth and Sports awarded a $36 million contract to a company owned by members of his family. www.occrp.org/en/news/azer...

Azerbaijan puts 12 journalists on trial, incl. six from Meydan TV, @occrp.org's member center, accused of financial crimes they deny. @rsf.org calls the case a “textbook example of judicial harassment.” Up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

Land records reveal a 33.7 million pounds London mansion owned by sanctioned Iranian banker Ali Ansari, accused of aiding the IRGC. www.occrp.org/en/news/sanc...

UK accuses Iranian banker of funding Revolutionary Guard, imposing an asset freeze and travel ban against him. www.occrp.org/en/news/uk-s...

Kyrgyzstan requested a Red Notice for Rinat Tuhvatshin, co-founder of Kloop, in an apparent attempt to silence him abroad. The government has been cracking down on all independent media critical of its actions. www.occrp.org/en/news/inte...

House arrest ordered for former Azerbaijani presidential chief of staff on treason, attempted coup, and money laundering charges. www.occrp.org/en/news/azer...

Rza Talibov sold off assets in 2023 during a crackdown on his father’s oppressive administration in Nakhchivan, an autonomous region of Azerbaijan. Now, he’s re-taken control of a luxury hotel, along with another property on Georgia's Black Sea coast. www.occrp.org/en/news/excl...

🚨 An Israeli man dubbed “The Tinder Swindler” in a 2022 Netflix documentary has been detained in Georgia at Interpol’s request, after Germany accused him of conning a woman out of nearly €44,000. His lawyer told @occrp.org he denies the allegation.

Juansher Burchuladze is alleged to have directed an embezzlement scheme, and used stolen funds to buy property in Spain. Through his lawyer, he denied the allegations. www.occrp.org/en/news/geor...

A veteran journalist thought she survived the siege of Sarajevo unscathed — but in recent weeks, horrific stories emerging from the war in Gaza reignited her long-buried trauma. www.occrp.org/en/feature/t...

Seven years ago today, OCCRP, Berlingske, and international partners exposed the Azerbaijani Laundromat — a $2.9bn money-laundering operation and slush fund run by Azerbaijan's elite. From bank shutdowns to arrests and jail time, here's what's happened since:

According to @rsf.org data, 220 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip in less than 23 months. Today, OCCRP is joining an international media blackout campaign, organized by RSF and @avaaz.org, calling for the protection of Palestinian journalists in Gaza.

Prosecutors in Georgia launched a criminal probe into seven NGOs, freezing their bank accounts over alleged “sabotage” tied to anti-government protests. www.occrp.org/en/news/ngo-...

Scam Empire is a finalist for the @journalists.org’s #OJA in the Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism category. Our cross-border investigation with ‪SVT + 30 partners exposed a global scam network that stole millions from victims. More about the project www.occrp.org/en/project/s...

Foreign embassies and media advocates condemned Mzia Amaghlobeli’s sentencing, after a Georgian court jailed the veteran journalist. www.occrp.org/en/news/outc...

Senior imam Kazem Sedighi had faced mounting pressure to step down since his relatives were arrested in early June, in the wake of a 2024 media report alleging that the cleric and his family were involved in a corrupt land transfer deal. www.occrp.org/en/news/top-...

A British solicitor was sanctioned for breaching anti-money laundering rules related to funds from the children of Azerbaijan's former security minister, including a transfer earmarked for the purchase of U.K. property now held via an offshore structure. www.occrp.org/en/news/uk-l...

A German court has convicted a former Bundestag lawmaker of bribing officials on behalf of Azerbaijan, sentencing him to a suspended prison term in a major ruling tied to the Azerbaijani Laundromat corruption scandal. www.occrp.org/en/news/germ...

🔒⚖️ Yesterday, Georgian authorities froze the bank accounts of news organization @netgazeti.org over a tax debt. The outlet says it is being pressured as its founder Mzia Amaghlobeli stands trial on charges that she calls retaliation for her work. More details via @occrp.org👇

🚨 BREAKING: Azerbaijan jails journalists from Abzas Media and RFE/RL's Azerbaijani service in trial condemned as a ‘sham’ 🗣️ @amnesty.org's Marie Struthers: “Azerbaijan's judicial system is being weaponized to muzzle independent journalism.” More details via @occrp.org👇

The Azerbaijani government’s relentless crackdown on journalists has eradicated any semblance of independent media from the country. Here’s how smuggling charges, harsh prison conditions, and pro-government attack dogs are strangling press freedom 👇 www.occrp.org/en/feature/t...

“𝗪𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿.” Several Georgian independent media and civil society groups have vowed to defy a new foreign agents law, warning it will be used to silence dissent. Some are taking the fight to court. More details via @occrp.org👇

A former German lawmaker has said that an indictment against him in the #AzerbaijaniLaundromat trial is correct — but later told journalists that he was innocent as he didn’t consider payments from Azerbaijan’s government to be bribes. www.occrp.org/en/news/form...

The #BakuConnection project by @forbidden-stories.bsky.social , OCCRP, Abzas Media and 13 partners has received the Special Award at this year’s European Press Prize. It continued the work of jailed Abzas reporters, exposing abuses by the Aliyev regime. www.europeanpressprize.com/article/the-...

EXCLUSIVE: A tanker ship just sanctioned by the U.K. for shipping oil on Russia’s behalf is owned by the Azerbaijani government, corporate docs show. @zakavkaza of @FPRI said the move is a “clear warning shot” for the Aliyev government. www.occrp.org/en/news/excl...

NEW: Despite a criminal probe in Georgia, call center from our #ScamEmpire investigation appears to be back. According to newly obtained records, the scammers have continued making calls using a VoIP service that allows them to disguise their country of origin. www.occrp.org/en/project/s...

🇬🇧 The UK has sanctioned two influential Georgian judges for allegedly “abusing their position” to favour Georgia's ruling party. One of them has denied the allegations, calling the decision politically motivated. More details via @occrp.org👇

🇬🇪 Georgia’s ruling party is pushing a bill modelled on the U.S. FARA, sparking fears it will be used to suppress civil society and media in an increasingly authoritarian crackdown. 🔎 More details via @occrp.org 👇

Georgia Freezes NGO Bank Accounts, Accuses Them of “Sabotage” Linked to Mass Protests occrp.org/en/news/geor... via @occrp.org

Azerbaijan Escalates Crackdown on Civil Society, Arrests NGO Figures, Targets Exiled Activists occrp.org/en/news/azer... via @occrp.org

#ScamEmpire: Georgia Freezes Assets of Top Scammers in Massive Call Center Fraud www.occrp.org/en/news/geor... via @occrp.org

Georgian Court Adds 9 Years to Ex-President’s Sentence occrp.org/en/news/geor... via @occrp.org

#ScamEmpire: Georgia Launches Criminal Probe Into Scam Call Center Exposed by Journalists