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Last June, when the European Parliament voted to adopt a report on the “lessons learned” from the Pandora Documents, it started with a clear theme: The first six items recognize the vital role of reporters and their sources as agents of accountability.
“Journalists and whistleblowers play a critical role in investigating and exposing corruption, organized crime and money laundering, as well as potential tax violations,” the report said.
The report goes on to say that “the practices brought to light by the Pandora Papers revelations have particularly serious implications for fiscal space and public spending,” and “protect journalists’ freedom to report on matters of public interest.” He emphasized the importance of this.
Through 2023, the impact of the International Union of Investigative Journalists’ rigorous investigative reporting will be felt, from immediate responses such as government investigations and police raids to slower solutions such as passing new laws and redressing past injustices. seen all over the world.
Here are some of the biggest impacts from our research over the past year.
Cyprus secrets: ‘Everything will be investigated’
Within days of ICIJ and 68 of its media affiliates publishing the first classified Cyprus story, the Mediterranean island has become a hotspot for a sanctioned Russian oligarchy seeking to protect its wealth. The European Parliament convened to discuss how to deal with the revelations.
“The European Union is turning into a paradise for gangsters because there is complete impunity,” said one lawmaker.
Meanwhile, the Cypriot government immediately pledged to investigate allegations of sanctions evasion, and authorities stepped up investigations into dozens of suspected cases. In early December, at the request of the President of Cyprus, a team of U.S. financial crimes experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network was dispatched to provide field assistance to local investigators.
“Everything that comes to light will be investigated,” President Nicos Christodoulides said hours after the ICIJ-led investigation began. “Our country’s reputation, our country’s credibility, you know, is very important.”
Deforestation Inc.: “Execution, execution, execution”
From Europe to the United States to India and beyond, governments are steadily taking action to curb deforestation and greenwashing.
In April, just months after ICIJ’s Deforestation investigation exposed how illegally sourced timber and other forest products are trafficked around the world, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Announced a new interagency task force to strengthen identification, investigation, and prosecution efforts. for environmental crimes and other crimes.
“It all depends on coordination between different authorities in the United States,” one environmental activist told ICIJ at the time. “And what we really need to look at is enforcement, enforcement, enforcement.”
Since then, lawmakers and regulators have introduced new legislation aimed at cracking down on trade in goods linked to environmental and human rights abuses and ensuring the safety of companies labeling their products as “green” or sustainable. It has promoted and enforced laws, regulations and guidelines. You will be responsible for those charges.
Hidden treasure: ‘It is the Metropolitan Museum’s duty to get involved’
ICIJ has been at the forefront of global recognition for the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions and a vast number of private art collectors, with years of reporting on the trafficking of priceless ancient artifacts and art objects.
In 2023 alone, dozens of artifacts have been returned to their home countries, including the National Gallery of Australia, a billionaire private collector in the United States, and the proud Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It also includes artifacts repatriated to India and other countries. Art museum. Many of these items have been highlighted in his ICIJ reports over the past two years.
After an ICIJ investigation in March revealed that more than 1,100 items in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection were previously owned by people who had been indicted or convicted of antiquities crimes, the museum announced the formation of a new four-person team to scrutinize collections that may be linked to antiquities crimes. Human trafficking.
“[As] “As a prominent voice in the global art community, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is committed to more focused and proactive research into specific areas of its collection, and to support this ongoing project,” Max Hollein, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, said in a statement. It is incumbent upon us to increase our resources for this important work.” During April. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has not yet officially announced the new task force leader.
Financial secret: “You can’t expect instant gratification.”
In 2023, ICIJ marks 10 years since its groundbreaking investigation into the underground financial systems that serve the world’s rich and powerful. These investigations have resulted in a steady stream of shockwaves that have steadily gained momentum since the offshore leak investigation was first announced in 2013.
Over the past year, there have been police raids on financial companies on multiple continents in connection with the ICIJ Luanda leak and the Pandora Papers investigation, new indictments related to the Panama Papers revelations, and even the 2014 Luanda scandal. There was even a court ruling in favor of one of the original whistleblowers behind it. Leaked document set. Meanwhile, world leaders were sanctioned, billionaires’ accounts were frozen, celebrities were put on trial for tax evasion, and Russian oligarchs had their financial secrets exposed and their assets seized. As ICIJ continues to intensify its crackdown on a decade of corruption and financial wrongdoing in the lead-up to 2023, lawmakers cited its revelations in speeches, calling for greater transparency and stronger regulation of the global financial industry. He insisted.
Investigations such as the Panama Papers and the Pandora Papers have also shaped popular culture, become shorthand for perceptions of injustice, inequality, and corruption, and inspired the work of artists, musicians, and writers. Ultimately, they helped inform societal debate and build momentum for reform.
“You can’t change ongoing systemic corruption overnight with a few arrests, or even a lot of arrests,” filmmaker Alex Winter told ICIJ on the eve of the seventh anniversary of the Panama Papers. “You can’t expect instant gratification.”
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