corruption

Kleptoscope 2020: How to solve Britain’s Russia problem?

One of the murkiest mysteries of December’s general election campaign was the contents of the report on Russian interference in British democracy that Boris Johnson decided to suppress. Speculation was rife about its contents and, right now, we still don’t know what they were. So what is Britain’s Russia problem? And how do we solve it? Kleptoscope returns to discuss these important questions, which will be at the top of the in-tray for our government through Brexit and beyond.

Screening: Tigers + Q&A

Join us for a screening of long-awaited feature film Tigers, a retelling of the Nestle Milkpak formula milk scandal – and Syed Aamar Raza’s inspirational actions to blow the story.

Kleptoscope 11: Ending Healthcare Corruption

Hosted as usual by investigative journalist Oliver Bullough, the first kleptoscope of 2019 looks at one of the most successful hands-on anti-corruption interventions in history, what obstacles it faced, and whether it could be a blueprint for cleaning up corrupt administrations in other countries.

  Watch the video stream of Kleptoscope 11

Who Was Daphne Caruana Galizia And Why Was She Murdered?

On October 2017 a car bomb killed the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galicia in Malta, extinguishing the free voice that for years, in solitude, we screen the first documentary that tells the story of Daphne, who killed her and why her killers are still in the shadows…

Kleptoscope 8: Exposing Kleptocracy, and Paying the Price

The first Kleptoscope of 2018 focusses on the price paid by those who expose grand corruption, and asks what we in Britain can do about it

Kleptoscope 7: The SFO – investigating and prosecuting the heavyweights

At the Frontline Club’s seventh Kleptoscope, hosted as usual by journalist Oliver Bullough, Serious Fraud Office director David Green will talk about how the SFO works, and what might lie ahead for the investigation of fraud and corruption in the UK post-Brexit. He will be joined by Camilla de Silva, who led a key strand of the SFO’s investigation into Rolls-Royce and was recently rewarded with the Bar Council’s Award of Employed Barrister of the Year.

Mafia Life: Love, Death and Making Money at the Heart of Organised Crime

We see mafias as vast, powerful organisations, harvesting billions of dollars across the globe and wrapping their tentacles around everything from governance to finance. But is this the truth? Travelling from mafia initiation ceremonies in far-flung Russian cities to elite gambling clubs in downtown Macau, Federico Varese sets off in search of answers. Using wiretapped conversations, interviews and previously unpublished police records, he builds up a picture of the real men and women caught up in mafia life, showing their loves and fears, ambitions and disappointments, as well as their crimes.

Kleptoscope Film Night: The Spider’s Web

The Spider’s Web’ is a documentary film that shows how Britain transformed from a colonial power into a global financial power. With a Q&A post-screening from the directors, find out how the City of London became the global leader in creating obscure, corrupt, secret offshore tax havens.

Kleptoscope 5: Show Me the Money – Corruption, Money Laundering and Inequality

Perhaps a trillion dollars are stolen every year by the rulers of the world’s poorest countries. Hundreds of billions of those dollars find their way into the West, where they buy real estate, luxury goods, fine art, yachts and more. Less than a cent from every stolen dollar is ever returned to the peoples of the countries where the money was stolen. Kleptoscope 5 looks at this under-acknowledged economic catastrophe, and asks why it is so hard to recover assets stolen by kleptocrats. And what role does London play as both a safe haven for looted money, and a laundering centre for money being invested elsewhere?

Unreported World Preview: North Korea’s Reality TV Stars + Panel Discussion

Correspondent Seyi Rhodes and Director Kate Hardie-Buckley report from the set of the hit South Korean TV show that’s made defectors from North Korea into TV stars. More than 400 defectors have been interviewed on the show, and their stories chart the very latest about life under Kim Jong-un. For many South Koreans, it’s become a key source of information about their northern neighbour.

Kleptoscope #4: Nigeria, London and the Dirty Cash Trail

Kleptoscope returns with an evening focussed on Nigeria, a country criticised by former Prime Minister David Cameron as “fantastically corrupt”. Chaired by investigative journalist Oliver Bullough, a panel of experts will address the roots of Nigerian corruption, ask why so much of the stolen money ends up in London, and discuss why more isn’t being done to give it back.

African Democracy: Is Gambia an Exception or a Turning Point?

In a series of dramatic events, former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has headed into political exile, ending a 22-year authoritarian reign and a post-election political standoff that threatened to provoke a regional military intervention. President Adama Barrow has vowed to improve his country’s economy, free its political prisoners and create a commission to look into the brutal legacy of his predecessor. But is this really a new era for The Gambia? We will be joined by a panel of experts to discuss how Adama Barrow’s leadership could impact the country and the region.

