Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
An international investigative-journalism network focused on organized crime, corruption, and illicit finance.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, commonly known as OCCRP, is an international investigative-journalism organization and network specializing in organized crime, corruption, money laundering, sanctions evasion, and the abuse of political and corporate power. Founded in 2007 by veteran journalists Drew Sullivan and Paul Radu, it developed from regional cooperation among investigative reporters in southeastern Europe and has grown into a consortium of independent media outlets, reporting centers, and journalists operating across six continents. OCCRP does not function primarily as a conventional newspaper or broadcaster. Instead, it coordinates multinational investigations, provides data and investigative support, and distributes reporting through partner publications and its own digital platforms. Its work is published in English and Russian as well as through local-language media. The network has worked with more than fifty independent media organizations and has collaborated with major international investigative groups, including the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Distributed Denial of Secrets, and numerous national broadcasters and newspapers. The organization’s early work focused on the intersection of politics, business, and organized crime in countries where local investigative reporting was often exposed to political pressure or limited resources. Its founding project, “The Power Brokers,” examined energy traders who allegedly acquired electricity from state utilities at below-cost prices while households faced higher prices and blackouts. This regional model became the basis for later investigations that followed money, ownership, shell companies, criminal networks, and political influence across national borders. OCCRP has participated in some of the most prominent cross-border investigations of the past two decades. Its reporting on the Magnitsky case and the Russian Laundromat examined the movement of large sums through offshore entities, banks, and compromised institutions. Work on telecom bribery, the Panama Papers, the Troika Laundromat, and leaked corporate-service-provider records examined how financial systems could be used to conceal corruption and criminal proceeds. Later projects addressed Russian elites’ assets, online influence operations, global drug trafficking, property ownership in Dubai, hospital-company finances, and international investment scams. The organization also publishes impact statistics for investigations recorded since 2009. According to figures cited by OCCRP, its reporting has been associated with more than $12 billion in fines and assets seized by government agencies, more than 1,000 government actions, hundreds of arrests, indictments, or sentences, and hundreds of official investigations and civic or corporate actions. These figures are organizational claims and vary with the methodology used to attribute impact. For much of its existence, OCCRP received a substantial share of its funding through grants from United States government agencies, alongside support from foundations and other donors. In 2025, United States funding was frozen, forcing the organization to seek and rely more heavily on alternative sources. The organization has also faced political pressure: Russia designated it an undesirable organization in March 2022. Despite these challenges, OCCRP remains active as a global investigative network whose central mission is to expose hidden relationships between criminal activity, corruption, state power, and financial infrastructure.
History
OCCRP was established in 2007 by Drew Sullivan and Paul Radu after they and regional colleagues collaborated on an investigation into energy traders. The founding work demonstrated the value of combining journalists from multiple countries to investigate transactions and relationships that could not be understood through a single national perspective. Sullivan had worked in investigative journalism in Sarajevo, while Radu was associated with Romania’s investigative-journalism community. During its first years, OCCRP concentrated on southeastern Europe and the former Soviet region, where organized crime, privatization, political patronage, and opaque ownership structures frequently crossed borders. The organization supported local reporting centers while helping them share documents, sources, databases, and analytical methods. This model allowed local journalists to report from inside their own countries while benefiting from international coordination and publication partners. OCCRP’s reporting subsequently expanded to global financial and criminal networks. Its 2013 work on the Sergei Magnitsky case followed alleged Russian tax-fraud proceeds into companies and real estate outside Russia. Reporting on Montenegro examined the financial and political networks surrounding Milo Đukanović, including allegations involving a family-linked bank, public funds, organized crime, and cigarette smuggling. In Moldova, OCCRP investigated an assassination attempt involving a Russian banker and the Russian Laundromat, a major alleged money-laundering scheme that used offshore companies, banks, fictitious loans, and judicial corruption to move funds into Europe. In 2015, OCCRP worked with Swedish