This roundtable brought together leading scholars from the GI ACE programme and beyond to examine how consultancies, lawyers and other intermediaries facilitated illicit influence across jurisdictions. Devi Pillay examined how McKinsey & Company and its local subcontractors contributed to state capture in South Africa’s public utilities. Alex Cooley and John Heathershaw shared insights on the Kazakh government’s engagement with firms such as Tony Blair Associates and Arcanum. Corentin Cohen explored the hierarchy and complementary functions of different types of enablers. Tena Prelec addressed the evolving and contested role of lawyers in facilitating kleptocracy and grand corruption. The discussion shed light on the systems, incentives and networks that make professional enablers central to contemporary corruption challenges. This research is part of the Governance & Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence (GI ACE) programme which is hosted by the Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Sussex and funded by UK International Development from the UK government. GI ACE generates actionable evidence that policymakers, practitioners and advocates can use to design and implement more effective anti-corruption initiatives. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the UK Government’s official policies.

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This paper examines how illicit financial flows (IFFs) in the Western Balkans and Black Sea regions have surged in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Using trade and econometric analysis, it es...