ANNUAL REPORT 2018 PAGE 1 Table of Contents IT TAKES A NETWORK OUR MISSION & VISION................. 2 TO FIGHT A NETWORK LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER ......2 THE NETWORK: MEMBER CENTERS .......................... 3 Letter from the Publisher THE NETWORK: MEDIA PARTNERS ........................... 4 In February 2018, I got the call that no editor required to expose this growing, menacing ever wants to receive. Pavla Holcova, an editor threat to democracy. OUR MISSION at the Czech Center for Investigative IMPACT TO DATE ............................. 5 As we reflect on the past year, it is clear we are Reporting, called to tell me a young living in a dark era for journalism and freedom By developing and investigative reporter she had been partnering STORIES THAT MATTERED: of the press. Around the world, populist with had been murdered, along with his equipping a global leaders are openly hostile toward the media 2018 HIGHLIGHTS ........................... 6 fiancée. network of investigative and incite their followers toward hatred and ACCELERATING IMPACT: journalists and publishing Ján Kuciak was a reporter at Aktuality.sk, an violence. Reporters in many countries are outlet in Slovakia that partnered with Holcova routinely smeared, accused of terrorism and THE GLOBAL ANTI- their stories, OCCRP for a series of investigative stories. He was other false charges, and thrown in jail. CORRUPTION CONSORTIUM ....... 10 exposes crime and working on a story for us about the Reporters Without Borders cites 2018 as the corruption so the public ‘Ndrangheta, a notorious Calabrian-based most dangerous year on record for journalists, STRONGER COLLABO- can hold power to mafia group that had crossed into Slovakia. calling the situation “critical.” RATION IN RESPONSE Ján’s reporting showed the group had deep account. There is cause for alarm and sadness, but also TO RISING THREATS...................... 10 ties to Slovakian politics and was involved in for hope—the kind of hope that comes with EU farm subsidy fraud. He has also worked on shining a light on the truth. The deaths of Ján stories about Marian Kocner, an oligarch with PERSON OF THE YEAR .................. 11 and Daphne are painful beyond words. We are ties to politics, criminals and criminal consoled only by the fact that OCCRP, along activities. AWARD HIGHLIGHTS .................... 12 OUR VISION with our colleagues around the world, will Ján was covering one of the most dangerous continue their reporting, putting more 2018 IN NUMBERS ........................ 13 A world where lives, situations — the nexus of organized crime and investigative resources on the subjects of their livelihoods and democracy politics. His brazen murder came just a few stories as well as on the perpetrators who months after investigative journalist Daphne took their lives. We are more committed than BOARD OF DIRECTORS ................. 16 are not threatened by Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb for ever to delivering on our mission and will not crime and corruption. her work exposing corruption in Malta. These stop until justice is served. OUR SUPPORTERS ........................ 18 deaths illustrate not only how the tentacles of organized crime can reach into the highest Drew Sullivan FINANCIALS................................... 19 levels of government, but also the bravery Co-Founder and Publisher PAGE 2 NEW EASTERN EUROPE 21 ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT The Network: Member Centers 15 TV JOURNALISTS, Chisinau, Moldova 22 16 RISE MOLDOVA, Chisinau, Moldova Our rapidly-expanding member support our member centers with 23 MEDIA DEVELOPMENT 11 FOUNDATION, Kyiv, Ukraine center network grew to 46 in 2018, a range of services, including 19 46 24 SLIDSTVO.INFO, Kyiv, Ukraine with the addition of centers in research assistance, pro bono 10 23 24 Kyrgyzstan, Kenya, Poland, legal support, tech tools, physical 8 21 Macedonia, and Romania. and information security, and 12 13 CAUCASUS 18 22 20 business training. By partnering 1 25 HETQ - ARMENIA, Yerevan, Armenia Mostly, small, nonprofit media 17 locally and working globally, 14 3 2 26 INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS' outlets, we value our member 5 4 9 together we gain more insights 26 27 28 29 TEAM iFACT, Tbilisi, Georgia centers and the local information, 6 7 into the giant web of worldwide 25 27 JOURNALISTIC DATA PROCESSING data, contacts, and sources they CENTRE, Tbilisi, Georgia corruption. 