Ed Siddons
LightNews LightNews
edsiddons.bsky.social
Ed Siddons
@edsiddons.bsky.social
350 followers 430 following 48 posts
Investigative reporter at TBIJ covering dirty money, the City of London, and transnational corruption.

Stories for: Guardian, 1843, Sunday Times, Observer, BBC Panorama, C4 Dispatches, Times, etc.

Read my work: https://edsiddons.me/
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
edsiddons.bsky.social
Ed Siddons @edsiddons.bsky.social · Apr 17
NEW: Queen Elizabeth’s private solicitor spent eight years helping to manage the offshore wealth of an alleged war criminal, Rifaat Al-Assad, the "butcher of Hama" and uncle of Bashar.

Via @tbij.bsky.social & @theguardian.com

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
Queen’s lawyer helped manage millions for Rifaat al-Assad, uncle of…
Mark Bridges worked for ‘butcher of Hama’ while advising the British monarch
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
Reposted by Ed Siddons
taxwatch.bsky.social
What gets measured gets done.

Why we need to end Whitehall secrecy on offshore secrecy...
November 5, 2025 at 3:12 PM
edsiddons.bsky.social
NEW: HMRC has figures on how much tax it suspects is lost offshore – but it won't disclose them.

Story here led by @simonlock.bsky.social featuring @taxwatch.bsky.social

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
HMRC won't admit how much tax is lost offshore
The taxman has the numbers needed to estimate how much cash is lost to overseas havens – but it isn't sharing the details
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:51 PM
edsiddons.bsky.social
Extraordinary piece from a Bureau colleague – speaking to 100 indigenous leaders about whether any meaningful progress has been made through a decade of promises. Deeply reported and beautifully told:

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
Why aren’t we listening to Indigenous people about the climate crisis?
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
October 28, 2025 at 10:31 AM
edsiddons.bsky.social
NEW: Libel lawyers Carter-Ruck sought to – in their own words – "silence" a police fraud investigator on behalf of OneCoin, a $4bn crypto scam.

The latest on Carter-Ruck's reckoning by me and @simonlock.bsky.social for @tbij.bsky.social

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
City lawyers tried to ‘silence’ police fraud investigator
Carter-Ruck launched campaign against London detective on behalf of $4bn crypto scam, according to court documents
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
October 7, 2025 at 10:03 AM
edsiddons.bsky.social
NEW: Explosive documents revealed in an ongoing case against Carter-Ruck partner Claire Gill have pulled back the curtain on London’s reputation management industry.

There’s more to come, but for now, have a read: www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
‘Send a clear message’: Carter-Ruck’s dirty tactics on behalf of $4bn…
Stunning new documents lay bare law firm’s attempts to silence whistleblowers and cast doubt on police probe
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:58 PM
edsiddons.bsky.social
And how many thousands of hours and hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent defending this, I wonder?

www.theguardian.com/media/2025/a...
Noel Clarke loses libel case against Guardian over sexual misconduct investigation
High court rejects actor’s claim that accusations against him by more than 20 women were false and part of a conspiracy
www.theguardian.com
August 22, 2025 at 9:40 AM
edsiddons.bsky.social
NEW: HMRC has charged its first company under a landmark new offence brought in eight years ago.

We previously reported on the lack of any charges back in January of last year – and now, HMRC claims its first prosecution.

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
HMRC charges Bennett Verby as first company under tax evasion powers
Stockport accountancy firm becomes first to be charged under law brought in eight years ago
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
August 7, 2025 at 2:23 PM
edsiddons.bsky.social
NEW: The legal regulator has announced that it is prosecuting a senior lawyer at libel firm Carter-Ruck for an “improper” threat to sue.

The complaint to the regulator was filed after our @tbij.bsky.social & @economist.com longread on the firm.