Television and the TT News Agency on reporting about alleged bribery involving TeliaSonera, VimpelCom, and other telecommunications companies. The investigation was followed by major penalties and asset actions and received Sweden’s Golden Shovel investigative-journalism award. OCCRP later joined the Panama Papers investigation, which examined offshore structures connected to politicians, businesspeople, and associates of powerful leaders. The project won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. The network continued to develop large-scale data and leak investigations. The 2019 Troika Laundromat project with media partners examined an alleged $4.8 billion laundering network associated with Russia’s Troika Dialog investment bank. In the same year, OCCRP collaborated on the Formations House leak, which exposed records from a company-formation business and raised concerns about weaknesses in anti-money-laundering controls and corporate registration systems. OCCRP also investigated corruption and fraud connected with COVID-19 relief programs. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, OCCRP launched the Russian Asset Tracker in 2022 to document property, aircraft, vessels, companies, and other assets associated with Russian oligarchs and influential figures. Russia designated OCCRP an undesirable organization that year. In 2023, its collaborations included Team Jorge, NarcoFiles, and Cyprus Confidential. These projects investigated alleged influence operations, transnational drug-trafficking infrastructure, and financial networks linked to Russian elites. The resulting reporting prompted public debate, regulatory responses, and official investigations in several countries. In 2024, OCCRP coordinated Dubai Unlocked, a project documenting property ownership in Dubai, and participated in reporting based on leaked Steward Health Care records. In 2025, Scam Empire investigated alleged international investment fraud operations. The organization also faced a major institutional challenge when United States government funding was frozen. Because government grants had historically represented a substantial part of its budget, OCCRP began emphasizing alternative funding sources while maintaining its investigative and collaborative mission. OCCRP’s broader significance lies in its network structure. It operates at the intersection of local journalism, international collaboration, open-source research, leaked-data analysis, and public-interest accountability reporting. Its investigations frequently focus on systems rather than isolated wrongdoing: offshore finance, company formation, sanctions evasion, political patronage, criminal logistics, and the movement of assets across jurisdictions.
- 2025
Funding freeze and Scam Empire
[8]A freeze on United States government funding creates a financial challenge while OCCRP publishes a major investigation into alleged international investment scams.
- 2024
Dubai Unlocked
[5]OCCRP coordinates a global investigation into property ownership and suspected illicit wealth in Dubai.
- 2023
NarcoFiles and Cyprus Confidential
[8]OCCRP joins large multinational investigations into Latin American drug trafficking and Russian-linked financial networks in Cyprus.
- 2022
Russian Asset Tracker launches
[3]OCCRP creates a public investigative resource tracking assets linked to Russian elites and influential figures.
- 2019
Troika Laundromat and Formations House projects
[1]OCCRP participates in major investigations into alleged Russian money laundering and company-formation practices.
- 2017
Panama Papers receives Pulitzer recognition
[7]OCCRP’s collaboration on the Panama Papers wins the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.
- 2015
Telecom bribery reporting
[1]OCCRP partners investigate alleged bribery involving major telecommunications companies, leading to substantial enforcement actions.
- 2013
Magnitsky investigation
[1]OCCRP reports on alleged Russian tax-fraud proceeds and their movement through offshore companies and foreign real estate.
- 2007
OCCRP is founded
[2]Drew Sullivan, Paul Radu, and regional investigative journalists establish OCCRP to investigate organized crime and corruption through cross-border collaboration.
Products and positioning
A cross-border investigative-journalism network that combines local reporting, data analysis, leaked records, and international collaboration to investigate organized crime, corruption, and illicit finance.
Media and journalism · 2007
Investigative journalism
OCCRP produces and coordinates investigative reporting on organized crime, corruption, illicit finance, political influence, and transnational criminal networks. Stories are published through OCCRP and partner media in multiple languages and jurisdictions.
Investigative database · 2022
Russian Asset Tracker
A project launched after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that documents assets and corporate or personal connections associated with Russian oligarchs and other influential figures linked to the Kremlin.
Editorial award · 2012
Person of the Year award
An annual editorial feature, begun in 2012, that identifies the person or institution OCCRP considers to have most advanced organized crime or corruption during the relevant year.
Controversies
2025
Scam Empire
A multinational investigation examined alleged investment-fraud call centers operating across Israel, Eastern Europe, and Georgia.
