Section: Kleptocracy Initiative (USA)
Advisory Council
The Kleptocracy Initiative has welcomed some distinguished new members to its Advisory Council. Michael Mandelbaum, Minxin Pei, Andrew Wedeman, Michael Weiss, Margaret Whitehead, and Ilya Zaslavaskiy join a team of distinguished experts and thought leaders from the fields of policymaking, academia, and journalism. The Advisory Council supports...
Kleptocracy Daily: August 31, 2017
Much of Paul Manafort’s work for controversial overseas clients had a common theme: Oleg Deripaska’s backing. Despite the limelight, Manafort appears to still be putting together “major real estate deals with a motley crew from across the globe,” with the help of a talented fixer. (WSJ, Real Deal) Ukraine’s leadership is...
Kleptocracy Daily: August 30, 2017
Paul Manafort reportedly used prominent DC lobbyists to help polish the image of Viktor Yanukovych, the ousted Ukrainian president. (Daily Beast) Putin may have seen the Panama Papers as a personal attack and wanted revenge, according to two Russian authors. Alexey Navalny alleges that Putin owns a secret dacha island on the Finnish border. A...
Kleptocracy Daily: August 22, 2017
Portugal is being bought up by elites from its former colony, Angola – with no questions asked about the sources of their wealth. (NYT) Cambridge University Press reversed its decision to block access to online articles following demands by Chinese authorities. “Xi’s crackdown on corruption has been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent and...
Kleptocracy Daily: August 25, 2017
“Universities selling their brand to China are much too willing to sell their principles as part of the package,” says Christopher Balding, as “children of Chinese senior party officials who, on paper, make less than $20,000 a year are attending elite U.S. universities and enjoying the benefits while their parents rail against the dangers.”...
Kleptocracy Weekly: August 14-18
ICYMI: KI’s Peter Podkopaev and Natalie Duffy examine Russia’s road corruption for Foreign Affairs magazine. Hudson Institute is looking for interns to assist with research projects on Russia and Eastern Europe. U.S. Paul Manafort partnered on an $850 million New York real-estate deal with an ally of Vladimir Putin and a Ukrainian...
Kleptocracy Daily: August 17, 2017
News Brazilian prosecutors plan to investigate last year’s controversial sale of the Argentine subsidiary of Petrobras, Brazil’s state-controlled oil company. [Prosecutors were now looking into it as part of Brazil’s sweeping “Car Wash” anti-corruption investigation.] The state-appointed lawyer defending former Ukrainian...
Kleptocracy Daily: August 16, 2017
News Paul Manafort partnered on an $850 million New York real-estate deal with an ally of Vladimir Putin and a Ukrainian moneyman whom the Justice Department recently described as an “organized-crime member.” Russia says it’s against further tightening sanctions on North Korea, warning that economic pressure on Pyongyang has reached its...
Kleptocracy Weekly: August 7 – August 11
KI’s Peter Podkopaev and Natalie Duffy reveal what the state of Russia’s roads tells us about Putin’s kleptocracy for Foreign Affairs magazine. NPR discusses how shell companies enable North Korea to dodge the economic impact of sanctions. The FCPA Blog examines six bills in Congress targeting anonymous companies. U.S....
Kleptocracy Daily: August 7, 2017
News The EU introduced additional measures in response to the delivery of Siemens’ gas turbines to Crimea, which violated its existing sanctions. Prosecutors are seeking 12 years in prison for Lee Jae-yong, the de facto head of the Samsung Group, on charges of giving bribes to former President Park Geun-hye and her friend Choi Soon-sil. The...