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
Carter-Ruck partner prosecuted for ‘improper’ threat to sue
Claire Gill understood to be facing tribunal over letter attempting to silence victim of a huge fraud scheme, as reported by TBIJ
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
August 6, 2025 at 4:50 PM
edsiddons.bsky.social
NEW: Anduril, a weapons tech company, launched a behind-the-scenes lobbying blitz in the UK – and it’s already paying off in the millions.

New @tbij.bsky.social piece, led by @niamhmcintyre.bsky.social, out now with @politico.com

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
Anduril’s lobbying blitz: AI arms company trains its sights on UK
The ‘defence disruptor’ has launched a charm offensive in Westminster – and it’s already paying off in the millions
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
July 23, 2025 at 4:33 PM
edsiddons.bsky.social
Oh.

www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
The Biden Official Who Doesn’t Oppose Trump’s Student Deportations
Why the Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt blames universities for “opening the door” to the Trump Administration’s professed campaign to tackle antisemitism.
www.newyorker.com
April 22, 2025 at 9:45 PM
edsiddons.bsky.social
“The cell adjoining Amira’s held prisoners from Gaza, whose torture was unending. He could hear them screaming through the walls. One day he caught himself pleading with a bird that settled on a window ledge, begging it ‘not to leave, to stay and speak to me.’”

harpers.org/archive/2025...
After Nonviolence, by Ben Ehrenreich
The end of peaceful resistance in Palestine
harpers.org
April 20, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Reposted by Ed Siddons
edsiddons.bsky.social
NEW: Queen Elizabeth’s private solicitor spent eight years helping to manage the offshore wealth of an alleged war criminal, Rifaat Al-Assad, the "butcher of Hama" and uncle of Bashar.

Via @tbij.bsky.social & @theguardian.com

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
Queen’s lawyer helped manage millions for Rifaat al-Assad, uncle of…
Mark Bridges worked for ‘butcher of Hama’ while advising the British monarch
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
April 17, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Reposted by Ed Siddons
simonlock.bsky.social
Latest investigation from my esteemed colleague @edsiddons.bsky.social - give it a read...
edsiddons.bsky.social Ed Siddons @edsiddons.bsky.social · Apr 17
NEW: Queen Elizabeth’s private solicitor spent eight years helping to manage the offshore wealth of an alleged war criminal, Rifaat Al-Assad, the "butcher of Hama" and uncle of Bashar.

Via @tbij.bsky.social & @theguardian.com

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
Queen’s lawyer helped manage millions for Rifaat al-Assad, uncle of…
Mark Bridges worked for ‘butcher of Hama’ while advising the British monarch
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
April 17, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Reposted by Ed Siddons
tbij.bsky.social
🚨 Queen Elizabeth’s private solicitor spent eight years helping to manage the offshore wealth of the “butcher of Hama” – an uncle of former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad who has repeatedly been accused of war crimes
Queen’s lawyer helped manage millions for Rifaat al-Assad, uncle of…
Mark Bridges worked for ‘butcher of Hama’ while advising the British monarch
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
April 17, 2025 at 1:13 PM
edsiddons.bsky.social
NEW: Queen Elizabeth’s private solicitor spent eight years helping to manage the offshore wealth of an alleged war criminal, Rifaat Al-Assad, the "butcher of Hama" and uncle of Bashar.

Via @tbij.bsky.social & @theguardian.com

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
Queen’s lawyer helped manage millions for Rifaat al-Assad, uncle of…
Mark Bridges worked for ‘butcher of Hama’ while advising the British monarch
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
April 17, 2025 at 1:21 PM
edsiddons.bsky.social
NEW: Prosecutions of people who enable tax evasion have plummeted in recent years – worse still, HMRC gave Parliament inaccurate figures when questioned on this two years ago, sparking anger in the Lords.

Via @tbij.bsky.social & in tomorrow's Observer:

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
HMRC prosecutes less than five tax evasion enablers in a year
Legal actions against facilitators stand at next to nothing – and new figures differ wildly from those previously given
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
March 29, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Ed Siddons
mccrum.bsky.social
Discreet Law "took steps to verify the information provided by its client and carried out independent research."

