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Stories that rock the world. We expose wrongdoing so the world can make it right. Find us at ICIJ.org. #UberFiles #EricssonList #PandoraPapers #FinCENFiles #PanamaPapers
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ICIJ @icij.org · Dec 4
Introducing the #DamascusDossier investigation: A collaboration from ICIJ, @recherche.ndr.de and 24 media partners in 20 countries uncovers harrowing new details about former Syrian president Bashar Assad’s regime and one of the most brutal state-run killing systems of the 21st century.
After ICIJ’s #CoinLaundry, crypto fraudster Vladimir Okhotnikov's latest project Meta Whale has attracted scrutiny. The platform's operations in Vietnam were shut down and regulators in Australia and Canada have warned the public against investing in it.
Elite Portuguese investigative unit to probe Spacey movie producer with ties to alleged crypto scammer - ICIJ
As international authorities warn the public against investing in Vladimir Okhotnikov’s latest crypto scheme, specialized prosecutors in Portugal are investigating the Ukrainian influencer who helped…
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February 9, 2026 at 10:57 PM
Reposted by ICIJ
Amazing investigation by Isabella Cota from @icij.org, reinforcing just how much the US arms Mexican cartels, or in the words of Trump “terrorist groups”. Outrageously powerful .50 cal rounds made at a USG owned ammunition plant are enabling cartels’ most violent acts
Mexican Cartels Overwhelm Police With Ammunition Made for the U.S. Military
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Authorities and blockchain analysts can detect an increasing amount of illicit activity, and cryptocurrency firms can label or freeze addresses owned by criminals. But with blockchain architecture growing more complex, transaction trails can be obfuscated.
How ICIJ traced hundreds of millions from Huione Group to major crypto exchanges
ICIJ's trailblazing blockchain analysis has uncovered how cryptocurrency giants Binance and OKX are key conduits of illicit transactions.
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February 9, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Russian authorities accused @istories.bsky.social founder Roman Anin and his former colleague Ekaterina Fomina of disseminating false information on the Russian Armed Forces.

“It will not affect my work in any way,” Anin told ICIJ.
‘I’m on the right side of history’: ICIJ member Roman Anin stripped of his Russian citizenship - ICIJ
Authorities accused Anin and his former colleague Ekaterina Fomina of disseminating false information on the Russian Armed Forces.
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February 8, 2026 at 10:57 PM
From The Australian Financial Review: The washing of money through digital tokens is fueling global crime. AFR traced funds from the robbery to its final "integration" and explain why Australia needs stronger international rules. #CoinLaundry
The anatomy of a crypto-laundering heist
The washing of money through digital tokens is fuelling global crime. We trace the funds from the robbery to its final 'integration' and explain why Australia needs stronger international rules.
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February 8, 2026 at 2:37 PM
In 2024, criminals stole thousands of dollars from Steve Beckett at a Circle K convenience store in Indiana.

The robbery happened in broad daylight and the instrument of the crime was a machine, much like an ATM, owned by Bitcoin Depot. Read this story:
Retailers keep cashing in on crypto ATMs as scams surge - ICIJ
Partnerships with convenience stores like Circle K have fueled the rapid growth of crypto ATM networks, creating fertile ground for fraudsters.
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February 7, 2026 at 10:57 PM
Drug syndicates have attacked Mexican civilians and police using .50-caliber ammunition produced at a U.S. Army-owned plant and smuggled across the border, millions of pages of documents and data obtained by ICIJ and @nytimes.com show. buff.ly/YuMPRBF
Mexican cartels overpower police with ammunition made for the US military - ICIJ
Drug syndicates have used .50-caliber ammunition produced at a plant owned by the U.S. Army and smuggled across the border in attacks on Mexican civilians and police.
www.icij.org
February 7, 2026 at 10:07 AM
Diezani Alison-Madueke's trial resumed this week in the Southwark Crown Court in London, with prosecutors alleging that the former Nigerian oil minister once blew about $190,000 on a shopping spree for furniture and art that was paid by intermediaries.
Former Nigerian oil minister stands trial in the UK on bribery charges - ICIJ
Prosecutors accused former minister Diezani Alison-Madueke, who featured in the ICIJ-led Panama Papers investigation, of living a “life of luxury in London” fueled by corrupt Nigerian oil deals.
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February 6, 2026 at 9:57 PM
From Nippon TV: Behind the rise in fraud cases in Japan lies a $7 billion "dark market." Fake IDs, bank accounts and websites used to commit fraud are being bought and sold, creating a breeding ground for crimes. www.ntv.co.jp/englishnews/...
$7 billion 'Dark Market' revealed: Illegal seller boasts fraud strategy and what is inside the illicit market, through international investigative reporting
Behind the rise in fraud cases in Japan lies a ‘dark market’ with a scale of 7 billion US dollars (1 trillion Japanese y...
www.ntv.co.jp
February 6, 2026 at 1:37 PM
After years of alarms raised by experts and civil society groups about transnational repression, the Canadian government has named its first foreign interference watchdog, ICIJ’s media partner CBC News reports. buff.ly/21P09CM
Canada names first foreign interference watchdog - ICIJ
Canadian parliament voted to create the position over a year and a half ago to counter a rising threat of transnational repression.
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February 5, 2026 at 10:57 PM
Reposted by ICIJ
Senior research associate @emiledirks.bsky.social spoke with @icij.org about a new report he co-authored on #transnationalrepression in the EU.

Read it here: www.icij.org/investigatio...
New EU report urges more aggressive action against transnational repression - ICIJ
The report cites ICIJ’s China Targets investigation and calls for improved coordination across the bloc.
www.icij.org
February 4, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Journalists in the U.S., Germany, Portugal, Ukraine and Georgia uncovered new details about the business dealings of the alleged mastermind of a multimillion-dollar crypto scam as part of The #CoinLaundry.

