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OCCRP exposed: U.S.-funded ‘independent journalism’

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The French newspaper Mediapart has revealed that the OCCRP is heavily funded by the U.S. government. According to the investigation, the funding of the OCCRP has fueled the debate about its independence and has had an impact on U.S. foreign policy interests.

The French online newspaper Mediapart has published an in-depth investigation into the massive U.S. government funding of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), an independent U.S. research network for journalists.

Many media organizations collaborate with the OCCRP.

This is the result of months of joint research by Il Fatto Quotidiano in Italy, Reporters United in Greece and the American media organization Drop Site News, reports Mediapart. It is noteworthy that Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) reportedly contributed to the investigation but later withdrew from publication under pressure from the OCCRP.

According to the report, the OCCRP, which came to prominence in recent years with the Panama Papers and the Pandora Papers, is largely funded by the U.S. State Department.

The U.S. federal government provided 52 per cent of the money spent by the OCCRP between 2014 and 2023. A comparison of the OCCRP’s annual audit reports and government budget documents shows that the organization has received at least $47 million since 2008.

Before the article was published, OCCRP founder Drew Sullivan accused the journalists of using ‘malicious and unprofessional’ methods.

Sullivan accused NDR reporter John Goetz of ‘spying for Russia’.

According to the investigation, the NDR decided to cease future cooperation with the OCCRP after learning of the extent of U.S. government funding.

In response to a question from Simon Zeise of the Berliner Zeitung, the organization flatly denied the accusation that it had ‘bowed to pressure’ and said the allegation was ‘unfounded’. NDR journalists had been investigating the OCCRP for a long time.

The broadcaster said that some editors had independently and autonomously decided not to continue the investigation or not to publish it. In the opinion of the legal department and the editorial staff, the investigation was not ready for publication.

The NDR announced that the departments working with the OCCRP had suspended their cooperation and shared the current research with other foreign broadcasters. To the accusation by OCCRP President Sullivan that John Goetz was a ‘Russian spy’, the NDR gave a short and clear ‘no’.

Award-winning American investigative journalist Lowell Bergmann (the character played by Al Pacino in Michael Mann’s 1999 film The Insider) said he resigned from the OCCRP board in 2015 over concerns about funding.

“I became aware of the U.S. government’s intervention. Given the complexity of the issue, I respectfully communicated my concerns and resigned from the board,” Bergmann said.

Although the OCCRP had previously indicated that it was seeking government funding, the support was unprecedented. Journalistic standards may have been violated when the OCCRP promised not to conduct research in the U.S. in exchange for funding from the U.S. State Department.

“Our policy is that a country should not report on that country with its own money. I don’t think the U.S. government would allow that,” said OCCRP President Drew Sullivan.

According to Mediapart, the U.S. government not only shuns OCCRP reporting, but also exerts significant influence by directing funds for reporting that focuses on specific countries. These countries include Russia and Venezuela, which Washington regards as enemies.

In an email sent in 2023, Sullivan acknowledged that the organization did not report on the U.S. in its early years, and that its budget was funded by Washington and George Soros’s Open Society Foundations. We couldn’t take money from the U.S. government or Soros and report on the U.S.,’ he admitted to Mediapart.

The OCCRP’s board of directors, however, said that all grants were given without the donors’ right to interfere in editorial policy. However, the OCCRP management refused to provide copies of the contracts in question.

On the other hand, Shannon Maguire of the U.S. Agency for International Development claimed that the Washington administration does not interfere in the OCCRP’s editorial decisions and that they are 100 per cent independent. Sullivan, on the other hand, argued that the U.S. government is “professional and does not try to influence the media, unlike bad actors like Russia”.

The reference to Russia is no accident. The OCCRP has received several grants from the U.S. government for research in countries that Washington considers to be ‘priority problems’.

Between 2015 and 2019, the State Department allocated $2.2 million to the OCCRP for a mission called ‘Stabilizing the Russian Media Space’.

Mediapart also pointed out that the OCCRP led an international media study called Russian Asset Tracker from 2021-2022. The project created the largest database of non-state assets of Russian billionaires and personalities.

According to the report, the U.S. government, through the Global Anti-Corruption Consortium (GACC), used the reports produced by the OCCRP as a kind of “weapon”.

The GACC was established in 2016 following a request for proposals from the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. government is the largest donor. To date, it has transferred a total of $10.8 million to the OCCRP.

The GACC has two main functions: To initiate corruption-related criminal investigations and enforcement actions based on the OCCRP’s findings, and to mobilize civil society and persuade states to strengthen their anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws.

In May 2024, the OCCRP produced a report on Russian sanctions evasion. The report was produced in collaboration with the U.K. think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and funded by the U.K. Foreign Office. One of RUSI’s vice presidents is former CIA Director General David Petraeus.

Mediapart wrote that for a journalistic organization to carry out such activities on the initiative and with the financial support of the United States, even in a ‘just cause’, raises important ethical questions.

OCCRP president Sullivan disagreed: “While some initially found this approach controversial, it has been adopted by other media organizations. We believe the GACC has been very successful.”

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Greece’s Marinakis says paying Hormuz transit fees beats enduring Red Sea shipping crisis detour

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03/06/2026

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Evangelos Marinakis, one of Greece’s leading shipowners, has announced that he is prepared to pay up to $200,000 per transit to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to civilian maritime traffic.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Marinakis stated that paying a transit fee would be a far better option for him than having the strait closed to navigation.

