Investigations

Following the shocking revelations by the Pegasus Project, the US authorities have blacklisted NSO Group, while a US appeals court rejected its claim that it enjoys immunity as a “foreign agent.” This means tech giant WhatsApp can continue its case against the Israeli spyware firm  

Leaked documents reveal how Syrian businessman Samir Hassan continues to operate in the British Virgin Islands, despite being placed under European sanctions. 

We traveled to Iraq to see the reality on the ground behind the leaked Ericsson documents. We returned with our bags filled with tales on tax evasion, labor exploitation, ISIS funding and people suffering.  

Documents from an internal Ericsson investigation show how the Swedish telecom giant used layers upon layers of subcontracting companies in order to evade taxes including social security fees.

The absolute star in the Ericsson documents is former Alfa Chairman and CEO Marwan Hayek, who created a triangle of interests: Alfa, Quality Telecom Services (QTS), owned by his wife, and Ericsson, where his brother-in-law worked in a good position.

In 2016, Lebanon was given a $55 million World Bank loan to clean up the Litani River and lake Qaraoun. Five years later only a fraction of the money has been spent, the river and lake remain an open sewer and cancer rates have skyrocketed. Will the people of the Bekaa Valley ever see the rest of the money, and enjoy clean water? 

The loan is, unusually, absent from both the Danish and Lebanese databases – raising initial suspicion. When asked about this discrepancy, EKF claimed that the absence was a result of “human error”.

This investigation is the result of the collaboration between Daraj and its Danish partner, DanWatch.

Rebecca Rykes’ murder put the spotlight on Uber for all the wrong reasons, while the Uber Files show how the giant firm lobbied hard to force its way into Lebanon. Many people claim the firm still does not meet rules and regulations. Yet Uber denies it operates outside the law.

This article sheds a light on some of the dubious honorary consuls through whom Syria, despite the regime of international sanctions, managed to maintain a window to the world