Learn more:
The Russian crypto guru’s Hollywood gambit
How the alleged mastermind of a multimillion-dollar crypto scam teamed up with a globe-trotting influencer and a disgraced Oscar winner as he pushed his latest dubious project.
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February 5, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Reporting by ICIJ helped force a shift in Beijing’s public stance on Xinjiang, according to new academic research — from denying the existence of a vast detention camp system to justifying it and, eventually, to partially dismantling it.
Beijing's backtrack on Xinjiang detention camps spurred by ICIJ investigation, research finds - ICIJ
Academic research shows that investigative reporting, NGO advocacy, and scholarly scrutiny pushed Chinese authorities from denial to dismantling parts of their mass detention system for Uyghurs.
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February 4, 2026 at 10:57 PM
From @eurasianet.bsky.social: When Guldariya Sherizat staged a protest in Kazakhstan over the arrest of her husband in neighboring China, she did not expect to end up in the dock facing 10 years in prison.

Read the story:
Kazakhstan: Anti-China demonstrators face long prison terms after fiery protest
Astana brings criminal charges only after Beijing complains.
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February 4, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Entities linked to the Chinese state have quietly assumed control of one of Malawi’s most strategic rare-earth mineral projects — without required oversight from Malawian authorities, an investigation by ICIJ partners PIJ Malawi, Finance Uncovered and The Continent found.
Investigation reveals how Chinese firms blindsided Malawian government over strategic mine ownership - ICIJ
Malawi’s government has promised a “fact-finding exercise” as the local community grows increasingly resentful of the mining venture’s unfulfilled development promises.
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February 3, 2026 at 10:57 PM
In the last few years, U.S. and European regulators have flagged crypto "nested services" as a potentially powerful tool for money launderers because they can hide behind the host exchange to process transactions and quickly cash out their bounty.
February 3, 2026 at 1:37 PM
As traditional offshore havens tighten regulations and financial scrutiny, African elites and companies are increasingly turning to Asian financial hubs — notably Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong — a recent study by the University of Oxford shows.
Asian financial hubs are reshaping Africa’s offshore economy - ICIJ
A new report shows how Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong have courted African elites and companies with tax breaks, light regulation, and secrecy.
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February 2, 2026 at 10:57 PM
From BBC News: A court in London has heard that former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke, accused of accepting bribes from industry figures interested in government contracts, is alleged to have been provided with "a life of luxury in the U.K."
Ex-Nigeria oil minister in bribery trial spent £2m at Harrods, court hears
Diezani Alison-Madueke is accused of accepting bribes from industry figures interested in Nigerian government contracts, a court in London has heard.
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February 2, 2026 at 1:37 PM
A year after the Assad regime collapsed, grieving families are still grappling with a lack of information about those who disappeared into the country's vast prison network.

ICIJ's #DamascusDossier reporters spoke to families who are searching for answers:
After 13 years of searching, a Syrian man learns his brother’s fate
A trove of leaked records provides new evidence of thousands of Assad regime killings — and a chance for closure for families.
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February 1, 2026 at 9:57 PM
Reporters for ICIJ's #CoinLaundry investigation spoke with more than a dozen cryptocurrency experts and law enforcement officials who expressed deep concern over the rise of a parallel financial system often operating in anonymity and ripe for abuse.
From Dubai to Toronto, inside the crypto-to-cash storefronts fueling money laundering’s new frontier
These shadowy operations have made it easier than ever to move dirty money around the world. One man is on a mission to expose them.
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February 1, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Under former Syrian president Bashar Assad's rule, authorities endeavored to extinguish all signs of dissent within the country, abducting people they deemed political opponents and, in many thousands of cases, killing them in prison.

Read the story:
Assad’s archive of death
Photographs of more than 10,000 regime victims capture a campaign of torture and mass murder in haunting, meticulous detail.
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January 31, 2026 at 7:01 PM
From @cbcradiocanada.bsky.social: Canada is set to name its first foreign interference commissioner a year-and-a-half after Parliament voted to create the position, and following #ChinaTargets’ recently documented cases of Chinese transnational repression in Canada.
Minister says foreign interference commissioner should be named in coming days | CBC News
Canada is set to name its first foreign interference commissioner. Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says he informed opposition leaders Monday of the government's proposed candidate.
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January 31, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Europe must take a coordinated response to fight the rising threat of transnational repression, according to a group of experts commissioned by the European Parliament to investigate ways to counter this form of cross-border authoritarian coercion.
New EU report urges more aggressive action against transnational repression - ICIJ
The report cites ICIJ’s China Targets investigation and calls for improved coordination across the bloc.
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January 30, 2026 at 9:57 PM
The findings from The #CoinLaundry investigation raise questions about whether exchanges are doing enough to stop illicit financial flows, either by freezing funds, closing accounts or carefully monitoring suspicious transactions.

Learn more:
Crypto giants moved billions linked to money launderers, drug traffickers and North Korean hackers
An ICIJ investigation traced tens of thousands of transactions and found crypto platforms awash with dirty money.
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January 30, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Bitpanda prides itself on being one of the most regulated crypto exchanges in Europe. But new reporting by ICIJ media partners found that internal auditors of the firm's German-licensed subsidiary raised red flags last year about its Berlin operations.
Auditors at Bitpanda’s German subsidiary flagged information security issues, echoing regulator's concerns - ICIJ
The crypto exchange said it had addressed authorities' concerns, but an internal report has cast doubt on those claims, according to a new investigation by ICIJ media partners.
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January 29, 2026 at 10:57 PM