As the chairman of Capital Maritime Group, which controls a fleet of 185 vessels including approximately 35 tankers, Marinakis emphasized that shipowners have been forced to use alternative routes around the Cape of Good Hope for years due to attacks launched by the Houthis in the Red Sea, a detour that has generated substantial additional costs.

The Greek shipowner indicated that paying a transit fee of $100,000 or $200,000, depending on the size of the cargo or the vessel, is far more reasonable than enduring the current logistical challenges. He added that such payments could offset all the losses experienced so far.

Following US strikes on Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the Tehran administration had introduced transit fees of up to $2 million for certain vessels transiting the waterway.

In May, Iran announced the establishment of a state agency tasked with managing the Strait of Hormuz. It was stated that the institution in question would provide real-time updates regarding maritime activities in the waterway.

Ebrahim Azizi, the chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, had noted that only commercial vessels and countries cooperating with Iran would be able to benefit from the facilities provided under this “professional mechanism.”

US President Donald Trump has explicitly opposed the imposition of transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement on the matter, Trump said, “We want the strait to be open. We do not want any transit fees to be charged. This is an international waterway.”

On the other hand, the draft text of a planned 60-day ceasefire extension agreement between the parties stipulates that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open without any transit fees being demanded.

According to the draft details reviewed by Axios, the US in return commits to lifting the blockade it has imposed on Iranian ports. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, announced that the management of the Strait of Hormuz has been excluded from the scope of the agreement with the US, asserting that the issue will be addressed solely by littoral states.

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Pashinyan promises aid to farmers hit by Russian import restrictions

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2 days ago

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02/06/2026

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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has pledged compensation for Armenian farmers affected by restrictions on exports to Russia.

According to Sputnik Armenia, Pashinyan made the announcement during an election campaign meeting in the Gegharkunik region.

Speaking at the event, Pashinyan said the subsidies would be designed to offset losses incurred by producers.

The prime minister also acknowledged that some Armenian products had failed to meet required quality standards, adding that such companies would receive support aimed at improving product quality.

Addressing alternative markets for Armenian exports, Pashinyan said several Armenian business delegations were already engaged in negotiations abroad.

He added that Armenia had received offers for the purchase of roses as well as fresh fruits and vegetables.

Pashinyan argued that Armenia’s agricultural output was not particularly large, describing this as an advantage under current circumstances. According to the prime minister, “a respected supermarket chain in Europe” would be capable of selling the entire volume of these products on its own.

Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) imposed temporary restrictions on imports of stone fruits and grapes from Armenia effective July 2.

The ban covers cherries, sour cherries, apricots, plums, peaches and nectarines, among other products.

On the same day, a temporary suspension was also introduced on certification procedures for live fish shipments from Armenia. Russian authorities had previously restricted the entry of flower products originating from Armenia into the Russian market.

In addition, Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor) halted the import of all consignments of Jermuk mineral water from Armenia.

In a statement, the agency said levels of bicarbonate, chloride and sulfate ions in the mineral water exceeded established limits and could mislead consumers regarding the product’s medicinal properties.

The Russian regulator argued that the growing number of violations stemmed from the abolition of Armenia’s Agriculture Ministry and the transfer of its responsibilities to the Economy Ministry.

Rosselkhoznadzor further stated that Armenia’s Economy Ministry was experiencing structural problems and was unable to adequately perform the supervisory functions assigned to it.

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Zelenskyy urges US to grant Ukraine license to produce Patriot missiles

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3 days ago

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01/06/2026

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has asked the United States to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture missiles for the Patriot air defence system.

In a post on social media platform X, Zelenskyy argued that current US production of missile defence interceptors is insufficient and could contribute to crises in different parts of the world.

“Producing 60-65 missiles a month is nothing compared with the challenges we face today. This is no secret, and Russia knows it as well,” Zelenskyy wrote. “We need to expand production. As I requested from the previous US administration, I am asking the current administration to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles.”

Zelenskyy said US companies possess advanced technologies that are not available in Ukraine, while Kyiv could contribute its extensive battlefield experience in return.

He also argued that granting such a license would benefit not only Ukraine, but also the Middle East and any country Washington chooses to support.

Washington pledges to maintain defence support

Zelenskyy’s remarks came a day after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on May 30 that Washington would continue supporting Ukraine’s defence capabilities and ensure military shipments to Kyiv continue.

“We want them to be able to defend themselves, and we will find a way to help them do that,” Hegseth said.

Several days earlier, Yuriy Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, warned that the country’s air defence forces were experiencing a shortage of missiles.

“Due to certain supply problems, we are practically at starvation levels when it comes to missiles today,” Ihnat said.

Concerns persist over air defence missile stocks

In April, Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine’s stockpile of air defence missiles could be exhausted at any moment.

He said that under current conditions, air defence missiles were more critical for Ukraine than the air defence systems themselves.

Highlighting what he described as a critical shortage of Patriot missiles, Zelenskyy said: “We are facing a deficit now that could hardly be worse.”

Concerns that Ukraine could face a severe shortage of US-made air defence missiles had previously been reported by Reuters.

The situation was expected to worsen as the United States and its allies depleted significant portions of their arsenals during tensions with Iran, a point Zelenskyy also underscored.

In a separate statement in January, Zelenskyy said Ukraine lacked sufficient missiles for both US- and European-made air defence systems.

The Ukrainian leader said he had been forced to personally secure every package of missiles from European countries and the United States.

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