Bribe, Swindle or Steal

Leonid Volkov joins the podcast to talk about Putin's obsessive campaign against Navalny, who was first poisoned with Novichok and later imprisoned. Volkov also discusses the deep roots of corruption in Russia and how the west can support Russians determined to end the looting of their country.

In light of recent news about Leonard Glenn Francis' escape from house arrest ahead of his U.S. sentencing, we're revisiting our episode with Doyle Hodges, Commander, USN, ret., and Stephen Wrage, Professor, U.S. Naval Academy. They describe how "Fat Leonard" of Glenn Defense Marine Asia organized and executed a scheme that corrupted at least 30 officers and compromised over 400 others.

International sports expert, Declan Hill, returns to the podcast to discuss the FIFA trial that concluded in late December and the outlook for meaningful reform.

Freelance journalist Nicolas Niarchos joins the podcast to discuss his excellent piece in the New Yorker: The Dark Side of Congo's Cobalt Rush. He also describes his recent incarceration and that of his Congolese colleague, Jeef Kazadi, during their ongoing investigation in the DRC.

Tom Wright joins the podcast to discuss the latest developments in the 'Fat Leonard' story, summarized from his lively podcast series by the same name. Tom recorded hours of interviews with Leonard Glenn Francis and so brings fresh insight to this lengthy saga as we await Leonard's sentencing in response—seven years later—to his 2015 guilty plea.

Patrick Alley, co-founder of Global Witness and author of Very Bad People: The Inside Story of the Fight Against the World's Network of Corruption, joins the podcast to discuss the early days of his Global Witness investigations, how their efforts gained momentum and where we should be focusing our attention next.

Bradley Hope discusses his excellent book about the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and key milestones like the "Ritz Carlton Prison", the kidnapping of Prime Minister Hariri of Lebanon and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. He also discusses some of MBS's modernization efforts and what the Kingdom might look like if he hadn't risen to a position of power.

Paul Holden of Shadow World Investigations joins the podcast to discuss the South African Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture ("Zondo Commission"). He describes the extensive corruption and money-laundering enabled by banks and international corporations and makes a prediction about whether the Gupta brothers, recently arrested in Dubai, will be extradited to South Africa.

Omar Alshogre, refugee, political activist and Georgetown University student, shares the wrenching story of his three years as a political prisoner in the worst of Syria's prisons. He discusses the role that extortion plays there, simultaneously delegitimizing the regime further and propping it up financially. Episode resources: Mentioned at (00:33): The Syrian Emergency Task Force Mentioned at (00:45): Omar's testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 11 March 2020

Jim Wasserstrom spoke at the TRACE Prize for Investigative Reporting in Vancouver last month, describing his own experience as a whistleblower and his commitment to building an Integrity Sanctuary where whistleblowers can recover and flourish in safety.

Khadija Ismayilova spoke at the TRACE Prize for Investigative Reporting in Vancouver last week, describing the risks to whistleblowers and what we can do to encourage and protect them.

Oliver Bullough, Tom Burgis and Sarah Chayes, authors of three of the best books on global corruption, gather for a panel at the Annapolis Book Festival for a fascinating discussion about how the corrupt operate, often with impunity, and what can be done to slow the pace of looting.

Oliver Bullough joins the podcast again to discuss his latest book, out this week: Butler to the World. The book addresses how the UK went from a colonial power dominating the world to a service provider—or butler or perhaps consigliere—to the world's oligarchs.

Craig Whitlock of the Washington Post describes the sleaze and corruption that compromised the top ranks of the Seventh Fleet.

Bill Browder of Hermitage Capital describes the brazen fraud and violence of Putin's Russia.

Robert Worth, a journalist previously based in Baghdad with the New York Times and author of A Rage for Order: The Middle East in Turmoil from Tahrir Square to ISIS, describes the deadly and intractable problem of corruption in Iraq. He discusses the role the United States and its pallets of cash played in this, but also the enforced sectarian apportionment of power—the Muhasasa—that ensures each group protects its fiefdom rather than acting in the best interest of the whole country.

Matt Sarnecki joins the podcast today. Matt is a senior producer with the OCCRP and the director of a new documentary about the murders in Slovakia of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová. The Killing of a Journalist explores the public outrage, the criminal investigation that was based in part on leaked phone records, and the political fall-out from this tragedy.

Today's podcast is a recording of a talk given by Drew Sullivan of the OCCRP at the University of Maryland. Drew is the co-founder and editor of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (the OCCRP), a global network of journalists working collaboratively to evaluate and mine enormous amounts of data to expose corruption. The OCCRP is also a past winner of the TRACE Prize for Investigative Reporting. Special thanks to the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland in the School of Public Policy and the Philip Merrill College of Journalism for letting us record the event.

