Benjamin Spahovic
@benzaminhd.bsky.social
IT& infrastructure @occrp.org
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Since an Italian judge launched the “Free to Choose” program, authorities said they removed more than 200 minors from known mafia families.
But critics question the wisdom of using drastic measures, arguing “there is no such thing as the mafia’s genetic code.”
But critics question the wisdom of using drastic measures, arguing “there is no such thing as the mafia’s genetic code.”
Inside Italy’s Fight to Break the Mafia’s Grip on Families
Italian lawmakers are seeking to expand a program that helps mothers and children break away from organized crime families and start new lives away from their mafia relatives.
buff.ly
December 15, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Since an Italian judge launched the “Free to Choose” program, authorities said they removed more than 200 minors from known mafia families.
But critics question the wisdom of using drastic measures, arguing “there is no such thing as the mafia’s genetic code.”
But critics question the wisdom of using drastic measures, arguing “there is no such thing as the mafia’s genetic code.”
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Greek Authorities Prepare More Arrests in EU Farm Subsidy Fraud Case
Related Reporting
www.occrp.org
December 15, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
The German Alternative for Germany (AfD) party attacked OCCRP in parliamentary questions to the German govt. The questions are part of a larger disinformation campaign by AfD members that falsely asserts that OCCRP is a tool of the European Commission. Read more www.occrp.org/en/announcem...
December 15, 2025 at 6:04 PM
The German Alternative for Germany (AfD) party attacked OCCRP in parliamentary questions to the German govt. The questions are part of a larger disinformation campaign by AfD members that falsely asserts that OCCRP is a tool of the European Commission. Read more www.occrp.org/en/announcem...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Both banks have received substantial loans from the Dutch state-owned Entrepreneurial Development Bank, known as FMO.
The bank said it performs “in-depth due diligence” and “monitoring procedures”, and does not accept any client participating in activities related to illegal deforestation.
The bank said it performs “in-depth due diligence” and “monitoring procedures”, and does not accept any client participating in activities related to illegal deforestation.
December 16, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Both banks have received substantial loans from the Dutch state-owned Entrepreneurial Development Bank, known as FMO.
The bank said it performs “in-depth due diligence” and “monitoring procedures”, and does not accept any client participating in activities related to illegal deforestation.
The bank said it performs “in-depth due diligence” and “monitoring procedures”, and does not accept any client participating in activities related to illegal deforestation.
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
This is Paraguay’s Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest, used by 400+ indigenous communities and home to endangered jaguars.
Paraguayan law prohibits deforestation in the country’s east — but we uncovered how two banks loaned funds to two firms owned by a businessman with a history of environmental crimes.
Paraguayan law prohibits deforestation in the country’s east — but we uncovered how two banks loaned funds to two firms owned by a businessman with a history of environmental crimes.
December 16, 2025 at 8:00 AM
This is Paraguay’s Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest, used by 400+ indigenous communities and home to endangered jaguars.
Paraguayan law prohibits deforestation in the country’s east — but we uncovered how two banks loaned funds to two firms owned by a businessman with a history of environmental crimes.
Paraguayan law prohibits deforestation in the country’s east — but we uncovered how two banks loaned funds to two firms owned by a businessman with a history of environmental crimes.
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
A Brazilian businessman admitted to environmental crimes relating to a 2012 fire destroying 7,000+ hectares of natural forest — but two Paraguayan banks continued loaning millions to him afterwards.
Paraguay Banks Pledging Sustainability Financed Companies Owned By Businessman With Record of Environmental Crime
Loan documents show two Paraguayan banks loaned tens of millions of dollars to firms owned by Ulisses Rodrigues Teixeira, a Brazilian agribusinessman who admitted to environmental crimes in eastern…
buff.ly
December 16, 2025 at 5:01 PM
A Brazilian businessman admitted to environmental crimes relating to a 2012 fire destroying 7,000+ hectares of natural forest — but two Paraguayan banks continued loaning millions to him afterwards.
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority alleges Binesh Munakarmi illegally amassed $172,000 over 25 years, while officials and a Chinese contractor are accused of misusing $74 million in airport construction funds.
www.occrp.org/en/news/nepa...
www.occrp.org/en/news/nepa...
Nepal Charges Airport Project Chief with $172K Corruption
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority alleges Binesh Munakarmi illegally amassed $172,000 over 25 years, while officials and a Chinese contractor are accused of misusing $74 million...
www.occrp.org
December 16, 2025 at 8:36 PM
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority alleges Binesh Munakarmi illegally amassed $172,000 over 25 years, while officials and a Chinese contractor are accused of misusing $74 million in airport construction funds.
www.occrp.org/en/news/nepa...
www.occrp.org/en/news/nepa...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Prosecutors in Geneva decided not to act on a criminal complaint by the private bank Reyl, which sought interrogations of three Swiss journalists who cooperated with OCCRP.
www.occrp.org/en/news/pros...
www.occrp.org/en/news/pros...