The solution here is for libel courts to adopt the same standard of proof as the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
picornell.bsky.social Isabel Picornell @picornell.bsky.social · Jan 28
"The SRA spent two years ‘investigating’ how Prigozhin tried to use British law to silence a journalist. Astonishingly, in a four page assessment now seen by this newsletter, the regulator finally ruled that Discreet Law “acted appropriately” in representing the sanctioned Wagner leader"
eliothiggins.bsky.social Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · Jan 28
Update on Yvegeny Prigozhin's legal case against me - UK law firm that acted for Putin’s warlord Prigozhin 'broke no rules'
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/uk-law-fir...
March 25, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Ed Siddons
oldpete45.bsky.social
New from @conplnk.bsky.social, myself, and @beaudonelly.bsky.social on Bellingcat’s Financial Investigations Team in collaboration with @johnmooneyirl.bsky.social / @thetimes.com
bellingcat.com Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · Mar 23
A German businessman was charged with drug trafficking in Australia after 200kg of cocaine was found in a hotel room last December. Bellingcat and the Sunday Times now investigate the alleged connection between him and the Kinahan cartel. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/03...
Nowhere to Run: The Online Footprint of an Alleged Kinahan Cartel Associate - bellingcat
Bellingcat has traced the online footprint of an alleged Kinahan cartel associate who Australian authorities accuse of trafficking 200kg of cocaine.
www.bellingcat.com
March 23, 2025 at 12:14 PM
edsiddons.bsky.social
“You guys really need to shut this down LOL.”

Stellar story from Bloomberg on America’s "most convenient bank for money launderers."

www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
How TD Became America’s Most Convenient Bank for Money Launderers
Rapid expansion made TD Bank a household name but left it vulnerable to crooks—and $3.1 billion in fines.
www.bloomberg.com
March 19, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Ed Siddons
wired.com
They're called public records for a reason. Starting today, WIRED will *stop paywalling* articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, becoming the first publication to partner with @freedom.press to offer this for our new coverage.
Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow
As the administration does its best to hide public records from the public, Wired magazine is stepping up to help stem the secrecy
freedom.press
March 18, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Reposted by Ed Siddons
tbij.bsky.social
🚨Major US trader StoneX bought millions of dollars worth of gold from a company linked to illegal mining, deforestation and pollution in the Amazon
StoneX bought illicit gold from Brazil's Amazon
Papers reveal how metal excavated by ‘wildcat’ miners makes its way to major companies via a murky supplier network
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
February 20, 2025 at 10:00 AM
edsiddons.bsky.social
Whip-smart explainer from @simonlock.bsky.social & @tbij.bsky.social on (one part of) Roman Abramovich's tax dodge – leasing his own yachts back to himself.

www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...
Inside Roman Abramovich's superyacht-rental tax scam
The oligarch’s scheme to skirt taxes on his boats was enterprising, elaborate – and illegal. Here’s how it worked
www.thebureauinvestigates.com
February 19, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Ed Siddons
eliothiggins.bsky.social
I'm hearing a lot from the media NGO sector about the impact of USAID cuts. A lot of small investigative media organisations across the globe are facing imminent closure as the funding they've budget for has vanished overnight, and the funder community has no capacity to absorb the shock.
February 6, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Reposted by Ed Siddons
icij.org
Five whistleblowers alleged in interviews with ICIJ that Western oil companies’ dealings in Russia or Kazakhstan included improper payments in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a U.S. law that prohibits bribes to foreign officials. https://buff.ly/40FJ2eJ
Putin’s pipeline: How the Kremlin outmaneuvered Western oil companies to wrest control of vast flows of Kazakhstan’s crude - ICIJ
Chevron and partners prioritized profits, enabling runaway costs and ballooning budgets worth billions as Russia deployed strong-arm tactics and steered contracts to cronies.
buff.ly
February 3, 2025 at 10:57 PM