Bribe, Swindle Or Steal

Investigative reporter Sam Cooper describes the waves of drugs and laundered money from China crashing on Canada’s shores. Sam's new book is “Wilful Blindness: How a Network of Narcos, Tycoons, and CCP Agents Infiltrated the West.”

Tom Burgis, investigations correspondent at the Financial Times and author of "Kleptopia", discusses the increasingly disturbing influence that kleptocrats exert internationally, who enables them and the flaws in our efforts to contain them.

The golden passports and visas industry boomed during the pandemic and attracted the attention of policymakers. This week, we’re reposting our interview with Oliver Bullough, author of “Moneyland”, on this shady industry and how it operates.

John Heathershaw of the University of Exeter discusses the working paper he co-authored for the National Endowment for Democracy: “Paying for a World Class Affiliation: Reputation Laundering in the University Sector of Open Societies.” He shows how vulnerable universities are to abuse by kleptocrats seeking to shape the conversation, often quite subtly, about their governments and their legacies. Episode resources:  Paying for a World Class Affiliation: Reputation Laundering in the University Sector of Open Societies, a working paper by Alexander Cooley, Tena Prelec, John Heathershaw and Tom Mayne for the National Endowment for Democracy’s International Forum for Democratic Studies, 25 May 2021 For related work, visit the Global Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence project.

Omar Alshogre, refugee, political activist with the Syrian Emergency Task Force, and first year Georgetown University student, shares the wrenching story of his three years as a political prisoner in the worst of Syria’s prisons. He discusses the role that extortion plays there, simultaneously delegitimizing the regime further and propping it up financially.   Episode resources:  Mentioned at (00:33): The Syrian Emergency Task Force Mentioned at (00:45): Omar's testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 11 March 2020

Josh Rudolph at the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund discusses how we should approach corruption and kleptocracy from a policy perspective and why Treasury needs to ‘get with the program.’ Episode resources: Mentioned at (00:41): The Fight Against Corruption Needs Economists, by Josh Rudolph, Foreign Affairs, 17 May 2021 Mentioned at (03:06): Investment Funds: Massive Transparency Loopholes with Josh Kirschenbaum, senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy, Bribe, Swindle or Steal, 21 April 2021 Mentioned at (04:46): Treasury’s War on Corruption: A U.S. Treasury Department Strategy to Fight Kleptocracy and Root Dirty Money Out of the U.S. Financial System, by Josh Rudolph, Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, 22 December 2020 Mentioned at (10:37): Letter from Sen. Whitehouse and Rep. Malinowski to Secretary Janet Yellen, 3 May 2021 Josh’s latest report: Coordinating the War on Corruption: An Administr

Hayley Smith with the Los Angeles Times, discusses the story she broke about the sale of phony COVID-19 vaccination cards out of the Old Corner Saloon in California.

Amy McDougal of CLEAResources discusses the rapidly shifting cannabis landscape and how to prepare for the many employment and compliance issues it raises.

Renee Dudley of ProPublica discusses her fascinating research into the unsettling world of ransomware: how it works, the role that “recovery services” play and where the ransom money ends up.

Ike Sorkin, lawyer to both Madoff and Belfort, talks us through their criminal financial schemes and how regulatory safeguards failed.

Oliver Bullough, Tom Burgis and Sarah Chayes, authors of three of the best books on global corruption, gather for a panel at the Annapolis Book Festival for a fascinating discussion about how the corrupt operate, often with impunity, and what can be done to slow the pace of looting.

Josh Kirschenbaum is a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy and formerly served as acting director of the Office of Special Measures at Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). He joins the podcast to discuss investment funds and the gaping loophole they create through which vast sums of money can move with no accountability.

Diana Henriques drew on her years of financial journalism and extraordinary access to the title character to write the definitive book about Bernie Madoff. It was turned into an HBO movie in early 2017 starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Diana, playing herself.

Ariel Meyerstein, Senior Vice President, Sustainability & ESG at Citi, shares his insight into human rights, climate change and social justice challenges and the new momentum propelling ESG in the private sector.

Jodi Vittori, with the Democracy, Conflict and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Research, discusses the UN Security Council’s March report on Libya.

In our last podcast before the US election, Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody describe with passion their work with the International Rescue Committee. They tell us what America as a haven means to them and mourn the news that 545 children separated from their parents on the US southern border cannot be restored to their parents. They conclude with a fervent appeal to Americans to turn out to vote in this election.

Jeff Wright, managing partner of Actium Capital, shares a rare private investor perspective on compliance in international deals.

Bill Steinman of Steinman & Rodgers provides a primer on offsets and the compliance challenges they present.

Illya Antonenko, TRACE’s Director of Compliance Resources, joins the podcast to talk about his perception of Eastern European corruption through an American lens. Illya grew up in the former Soviet Union and, as an adult, moved to the United States where he began his legal and compliance career.

Hentie Dirker, Chief Integrity Officer with SNC Lavalin, speaks to Jonathan Drimmer of Paul Hastings about building a culture of compliance in the aftermath of a bribery scandal.