Kleptoscope #3: Britain’s Offshore Islands

After two successful Kleptoscope talks discussing the former Soviet Union and the Middle East, we come closer to home, with an exploration of Britain’s offshore tax havens. The Channel Islands, and the various overseas territories in the Caribbean and elsewhere pay host to huge capital flows, as well as untold thousands of shell companies, but are they are bad as they are painted?

Kleptoscope #2: London’s Dirty Money

We are delighted to present the second talk in our series of events investigating corruption and dirty money in London: interrogating its origins, its launderers and how it gets spent. Hosted by investigative journalist Oliver Bullough, Kleptoscope unites journalists, campaigners, academics and others to discuss the latest research into the UK’s role as an enabler of global kleptocracy.

Kleptoscope: London’s Dirty Money

“Three quarters of money looted in Russia comes to the UK.” The audience sat in stunned silence. Roman Borisovich continued, “there is an army of UK bankers, accountants, lawyers, trustees, and other professionals assisting Russian corruption.”

Kleptoscope: London’s Dirty Money

For the first event in a new series investigating corruption and dirty money in London – its origins, its launderers, and how it gets spent – we will be hearing three groundbreaking stories focusing on the former Soviet Union. We will discuss how Russian kleptocrats have used the services of the British capital to retain and launder their money; how London’s property market has become a piggy bank for the world’s corrupt elite; and how ex-Soviet businessmen have covertly funded MPs and parliamentary groups, gaining preferential treatment as a result.

The Maldives: Between Dictatorship and Democracy

As the Maldives sinks into an increasingly repressive regime under the helm of current President Abdulla Yameen, we will be joined by exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed, journalist and author of The Maldives: Islamic Republic, Tropical Autocracy JJ Robinson, and others, to discuss the current situation in this small yet turbulent archipelago. With at least 100 Maldivian jihadists now fighting in Syria and Iraq, a significant share of the country’s modest population, we will also discuss the increasing role of Islamism – as well as the implications for the wider South Asia region. We will explore hopes for the future and the role of an increasingly-repressed media in supporting an eventual transition to democracy – all as the impending threat of climate change on the low-lying islands continues to loom large.

Panama Papers: The Inside Story with Frederik Obermaier & Bastian Obermayer

Late one evening, investigative journalist Bastian Obermayer received an anonymous message offering him access to secret data. Through encrypted channels, he subsequently received documents revealing how the president of Argentina had sequestered millions of dollars of state money for private use. This was just the beginning – Obermayer and fellow Süddeutsche journalist Frederik Obermaier soon found themselves immersed in a secret world where complex networks of shell companies help the super-rich to hide their money.

We will be joined by Bastian Obermayer and Frederik Obermaier to hear the inside story of what Edward Snowden has called “the biggest leak in the history of data journalism.”

Whistleblowers and Bounty Hunters: Combating Corruption and Organised Crime

“They used to describe Tsarist Russia as monarchy moderated by assassination but now it seems to be total secrecy moderated by insane leaks.”

London Press Club: In Conversation with Gavin Serkin

The London Press Club and the Frontline Club are pleased to welcome award-winning journalist and author of Frontier: Exploring the Top Ten Emerging Markets of Tomorrow, Gavin Serkin, in conversation with deputy chairman of the London Press Club, David Selves.

All attendees are welcome to join the London Press Club for drinks in the clubroom before and after the talk, with first drinks (from 6.30pm) courtesy of Gorkana. The evenings are an opportunity for young and old, experienced and students, from all aspects of media to mingle with each other – and those from the world of PR and business.

Reporting on Corruption and Organised Crime: From Panama to London

On the eve of a Downing Street summit aiming to challenge cross-border organised crime and corruption, we will be joined by OCCRP co-founder and editor Drew Sullivan and others to discuss how best to report on – and combat – transnational organised crime and corruption, with a particular focus on the London link and the recent Panama Papers leaks. We will be asking what the role of transparency and government data is in combating corruption, and what role journalism can play in putting a stop to it and bringing those accountable to justice.

Screening: Bloody Money + Q&A

UPDATE: Unfortunately, on account of legal challenges directed at the Frontline Club, this event will no longer include a screening of Bloody Money as originally advertised. The event will still be going ahead minus the screening – and promises to be a fascinating discussion on the wider issue of corruption in Ukraine featured three key experts in this field: presenter and journalist Oliver Bullough; executive director of Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Centre, Daria Kaleniuk; and Shauna Leven, Global Witness’ Campaigns Director on corruption.