2018

Kazakh Who Allegedly Laundered Money Through Trump Tower Ordered to Pay Bank Back

25 Aug

Events and opinions

1280

Kazakh Who Allegedly Laundered Money Through Trump Tower Ordered to Pay Bank Back

A British high court ruled Thursday that Ilyas Khrapunov, the son of the former mayor of the Kazakh city of Almaty, conspired with the former chairman of the Kazakh bank BTA to swindle over $6 billion... read more..

Kremlin ‘sleeper agents’ in Poland and Ukraine: report

23 Aug

Events and opinions

1590

Kremlin ‘sleeper agents’ in Poland and Ukraine: report

Pro-Russian sentiments play a key role in today's reality, Ukraine’s Antikor anticorruption portal has said in its report into the Ukrainian head of a Polish NGO who was recently expelled from the Sch... read more..

Do Central Asian leaders use ISIL threats for political gain?

22 Aug

Events and opinions

1326

Do Central Asian leaders use ISIL threats for political gain?

Analysts say opposition is purged in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan whenever there is a perceived threat. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) last month claim... read more..

13 Aug

Events and opinions

1278

Xi Jinping’s Path for China

Since assuming power, Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken many steps to reshape his country, de-emphasizing growth to build a more sustainable economy and engaging in more proactive diplomacy. He h... read more..

From Cork with love: Kazakh hotelier routes €228m to Russia through Irish firms

13 Aug

Corruption!

1657

From Cork with love: Kazakh hotelier routes €228m to Russia through Irish firms

Hotelier’s transactions via Cork highlight how oligarchs funnel millions through Irish companies to Russia Three Cork-based companies were used by a Kazakh billionaire to route €228m to Moscow to p... read more..

New evidence emerges of China forcing Muslims into ‘reeducation’ camps

12 Aug

Events and opinions

1306

New evidence emerges of China forcing Muslims into ‘reeducation’ camps

First-of-its-kind courtroom testimony here has corroborated allegations that the Chinese government has built a network of internment camps in western China where Muslim minorities are held without read more..

Cyprus Records Shed Light on Libya's Hidden Millions

29 Jul

Corruption!

1435

Cyprus Records Shed Light on Libya's Hidden Millions

Newly leaked records from Cyprus show how a Gaddafi-era procurement official who stole millions from his country's government used offshore companies and multiple bank accounts to channel and launder ... read more..

29 Jul

Corruption!

1453

Corruption Case Begins Against Kazakh Couple That Allegedly Laundered Money Through Trump Tower

On Thursday, a court in Kazakhstan launched preliminary hearings of a corruption case against the former mayor of the Kazakh city of Almaty, Viktor Khrapunov, and his wife Leila Khrapunova, a couple w... read more..

China’s Policies Spur Central Asians To Cautiously Chart Independent Course – Analysis

28 Jul

Events and opinions

1494

China’s Policies Spur Central Asians To Cautiously Chart Independent Course – Analysis

China’s brutal crackdown in its north-western province of Xinjiang and growing questions about the dark side of some of its Belt and Road investments is fuelling anti-Chinese sentiment, prompting some... read more..

28 Jul

Corruption!

1382

Corruption Trial Against Former Almaty Mayor Opens In Kazakhstan

A court in Kazakhstan opened preliminary hearings in the case against former Almaty Mayor Viktor Khrapunov and his wife, Leila Kharpunova, on July 26. The two, who are living in Switzerland, have read more..

They Won’t Back Down: Kazakhstan’s Feisty Newspaper

27 Jul

Events and opinions

1372

They Won’t Back Down: Kazakhstan’s Feisty Newspaper

Three years after recovering from an attempt on his life, journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov ditched his day job and began running a business. But he soon felt the itch to return. “I discovered that in... read more..

26 Jul

Corruption!

1362

Ten Ways Washington Can Confront Global Corruption

In 2018, public anger and legal action over corruption have toppled political leaders in Malaysia, Peru, Slovakia, South Africa, and other countries. This is an acceleration of a documented trend: ... read more..

Revealed: UK's Head of 'Tax Simplification' Is Helping Set Up a Tax Haven

25 Jul

Corruption!

1335

Revealed: UK's Head of 'Tax Simplification' Is Helping Set Up a Tax Haven

A government tax adviser and one of Theresa May's "business ambassadors" are helping to create a tax haven in Kazakhstan. Chancellor Phillip Hammond's adviser on "tax simplification" is helpi... read more..

South York II: Building work begins on the site of Prince Andrew and Fergie's demolished mansion - 11 years after he sold Queen's wedding gift to Kazakh billionaire for £15million

22 Jul

Corruption!

1557

South York II: Building work begins on the site of Prince Andrew and Fergie's demolished mansion - 11 years after he sold Queen's wedding gift to Kazakh billionaire for £15million

The £15million mansion handed to Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson by the Queen as a wedding gift is finally being rebuilt almost three years after it was razed to the ground by a Kazakh billionaire. ... read more..

20 Jul

Corruption!

1870

The Case of the Khrapunovs

International institutions fail to measure up to the task of tackling globalized financial crime. The subject of lawsuits in the United Kingdom and the United States, former Mayor of Almaty Vikto read more..