2024
The Steward Files
Reporting based on leaked internal records from Steward Health Care examined financial irregularities, consultant payments, lobbying, and management practices at the hospital chain.
2023
Team Jorge
OCCRP and partners reported on an alleged private influence operation involving disinformation, hacking, and election interference in multiple countries.
2019
Formations House leak
A collaborative investigation into records from a company-formation business raised concerns about corporate-service providers, shell companies, and vulnerabilities in anti-money-laundering systems. The available reporting did not establish that every activity described was illegal.
2015
Telecommunications bribery investigation
OCCRP reporting with Swedish partners examined alleged payments by telecommunications companies to secure business in multiple countries. Enforcement agencies later seized or froze substantial assets and imposed major penalties.
Marketing campaigns
- 2025Scam Empire
Global
OCCRP, SVT, and partner outlets investigated alleged call-center investment scams using data supplied by a whistleblower.
Outcome. The investigation reported alleged effects on tens of thousands of people across multiple countries and examined the organizations’ cross-border operations.
- 2024Dubai Unlocked
United Arab Emirates and global
OCCRP coordinated an investigation using leaked property data to examine ownership by alleged criminals, fugitives, political figures, and sanctioned people.
Outcome. The reporting increased scrutiny of Dubai’s real-estate market and the use of property to store suspected illicit wealth.
- 2023NarcoFiles
Latin America and global
OCCRP coordinated reporting based on millions of hacked Colombian prosecutorial records, examining drug trafficking and the corruption of officials, professionals, and logistical networks.
Outcome. The project produced reporting across numerous countries and territories about the global infrastructure of the drug trade.
- 2023Cyprus Confidential
Cyprus · Europe · and global
OCCRP joined ICIJ, Paper Trail Media, and dozens of media partners to investigate financial networks connected to Russian elites and the Kremlin.
Outcome. Officials and lawmakers called for reforms and launched inquiries after publication.
- 2022Russian Asset Tracker
Global
OCCRP created a searchable reporting project to identify assets and relationships associated with Russian elites after the invasion of Ukraine.
Outcome. The tracker became a public resource for journalists and researchers examining sanctions, ownership, and hidden wealth.
- 2016Panama Papers
Global
OCCRP worked with ICIJ, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and other partners to investigate offshore companies connected to political figures, business networks, and alleged corruption.
Outcome. The project generated international political and legal scrutiny and won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.
Brand decisions
2025
Shift toward alternative fundingStrategyBackground
A freeze on United States government funding affected a historically important source of OCCRP’s budget.
Action taken
OCCRP began relying more heavily on alternative sources of financial support while continuing its investigative work.
Aftermath
The funding change created an ongoing institutional and sustainability challenge; the long-term outcome is not yet clear.
2022
Launch of Russian Asset TrackerStrategyBackground
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine increased public and journalistic demand for information about the wealth and ownership structures of Russian elites.
Action taken
OCCRP launched a dedicated tracker covering assets and relationships associated with oligarchs and other influential Russians.
Aftermath
The project expanded OCCRP’s public-data and accountability role in sanctions and illicit-wealth reporting.
Recent events
- 2025
United States funding freeze affects OCCRP[8]
Regulation · Other
A freeze in United States government funding disrupted a major historical funding source and led OCCRP to rely more heavily on other forms of support.
- 2022
Russia designates OCCRP an undesirable organization[1]
Regulation · Other
Russian authorities designated the investigative-journalism organization an undesirable organization.
- 2022
OCCRP launches Russian Asset Tracker[3]
Product launch · Other
OCCRP launched a project documenting assets linked to Russian oligarchs and other influential figures after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Sources11 sources
- 1Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project — Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- 2OCCRP About Usoccrp.org
- 3OCCRP Russian Asset Trackeroccrp.org
- 4ICIJ Cyprus Confidentialicij.org
- 5OCCRP Dubai Unlockedoccrp.org
- 6OCCRP NarcoFilesoccrp.org
- 7Panama Papers receives Pulitzer recognitionpulitzer.org
- 8NarcoFiles and Cyprus Confidentialoccrp.org
- 9Panama Papersicij.org
- 10Scam Empireoccrp.org
- 11Team Jorgeoccrp.org
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