Bill Browder joins the podcast again to talk about his fascinating new book, the many successes of the Global Magnitsky Act which he promoted with energy and ingenuity and where he is turning his attention now.

This week, Mary Lawlor joins the podcast to discuss her role as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and her determination that anti-corruption activists should be included as⁠—and offered the protection of⁠—human rights defenders. Read her recent report, At the heart of the struggle: Human rights defenders fight corruption.

Bektour Iskender, journalist, co-founder of Kloop and TED Fellow, joined me at TED2022 to discuss his investigative reporting in Kyrgyzstan and the impact that his team's work had there.

This week, we're listening in on remarks from Kenneth Polite, Jr., Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, at our annual TRACE Forum. He discusses recent changes in the DOJ's approach to white collar crime, priorities for compliance teams, and the new KleptoCapture initiative.

This week, Kara Brockmeyer, partner in Debevoise & Plimpton's Washington, D.C. office, discusses the impact of the U.S. Anti-Money Laundering Act on anti-corruption compliance and enforcement. This podcast was recorded at TRACE's 2022 Forum, which brings together compliance professionals for meaningful discussions.

Brian Klaas, Associate Professor at University College London and host of the award-winning podcast "Power Corrupts," joins us to discuss his book "Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us". Brian describes research on who is drawn to positions of power and how power impacts us, including potentially re-wiring our brains.

Drago Kos, Chair of the OECD's Working Group on Bribery, and Dan Kahn, former head of the DOJ's FCPA Unit and now a partner in Davis Polk's DC office, wrap up our series on the OECD revised Recommendation with a focus on the very practical implications for companies.

Bill Steinman of Steinman & Rodgers joins the podcast to discuss the recent Opinion Procedure Release addressing extortionate demands. Bill also reviews the substantial grey area of emergencies involving the detention of personnel and confiscation of property that are arguably legal under local law.

Michelle de Kluyver, partner in Addleshaw Goddard's Global Investigations group, joins the podcast to discuss the UK's history with the OECD convention and what impact the revised Recommendation might have.

Cheryl Scarboro presents TRACE's annual FCPA Year in Review webinar and we listen in for today's podcast. Cheryl was Associate Director in the SEC's Division of Enforcement for almost twenty years and served as its first ever Chief of the FCPA Unit. She is now a partner in Simpson Thacher & Bartlett's Washington DC office.

Jan Dunin-Wasowicz, counsel in Hughes Hubbard & Reed's Paris office, joins the podcast to discuss France's performance to date as a party to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and what impact the revised Recommendation might have there.

Investigative journalist Erlend Ofte Arntsen of Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang joins the podcast to discuss his work on the Tinder Swindler story, recently adapted into a Netflix documentary. Erlend and his colleagues broke the story of Shimon Hayut, an Israeli con man who found women on the dating app, impressed them with private jets and bodyguards, concocted stories about being in great personal danger and then drained their bank accounts and left them with extraordinary credit card debt.

Peter Solmssen joins the podcast to talk about his work, together with a group of experts, in support of the OECD Working Group on Bribery's revised Recommendation relating to settlements. He discusses how "individual heroism" by prosecutors should not be required to reach settlements and he shares his thoughts on the benefits the revised Recommendation will bring not only to companies, but also to prosecutors and to the larger goal of reducing corruption.

Mark Morrison, National Practice Group Leader of Blakes' Business Crimes, Investigations & Compliance group, joins the podcast to discuss Canada's performance to date as a party to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and what the revised Recommendation might mean for Canada.

Ryan Murphy, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers' Cyber, Risk & Regulatory Platform and lead on PwC's U.S. Investigations & Forensics Services Practice, joins the podcast to discuss audits: what the term means, what assurance they should and should not provide and how they can be used for nefarious purposes.

Wendy Wysong of Steptoe & Johnson, TRACE's Partner Law Firm in Hong Kong, joins the podcast to discuss recent new guidance from China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). Applying only to bribes paid within China's borders, the guidance highlights some challenges for companies operating in China, particularly with respect to multi-country settlements.

Leah Ambler, Director, Corruption Prevention at the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity and former Legal Analyst at the OECD, joins the podcast—in her personal capacity—to discuss her excellent chapter on Whistleblower Protections. Leah discusses the importance of whistleblower protections to reducing corruption and the challenges inherent in these protections in the absence of comprehensive, harmonized legislation.