Prosecutors Decline To Investigate Claims OCCRP Violated Swiss Banking Secrecy Laws
Prosecutors in Geneva decided not to act on a criminal complaint by the private bank Reyl, which sought interrogations of three Swiss journalists who cooperated with OCCRP.
www.occrp.org
December 17, 2025 at 5:17 AM
Prosecutors in Geneva decided not to act on a criminal complaint by the private bank Reyl, which sought interrogations of three Swiss journalists who cooperated with OCCRP.
www.occrp.org/en/news/pros...
www.occrp.org/en/news/pros...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
When human rights officials visited a Turkish hotel hosting evacuated Ukrainian children, they documented physical abuse, neglect, and underage pregnancies.
Frustrated that the report went nowhere, a whistleblower leaked it to reporters: www.occrp.org/en/investiga...
Frustrated that the report went nowhere, a whistleblower leaked it to reporters: www.occrp.org/en/investiga...
Fleeing Russian Bombs, Ukrainian Orphans Faced Abuse and Neglect in Turkish Hotels
Documents and first-person accounts show how a hastily organized evacuation by a private charity left hundreds of Ukrainian children in a Turkish seaside town with little oversight.
www.occrp.org
December 7, 2025 at 4:34 PM
When human rights officials visited a Turkish hotel hosting evacuated Ukrainian children, they documented physical abuse, neglect, and underage pregnancies.
Frustrated that the report went nowhere, a whistleblower leaked it to reporters: www.occrp.org/en/investiga...
Frustrated that the report went nowhere, a whistleblower leaked it to reporters: www.occrp.org/en/investiga...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
20 year-old National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom has died from her gunshot wounds. May she rest in peace.
November 28, 2025 at 1:41 AM
20 year-old National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom has died from her gunshot wounds. May she rest in peace.
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Help OCCRP find the unsung heroes confronting organized crime & corruption. Nominate an Anti-Crime and Corruption Hero. Winners will be chosen in December and receive $1,000 each! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
November 28, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Help OCCRP find the unsung heroes confronting organized crime & corruption. Nominate an Anti-Crime and Corruption Hero. Winners will be chosen in December and receive $1,000 each! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Lawyers for Roman Abramovich failed in a legal challenge to have an investigation into suspected money laundering dismissed and a freezing order over assets worth more than $7 billion lifted. Details had been largely hidden until this week: www.occrp.org/en/news/prob...
November 23, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Lawyers for Roman Abramovich failed in a legal challenge to have an investigation into suspected money laundering dismissed and a freezing order over assets worth more than $7 billion lifted. Details had been largely hidden until this week: www.occrp.org/en/news/prob...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
In September 2017, Russia and other UN Security Council members imposed severe restrictions on selling oil products to North Korea after a nuclear test.
Now Russia appears to have violated these sanctions — so @istories.bsky.social dug into the finances:
www.occrp.org/en/scoop/lea...
Now Russia appears to have violated these sanctions — so @istories.bsky.social dug into the finances:
www.occrp.org/en/scoop/lea...
Leaked Russian Records Reveal Obscure Firms Helping Bust Oil Sanctions on North Korea
Companies in Russia and the United Arab Emirates are involved in secretive exports of oil products to North Korea — in violation of U.N. sanctions that Moscow itself supported.
www.occrp.org
November 22, 2025 at 5:01 PM
In September 2017, Russia and other UN Security Council members imposed severe restrictions on selling oil products to North Korea after a nuclear test.
Now Russia appears to have violated these sanctions — so @istories.bsky.social dug into the finances:
www.occrp.org/en/scoop/lea...
Now Russia appears to have violated these sanctions — so @istories.bsky.social dug into the finances:
www.occrp.org/en/scoop/lea...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Tired of bad news? So are we. Starting this year, instead of naming the most corrupt person, we’ll be spotlighting heroes fighting organized crime & corruption — and giving them $1,000 each. Nominate an Anti-Crime and Corruption Hero here: docs.google.com/forms/d/1BL2...
November 22, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Tired of bad news? So are we. Starting this year, instead of naming the most corrupt person, we’ll be spotlighting heroes fighting organized crime & corruption — and giving them $1,000 each. Nominate an Anti-Crime and Corruption Hero here: docs.google.com/forms/d/1BL2...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Doctors in Finland can only lose their licenses for crimes committed in relation to their work — so rapists and violent offenders still retain their permission to practice medicine.
www.occrp.org/en/news/how-...
www.occrp.org/en/news/how-...
How Violent Criminals Keep Their Doctors’ Licenses in Finland
Doctors in Finland can only lose their licenses for crimes committed in relation to their work — so rapists and violent offenders still retain their permission to practice medicine.
www.occrp.org
November 19, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Doctors in Finland can only lose their licenses for crimes committed in relation to their work — so rapists and violent offenders still retain their permission to practice medicine.
www.occrp.org/en/news/how-...
www.occrp.org/en/news/how-...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
NEW: Doctors convicted of violent and sexual crimes still have active medical licenses in Finland due to a loophole, Yle reports.
Under Finnish law, medical regulators only consider doctors’ crimes if they were committed in connection with their practice.
Under Finnish law, medical regulators only consider doctors’ crimes if they were committed in connection with their practice.
