The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), previously critical of India and the Adani Group, is now facing scrutiny after Mediapart, a French newspaper, published a detailed investigative report on December 2.
Mediapart claims that OCCRP, which presents itself as an independent and non-partisan organization, is actually funded by U.S. government agencies and operates to advance their interests.
OCCRP and its financers - George Soros, USAID and US State Dept
Established in 2007 in Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital, OCCRP was co-founded by journalist Drew Sullivan with alleged support from the U.S. government. Since its inception, the organization has expanded its network of journalists globally, forming connections with 50 media partners across various continents.
The U.S.-funded NGO reportedly takes pride in its role in toppling governments in five to six countries. According to the report, Drew Sullivan first pitched the concept of OCCRP to the Director of USAID in Sarajevo in 2003.
In 2004, the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN) was launched in Sarajevo with financial backing from USAID. Funds for the initiative were managed through Journalism Development Group (JDG), a company owned by Sullivan. By 2006, Sullivan left CIN to co-found OCCRP alongside Paul Radu.
Sources of OCCRP Funding
In the following year, OCCRP received $346,000 from the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF). To secure additional funding for their operations, Drew Sullivan and Paul Radu approached David Hodgkinson, a US Army officer.
In 2007, Hodgkinson was serving as the director of the US State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. He used his influence to secure funding for OCCRP from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) within the US State Department.
By May 2008, after INL was deemed lacking in media expertise, OCCRP received $1.7 million in support from USAID.
Currently, David Hodgkinson works at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), highlighting the significant influence of the US government and the deep state on the ‘independent’ OCCRP.
According to Mediapart, OCCRP has received at least $47 million from the US government, $14 million from European countries (including the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, and France), and $1.1 million from the European Union since its founding.
The French newspaper revealed that government funding constituted 70% of OCCRP's annual budget between 2014 and 2023, with 52% of those funds coming directly from the US government.
It is important to note that Drew Sullivan did not secure USAID funding by chance. Seven years before establishing OCCRP, he had visited Sarajevo to train Bosnian journalists as part of a program funded by the US government.
Sullivan had also been involved with the US Space Shuttle program and spy satellite projects, holding a top-secret security clearance, according to Mediapart.
OCCRP's Efforts to Conceal Its Connections to the US Government
In its report, Mediapart noted, “While the OCCRP presents itself as being totally independent, its management have placed it in a position of structural dependence upon the US government.”
It was stated that the NGO also hides or conceals the full extent of funding from USAID and the State Department from the public, media partners, and journalists.
“The US government financing is never mentioned in OCCRP-produced articles…OCCRP appears uncomfortable about the scale of US funding, as the amounts are not published on the NGO’s website,” the French newspaper added.
It further highlighted, “The OCCRP has omitted from its official history the role played by the US government in its creation, only mentioning the funding by the UN…OCCRP has never publicly disclosed the role of the INL and David Hodgkinson in its financing.”
OCCRP co-founder Drew Sullivan has admitted that the creation of his independent 'network of journalists' would not have been possible without funding from US government agencies.
To maintain the appearance of 'independence and non-partisanship,' the organization removed the phrase 'OCCRP is made possible by' and the USAID logo from its homepage.
Mediapart notes that it is crucial for all organizations to clearly disclose financial backing from USAID.
However, OCCRP has been granted a 'partial branding waiver,' which exempts it from the usual disclosure requirements.
Impact of OCCRP on Reporting
The US State Department and USAID influence the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) through their financial support.
USAID holds the authority to veto the appointment of "key personnel" at OCCRP. Additionally, it has a "cooperative agreement" and a "substantial involvement clause" with the NGO, which asserts its "independence."
Mediapart reports that USAID leverages OCCRP's investigations to initiate judicial inquiries and sanction actions. However, OCCRP is prohibited from investigating the US government and is instructed to focus on foreign governments that are seen as hostile to American interests.
The countries affected by this include Russia, Venezuela, Malta, and Cyprus. Mediapart pointed out, “Not only is the US government largely untargeted by OCCRP reporting, but it also manages to orientate the NGO’s coverage by providing funds which the OCCRP has an obligation to use on reports that focus on designated countries.”
