Bribe, Swindle Or Steal

Acclaimed investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova describes her efforts to uncover corruption in Azerbaijan and the state-sponsored blackmail, and then imprisonment, she suffered. The Caviar Connection, a documentary featuring Khadija, is screening this week in person and online at the DOC NYC Film Festival. 

Dan Kahn joins the podcast to discuss his time at the US Department of Justice, including as Chief of the FCPA Unit, and his recent transition back to private practice as a partner in the White Collar Defense and Investigations practice in Davis Polk’s Washington office. Dan discusses recent trends, the new guidance announced by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and some approaches to pursuing demand-side bribery.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat joins the podcast to discuss her book Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, which examines 100 years of authoritarian rule. She describes the characteristics of a strongman and the strange virility cult surrounding these leaders before turning to the central role of corruption in the autocrat’s playbook.

Etelle Higonnet with the National Wildlife Federation takes us through the complex and intersecting problems raised by the cocoa industry: environmental degradation, child labor and extreme financial disparities that prevent most cocoa farmers from ever tasting the chocolate they grow.

Drago Kos joins the podcast to talk about the work of the OECD Working Group on Bribery, its ambitious Revised Recommendation, what he hopes the group will accomplish in his final year with the WGB and the search to find his replacement.

Casey Michel with the Hudson Institute's Kleptocracy Initiative joins the podcast for a very lively discussion about his new book, American Kleptocracy: How the U.S. Created the World’s Greatest Money Laundering Scheme in History. Casey discusses America’s role in the problem of global kleptocracy and shares some optimism about the path ahead.

Michael Sallah, senior investigations editor with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, joins the podcast to talk about his “Dirty Dollars” investigation into how foreign corruption swamped the very center of America where huge sums were laundered at the expense of the local community. Note: While the sound quality of this episode isn't ideal, we hope you'll stick with the interview for Michael's extremely important insight.  Episode resources:  Dirty Dollars, by Michael Sallah, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 16 April 2021 Mentioned at (01:00): FinCEN Files, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 2020

Hans Greimel and William Sposato join the podcast to discuss their excellent new book: Collision Course: Carlos Ghosn and the Culture Wars That Upended an Auto Empire, published over the summer. The book provides a sweeping review of Ghosn’s rise to executive star status in Japan, his ultimate detention in and escape from Japan, and the cultural and historical context we need to understand the story.

Federico Masera with the University of New South Wales and the Resilient Democracy Lab in Sydney joins the podcast to discuss his recent research, together with Giorgio Gulino, "Contagious Dishonesty: Corruption Scandals and Supermarket Theft." Their intriguing research uncovers a trend toward substantially increased customer theft at supermarkets in the immediate aftermath of local corruption scandals involving prominent public officials.

Tom Cardamone, President and CEO of Global Financial Integrity, joins the podcast to discuss the regulatory and enforcement challenges associated with flags of convenience. These range from trafficked labor to environmental violations and Tom highlights the inherent tension between substantial tax incentives on one hand and accountability on the other.

Leonid Volkov joins the podcast to talk about Putin’s obsessive campaign against Navalny, who was first poisoned with Novichok and later imprisoned. Volkov also discusses the deep roots of corruption in Russia and how the west can support Russians determined to end the looting of their country.

Listen to the riveting first-hand story of a Unaoil executive who found himself at the center of a bribery scheme.

Walt Pavlo discusses the accounting fraud at MCI that led to his two-year prison sentence, his book “Stolen Without a Gun: Confessions from inside history’s biggest accounting fraud,”and his second career with Prisonology

Peter Elkind tells the story of the Enron financial scandal; it’s a timely refresher on that corporate disaster as the Trump Administration rolls back financial regulations.

Sarah Chayes describes her time in Afghanistan and discusses the link between corruption and national security.

Jack Ewing of the New York Times in Frankfurt discusses his excellent book, “Faster, Higher, Farther: The Volkswagen Scandal,” and the outrageous fraud and cover-up uncovered by a handful of WVU students.

Craig Whitlock of the Washington Post describes the sleaze and corruption that compromised the top ranks of the Seventh Fleet.

Will Fitzgibbon of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) joins the podcast with an update on last year’s FinCEN Files story, including a prison sentence for the whistleblower who leaked the information.

Author and business radio host Jim Campbell discusses his recent book about Bernie Madoff, his Ponzi scheme and his lack of remorse, based on extraordinary access to Madoff and members of his family and team. Jim's book is "Madoff Talks: Uncovering the Untold Story Behind the Most Notorious Ponzi Scheme in History."

Joel Bakan joins the podcast to discuss his books, and the films based on them. He outlines the fundamental conflict inherent in companies ostensibly committed to ESG principles while simultaneously driven by a legal requirement to maximize shareholder value. Episode resources: Mentioned at (03:30): The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power (book), by Joel Bakan, 2003 Mentioned at (03:30): The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power (film), 2004 Mentioned at (03:30): The New Corporation: How "Good" Corporations are Bad for Democracy (book), by Joel Bakan, 2020 Mentioned at (03:30): The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel (film), by Joel Bakan, 2020 Mentioned at (11:11): Moneyland, by Oliver Bullough, 2019 Learn more about Joel's work here.