November 19, 2025 at 9:34 AM
NEW: Doctors convicted of violent and sexual crimes still have active medical licenses in Finland due to a loophole, Yle reports.
Under Finnish law, medical regulators only consider doctors’ crimes if they were committed in connection with their practice.
Under Finnish law, medical regulators only consider doctors’ crimes if they were committed in connection with their practice.
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Philippine Cabinet Shake-Up as Two Top Officials Quit Amid Flood-Control Probe
www.occrp.org/en/news/phil...
www.occrp.org/en/news/phil...
www.occrp.org
November 18, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Philippine Cabinet Shake-Up as Two Top Officials Quit Amid Flood-Control Probe
www.occrp.org/en/news/phil...
www.occrp.org/en/news/phil...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
3 days left to join upcoming OCCRP Briefing that brings together leading experts in digital forensics, financial crime, and governance to expose how AI is reshaping the criminal landscape — and what it means for those working to combat it: mailchi.mp/occrp/your-d...
November 18, 2025 at 8:28 AM
3 days left to join upcoming OCCRP Briefing that brings together leading experts in digital forensics, financial crime, and governance to expose how AI is reshaping the criminal landscape — and what it means for those working to combat it: mailchi.mp/occrp/your-d...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Read the @wsj.com article here: www.wsj.com/world/europe...
www.wsj.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Read the @wsj.com article here: www.wsj.com/world/europe...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Belgium hosts the E.U.'s largest financial services provider, Euroclear, making it the epicenter of legal battles by unsanctioned investors to unfreeze their funds.
Experts said these legal bids could complicate plans to funnel Russian assets into rebuilding Ukraine.
Experts said these legal bids could complicate plans to funnel Russian assets into rebuilding Ukraine.
November 18, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Belgium hosts the E.U.'s largest financial services provider, Euroclear, making it the epicenter of legal battles by unsanctioned investors to unfreeze their funds.
Experts said these legal bids could complicate plans to funnel Russian assets into rebuilding Ukraine.
Experts said these legal bids could complicate plans to funnel Russian assets into rebuilding Ukraine.
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
A plan to fund Ukraine's defense using loans backed by seized Russian assets is facing pushback from Belgium, @wsj.com reports.
We previously reported that much of the $270bn of seized assets belongs to unsanctioned investors battling to unfreeze their funds.
www.occrp.org/en/scoop/bel...
We previously reported that much of the $270bn of seized assets belongs to unsanctioned investors battling to unfreeze their funds.
www.occrp.org/en/scoop/bel...
Belgium Blocked $270B Due To Russian Sanctions. Much of It Belongs to Unsanctioned Investors.
The American bank JPMorgan is among those who have failed in court to convince Belgium to release funds or assets, which are caught up in sanctions imposed because of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
www.occrp.org
November 18, 2025 at 9:30 AM
A plan to fund Ukraine's defense using loans backed by seized Russian assets is facing pushback from Belgium, @wsj.com reports.
We previously reported that much of the $270bn of seized assets belongs to unsanctioned investors battling to unfreeze their funds.
www.occrp.org/en/scoop/bel...
We previously reported that much of the $270bn of seized assets belongs to unsanctioned investors battling to unfreeze their funds.
www.occrp.org/en/scoop/bel...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Ecuador’s Most Wanted Gang Leader Arrested in Spain
Related Reporting
www.occrp.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
A sanctioned Iranian tycoon accused by the U.K. government of funding Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps owns a 33.7 million pounds mansion on an exclusive London street, OCCRP has found www.occrp.org/en/news/sanc...
Sanctioned Iranian Banker Owns Multi-Million-Pound London Mansion
Land records reveal a 33.7-million-pound London mansion owned by sanctioned Iranian banker Ali Ansari, who is accused of aiding the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
www.occrp.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:48 PM
A sanctioned Iranian tycoon accused by the U.K. government of funding Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps owns a 33.7 million pounds mansion on an exclusive London street, OCCRP has found www.occrp.org/en/news/sanc...
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Remove Image Background in Python
November 16, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Remove Image Background in Python
Reposted by Benjamin Spahovic
Een Friese keuringsinstantie voor de scheeps- en jachtbouw is spoorloos verdwenen, samen met mogelijk gevoelige klantdossiers. Klanten vrezen dat hun bedrijfsgeheimen in verkeerde handen vallen, aangezien het instituut zes jaar geleden door een Chinees bedrijf werd opgekocht.
Chinese eigenaar doekt ineens Fries bedrijf op. Waar zijn de bedrijfsgeheimen van klanten?
Het Friese DCI, een keuringsclub voor de scheepvaart- en jachtbouwsector, kreeg eind 2019 een nieuw, Chinees moederbedrijf. De nieuwe eigenaar vertrok dit jaar met de noorderzon. Niemand weet nu waar ...
www.ftm.nl
November 17, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Een Friese keuringsinstantie voor de scheeps- en jachtbouw is spoorloos verdwenen, samen met mogelijk gevoelige klantdossiers. Klanten vrezen dat hun bedrijfsgeheimen in verkeerde handen vallen, aangezien het instituut zes jaar geleden door een Chinees bedrijf werd opgekocht.