Chinese 'reeducation camps' in spotlight at Kazakh trial

17 Jul

Events and opinions

1276

Chinese 'reeducation camps' in spotlight at Kazakh trial

Secretive "re-education camps" allegedly holding hundreds of thousands of people in a Muslim-majority region in western China are the focus of an explosive court case in Kazakhstan, testing the countr... read more..

Revival of Pan-Turkism in Kazakhstan Threatens Pillars of Eurasian Union

17 Jul

Events and opinions

1308

Revival of Pan-Turkism in Kazakhstan Threatens Pillars of Eurasian Union

The term “pan-Turkism,” which carried a similarly ominous meaning as “enemy of the people” under Joseph Stalin and his Soviet successors, has become a strong component of Kazakhs’ search for national ... read more..

Surveillance fears cloud China's 'Digital Silk Road'

17 Jul

Events and opinions

1252

Surveillance fears cloud China's 'Digital Silk Road'

A major element of China's continent-spanning Belt and Road Initiative has nothing to do with roads, ports or power plants. Rather, the "Digital Silk Road" aims to construct communications networks ac... read more..

16 Jul

Corruption!

1259

Kenya, Swiss sign deal to recover corruption loot

The fight against corruption went a notch higher on Monday following the signing of an agreement that clears the way for the recovery of assets acquired through graft and stashed in foreign countrie read more..

Xinjiang: Pan-Turkism Fuels China’s Hearts-And-Minds Campaign – Analysis

16 Jul

Events and opinions

1241

Xinjiang: Pan-Turkism Fuels China’s Hearts-And-Minds Campaign – Analysis

Chinese efforts to woo Saudi Arabia’s ethnic Chinese community highlight the People’s Republic’s effort to avert criticism from the Muslim world of its crackdown in the north-western province of Xinji... read more..

Modernising authoritarianism in Uzbekistan

10 Jul

Events and opinions

1219

Modernising authoritarianism in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s so-called “spring” is more about upgrading this Central Asian state than providing political freedoms. Seventy kilometres south of Tashkent, Pengsheng Industrial Park is the biggest no... read more..

Calls For Protests Against Kazakh 'Dictatorship' Fall Flat In Astana, Almaty

08 Jul

Special projects

3685

Calls For Protests Against Kazakh 'Dictatorship' Fall Flat In Astana, Almaty

Calls for protests against Kazakhstan's authoritarian ruler by an exiled opposition leader on the 20th anniversary celebrations of Astana's establishment as the Kazakh capital appear to have fallen fl... read more..

Seeking Belt buckle role, Kazakhstan launches China-backed financial hub

05 Jul

Economy

1819

Seeking Belt buckle role, Kazakhstan launches China-backed financial hub

Seeking to attract more foreign investment from its prime position in China's huge Belt and Road trade project, Kazakhstan launched a new financial hub on Thursday which has already secured the backin... read more..

Kazakhstan Opens Astana International Financial Center In Hopes To Become Eurasian Finance Hub

05 Jul

Events and opinions

1309

Kazakhstan Opens Astana International Financial Center In Hopes To Become Eurasian Finance Hub

At first glance, Kazakhstan’s new financial center is an exercise in ambition. Built out of the infrastructure of a futuristic, Epcot Center-like World Expo venue, the Astana International Financial C... read more..

Malaysian police to question Najib and wife after seizing up to $275 million from homes

28 Jun

Corruption!

1377

Malaysian police to question Najib and wife after seizing up to $275 million from homes

Malaysian police said on Wednesday they would soon question former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife after finding nearly $275 million (208.29 million pounds) worth of jewellery, handbags, watch... read more..

The winding money trail from Kazakhstan to Trump SoHo

28 Jun

Corruption!

1463

The winding money trail from Kazakhstan to Trump SoHo

A collaborative investigation has found the specific offshore companies used to route into a Trump-branded property more than $3 million linked to a massive fraud case in Kazakhstan. The discovery ... read more..

Analysis: Why All The Worry In Kazakhstan?

28 Jun

Events and opinions

1513

Analysis: Why All The Worry In Kazakhstan?

Any Kazakh official with a microphone in front of them would say President Nursultan Nazarbaev enjoys widespread popularity. They are not wrong. Most Kazakhs appear to support the first and only pr... read more..

Steppe to Soho: How Millions Linked to Kazakhstan Mega-Fraud Case Ended up in Trump Property

25 Jun

Corruption!

1514

Steppe to Soho: How Millions Linked to Kazakhstan Mega-Fraud Case Ended up in Trump Property

For years, journalists — and reportedly even federal investigators — have pored over U.S. President Donald Trump’s business deals for signs that criminals and their dirty money may have entered his or... read more..

Kyrgyz Court OKs Extradition Of Kazakh Activist Despite 'Risk Of Torture'

25 Jun

Events and opinions

1243

Kyrgyz Court OKs Extradition Of Kazakh Activist Despite 'Risk Of Torture'

A court in Kyrgyzstan has upheld a decision to extradite a Kazakh opposition activist to his homeland despite concerns by human rights activists that he could face torture and ill-treatment if returne... read more..

Even the Ghost of a Possible Protest Spooks Kazakhstan

25 Jun

Events and opinions

1324

Even the Ghost of a Possible Protest Spooks Kazakhstan

Dozens of people were detained across Kazakhstan on June 23 as Astana sought to abort a planned protest called for by the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK), an opposition party banned as an extrem... read more..

Monthly Archive