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NEW: Meet the intergovernmental body funded almost entirely by the Russian gov't.
Besides being an instrument of Kremlin foreign policy, we reveal with @istories_media, the International Civil Defence Organization is also used for personal enrichment. 1/ https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/hundreds-of-millions-flow-from-russian-ministry-into-an-obscure-geneva-organization-and-officials-pockets
Besides being an instrument of Kremlin foreign policy, we reveal with @istories_media, the International Civil Defence Organization is also used for personal enrichment. 1/ https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/hundreds-of-millions-flow-from-russian-ministry-into-an-obscure-geneva-organization-and-officials-pockets
Operating out of Geneva, the ICDO says it's dedicated to strengthening rescue and emergency services of its 59 member states. But their contributions don’t even cover the org's salaries — almost all its funding comes from Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations. 2/
The ministry paid the ICDO to carry out humanitarian missions it assigned around the world, from Cuba to North Korea. Ministry employees even made decisions about which contractors the organization would use. 3/
The ICDO has its own constitution, a general assembly, and a "Permanent Secretariat" — all the trappings of an intergovernmental body based in Switzerland.
But it functioned essentially as a pipeline of funds from Moscow. 4/
But it functioned essentially as a pipeline of funds from Moscow. 4/
Needless to say, officials found ways to profit. Oleg Belaventsev — Putin’s ex-official representative in Crimea — was one of the big winners.
Documents covering 17 ICDO projects show 3 companies linked to Belaventsev received 65% of all money the body spent on contractors. 5/
Documents covering 17 ICDO projects show 3 companies linked to Belaventsev received 65% of all money the body spent on contractors. 5/
Other ICDO contracts went to companies with few employees or minimal capital.
One company received a $2.7M contract to deliver modular houses to Tajikistan a couple of days after it was officially registered. 6/
One company received a $2.7M contract to deliver modular houses to Tajikistan a couple of days after it was officially registered. 6/
Meanwhile, the organization’s former secretary general earned roughly $400,000 a year — significantly more than the head of the United Nations. 7/
This story was made possible by a joint investigation between our Russian member center, @istories_media, and @RadioTeleSuisse in Switzerland. 8/