28 bring into our global network. We 33 STUDIO MONITOR, Tbilisi, Georgia BALKANS 30 CENTRAL ASIA 29 1 KRIK, Belgrade, Serbia KLOOP MEDIA, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan 2 CINS, Belgrade, Serbia 3 CIN, Sarajevo, BIH MIDDLE EAST 4 BIRN, Priština, Kosovo 30 ARIJ, Amman, Jordan 5 MANS, Podgorica, Montenegro 6 SCOOP, Skopje, Macedonia 7 CITIZENS' ASSOCIATION INVESTIGATIVE AFRICA 40 32 REPORTING LAB IRL, Skopje, Macedonia 31 L'ALTERNATIVE, Lome, Togo 41 32 L'EVENEMENT, Niamey, Niger 33 INKYFADA, Tunis, Tunisia EUROPEAN UNION 36 31 34 INK, Gaborone, Botswana 8 DOSSIER, Vienna, Austria 35 MCIJ, Mzuzu, Malawi 9 BIVOL, Burgas, Bulgaria 36 NEW NARRATIVES, Monrovia, Liberia 10 CESKE CENTRUM PRO INVESTIGATIVNI 42 ZURNALISTIKU, Prague, Czech Republic 43 37 NAMIBIAN, Windhoek, Namibia 11 ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRACY 38 OXPECKERS, Mbombela, South Africa IN AZERBAIJAN, Berlin, Germany 39 NOSEWEEK, Cape Town, South Africa 12 ATLASTZO.HU, Budapest, Hungary 40 DEPECHE DU MALI, Bamako, 35 13 DIREKT 36, Budapest, Hungary Republic of Mali 14 IRPI, Firenze, Italy 41 PREMIUM TIMES SERVICES LIMITED, Abuja, Nigeria 15 RE BALTICA, Riga, Latvia 42 AFRICA UNCENSORED, Nairobi, Kenya 16 UAB15MIN, Vilnius, Lithuania 44 43 INUKA KENYA NISISI LIMITED - 17 RISE PROJECT, Bucharest, Romania 37 THE ELEPHANT, Nairobi, Kenya 34 18 ASOCIATIA ATLASZO ERDELY 38 44 LE DEFI MEDIA GROUP, Port Louis, EGYESULET, Cluj Napoca, Romania 45 Mauritius 19 FUNDACJA REPORTEROW, 45 VERDADE, Maputo, Mozambique Warsaw, Poland 46 ASEMPA LIMITED - AFRICA 20 OSTRO, Ljubljana, Slovenia CONFIDENTIAL, Registered in UK 39 PAGE 3 The Network: Media Partners In addition to our independent media member centers, OCCRP collaborates with an array of publishing partners around the world, helping to increase the impact of our reporting and its reach. Our publishing partners change every year along with the focus of our stories. We value our relationship with this mix of international, national, and local outlets across the world who help us reach millions of viewers. PAGE 4 Impact to Date MORE THAN CALLS FOR ACTION OCCRPʼs primary basis for BY CIVIL, PUBLIC OR measuring impact is 101INTERNATIONAL BODIES increased accountability. Since we began recording impact in 2011, our investigations have contributed to: MORE THAN ARREST WARRANTS 369 ISSUED MORE THAN NEARLY MAJOR SACKINGS, US $ 6.3 BILLION INCLUDINGA PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER AND CEOs IN ASSETS FROZEN OR SEIZED 43 OF MAJOR INTERNATIONAL BY GOVERNMENTS CORPORATIONS MORE THAN MORE THAN CRIMINAL OFFICIAL ACTIONS INVESTIGATIONS AND TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT INQUIRIES 250 GOVERNMENTS LAUNCHED AS A RESULT OF ITS STORIES 247 PAGE 5 Stories that Mattered: 2018 Highlights PAGE 6 KILLING THE JOURNALIST WILL NOT KILL THE STORY STATE CAPTURE A Murdered Journalist’s Last Story GuptaLeaks In February 2018, a former policeman rushed to continue Jan’s reporting and Members of South Africa’s controversial total amount of money allegedly stolen by slipped into the home investigative journalist publish his stories to minimize the danger to Gupta family have long been implicated in a the Guptas and their associates reaches into Ján Kuciak shared with his fiancée, Martina his colleagues. The published stories honor series of corrupt political connections and the hundreds of millions of dollars. Kušnírová, and shot them both at close his memory and set the record straight, with illegal deals that have earned them millions, After OCCRP’s stories were published, police range. new findings about organized crime in often in government funds. The Gupta raided the Gupta family home in Slovakia and its ties to politics and law brothers—Atul, Ajay, and Rajesh, who But bullets could not kill their legacy. Johannesburg in February 2018—resulting in enforcement. immigrated to South Africa from India in the three arrests—and again in April 2018. South Thousands of the couple’s fellow Slovaks 1990s—used their money and influence to Though four people are awaiting trial on African president Jacob Zuma was also flooded the streets of Bratislava to demand enrich themselves at the expense of charges related to the murders, the forced to resign in February 2018, facing justice. Prime Minister Robert Fico and three taxpayers, with the help of South African masterminds have gone unpunished. Now numerous corruption allegations, and in of his ministers were among those who President Jacob Zuma. joined by the newly-formed Investigative August, a special commission investigated resigned amid public accusations that the Centre of Ján Kuciak, an OCCRP member OCCRP previously reported how Gupta- the Gupta family’s “state capture,” in which state was either negligent or complicit in the center, the network will continue to linked firms and operators extracted their private interests significantly influenced deaths. investigate the circumstances surrounding money from a state transport infrastructure the government’s decision-making process Within a week of his murder, OCCRP and the deaths of Ján and Martina until justice is company, profited from a corrupt locomotive for their own advantage. member centers IRPI and Investigace.cz served. tender, and exploited a compliant