Drew Sullivan has admitted that it's impossible to report on a country using one's own money. “We couldn’t use US government or Soros money for US stories,” he said in an email to OCCRP journalists in 2023.
It became clear when Sullivan ignored allegations of corruption involving US-based companies like Microsoft and Bechtel.
The lack of independence and the US government's involvement in OCCRP led prominent US journalist Lowell Bergmann to resign from its Board.
Notably, OCCRP is legally required to adhere to the US Foreign Assistance Act, which governs the use of foreign aid funds to further US economic interests and foreign policy.
OCCRP's Targeting of Foreign Governments at the Request of US Agencies
OpIndia had previously highlighted that USAID, the financial backer of OCCRP, played a significant role in a ‘regime change’ operation in Bangladesh, a neighboring country of India.
With substantial funding from the US government, OCCRP is expected to focus its investigations on nations prioritized by the US.
The US State Department has allocated funds for initiatives specifically targeting foreign countries. Mediapart uncovered that between 2015 and 2019, the department contributed $2.2 million to OCCRP for a project called ‘Balancing the Russian Media Sphere.’
Additionally, OCCRP received $1.7 million for another project, ‘Strengthening Investigative Journalism in Eurasia,’ aimed at China, Russia, and Central Asia, which ran from 2019 to 2023.
In line with US directives, the NGO compiled a global database of assets controlled by Russian politicians.
The US State Department also allocated $173,324 to OCCRP to ‘uncover corruption’ in Venezuela, where the President is a known adversary of the US.
In 2013, the US State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs provided $200,156 to the ‘independent organization’ to expose drug cartels in Mexico.
Other nations, such as Malta and Cyprus, were also targeted, receiving a combined $2.3 million in funding from the US State Department between 2022 and 2024.
OCCRP’s reports were then utilized to actively engage law enforcement agencies via the Global Anti-Corruption Consortium (GACC).
Mediapart mentions in its investigative report –
“The GACC has two missions. One of them is to prompt, on the basis of reports published by the OCCRP, and together with the actions of the local offices of Transparency International, present in 65 countries, the opening of judicial investigations into corruption, as well as sanctions procedures and the mobilisation of civil society.The second is to lobby states to toughen their anti-corruption and anti-money laundering legislation.“
GACC has played a key role in advancing American interests through OCCRP and Transparency International, with former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken committing to increase its funding.
This is why Mike Henning, Senior Advisor with USAID’s Europe and Eurasia Office, referred to OCCRP as "one of the best achievements" of the US government agency.
OCCRP's Connections to George Soros' OSF
In August of the previous year, OpIndia disclosed that the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) receives funding from organizations such as George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF), the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation.
OSF had even provided an $800,000 (~₹6.61 crores) grant to OCCRP to help 'strengthen' its cross-border reporting and enhance its broader impact.
OpIndia also reviewed OCCRP's 2019 annual report, which clearly indicated that funds from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations were being allocated to establish connections between the Global Anti-Corruption Consortium (GACC) and civil society organizations across multiple countries.
Page 24 of the report stated, “In the next year, the GACC will go farther to advance legal action and build ties with civil society partners at the global and local levels, growing its reach and impact.”
“We are grateful to our partners who have supported this unique partnership: the governments of Argentina, Australia, Denmark, Norway, and the United States and the Open Society Foundations,“ it further added.
This aligns with the strategy employed by George Soros and his Open Society Foundations to shape civil society and 'manipulate' public opinions in various countries.
OCCRP Releases Critical Report on the Adani Group
In August 2023, OpIndia had speculated that the OCCRP was gearing up to disrupt India’s financial markets, following the example of the US-based short seller ‘Hindenburg Research.’
So far, the ‘network of journalists’ has released two damaging reports—one in August 2023 and another in May 2024. The Adani Group and the Mauritius-based fund ‘360 One’ have dismissed these unfounded claims.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court of India ruled that the OCCRP report could not be used to question the ongoing SEBI investigation, emphasizing that reports from third-party organizations, lacking verification, cannot be considered credible evidence.
The latest revelations by Mediapart come amid growing scrutiny of Gautam Adani in the US over questionable bribery allegations.
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