Yana Gorokhovskaia of Freedom House joins the podcast to talk about transnational repression, the increasingly common abuse and intimidation by states of their citizens living abroad. Yana discusses Jamal Khashoggi, murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and Roman Protasevich, whose plane was forced to land in Belarus where he is still being held, but also refers to the hundreds of other cases that don't make the news. Freedom House has released an excellent report on this problem that can be found at: https://freedomhouse.org/report/transnational-repression

As is holiday tradition, we're revisiting our podcast with Peter Hellman, who describes Rudy Kurniawan's audacious scheme to defraud wine collectors in his excellent book, In Vino Duplicitas: The Rise and Fall of a Wine Forger Extraordinaire.

Penelope Kyritsis, Assistant Director of Research at the Worker Rights Consortium, discusses the detention of China's Uyghur Moslem minority, in internment camps. Uyghurs have been compelled to work in these camps, primarily in Xinjiang. But they are now also separated from their families and relocated to factories across China, making it difficult for companies to undertake meaningful due diligence on forced labor in their Chinese supply chains.

Nicola Bonucci, former Legal Director at the OECD and now a partner at Paul Hastings in Paris, joins the podcast to discuss the 2021 OECD Anti-Bribery Recommendation announced in November. We also chat about the challenge of advancing an international consensus on anti-corruption enforcement amongst Working Group on Bribery (WGB) members hailing from different legal systems.

As part of the many events marking International Anti-Corruption Day this week, The Vancouver Anti-Corruption Institute (VACI) will launch 9 December in Vancouver. Peter German, president of VACI—and of its host organization, the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform & Criminal Justice Policy—joins the podcast to discuss the need for this initiative, its focus and some of its goals.

Prof. Mark Pieth joins the podcast to discuss his recent book: Gold Laundering: The dirty secrets of the gold trade - and how to clean up. He outlines the many problems associated with gold, including child and trafficked labor, environmental degradation, violence and corruption. He also addresses some modest steps forward and how, in spite of the considerable challenges, more progress can be made.

Duncan Smith of the European Investment Bank joins the podcast to discuss his book: Promoting Integrity in the Work of International Organisations: Minimising Fraud and Corruption in Projects. He discusses the unique role of multinational development banks, the progress that remains and the cost of getting it wrong.

Acclaimed investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova describes her efforts to uncover corruption in Azerbaijan and the state-sponsored blackmail, and then imprisonment, she suffered. The Caviar Connection, a documentary featuring Khadija, is screening this week in person and online at the DOC NYC Film Festival.

Dan Kahn joins the podcast to discuss his time at the US Department of Justice, including as Chief of the FCPA Unit, and his recent transition back to private practice as a partner in the White Collar Defense and Investigations practice in Davis Polk's Washington office. Dan discusses recent trends, the new guidance announced by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and some approaches to pursuing demand-side bribery.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat joins the podcast to discuss her book Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, which examines 100 years of authoritarian rule. She describes the characteristics of a strongman and the strange virility cult surrounding these leaders before turning to the central role of corruption in the autocrat's playbook.

Etelle Higonnet with the National Wildlife Federation takes us through the complex and intersecting problems raised by the cocoa industry: environmental degradation, child labor and extreme financial disparities that prevent most cocoa farmers from ever tasting the chocolate they grow.

Drago Kos joins the podcast to talk about the work of the OECD Working Group on Bribery, its ambitious Revised Recommendation, what he hopes the group will accomplish in his final year with the WGB and the search to find his replacement.

Casey Michel with the Hudson Institute's Kleptocracy Initiative joins the podcast for a very lively discussion about his new book, American Kleptocracy: How the U.S. Created the World's Greatest Money Laundering Scheme in History. Casey discusses America's role in the problem of global kleptocracy and shares some optimism about the path ahead.

Michael Sallah, senior investigations editor with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, joins the podcast to talk about his "Dirty Dollars" investigation into how foreign corruption swamped the very center of America where huge sums were laundered at the expense of the local community. Note: While the sound quality of this episode isn't ideal, we hope you'll stick with the interview for Michael's extremely important insight. Episode resources: Dirty Dollars, by Michael Sallah, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 16 April 2021 Mentioned at (01:00): FinCEN Files, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 2020

Hans Greimel and William Sposato join the podcast to discuss their excellent new book: Collision Course: Carlos Ghosn and the Culture Wars That Upended an Auto Empire, published over the summer. The book provides a sweeping review of Ghosn's rise to executive star status in Japan, his ultimate detention in and escape from Japan, and the cultural and historical context we need to understand the story.