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cynthiao.bsky.social

@cynthiao.bsky.social
6.7K followers 78 following 177 posts

Financial Times reporter. Investigations. Following the dodgy money. Have a tip? Contact me at cynthia.omurchu@ft.com

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Reposted by @cynthiao.bsky.social
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 23/09/2026
FT Exclusive: Billions of dollars of Rosneft’s foreign earnings were funnelled through a Kremlin-backed money laundering network, putting the state oil group at the heart of Russia’s efforts to circumvent sanctions and supply its war in Ukraine. ft.trib.al/eYbw0gW
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Power, corruption & lies with Patrick Radden Keefe democracyforsale.substack.com/p/power-corr...
democracyforsale.substack.com
Power, corruption & lies with Patrick Radden Keefe
As crypto billionaire Ben Delo gives £36m to Reform, the acclaimed London Falling author tells us why he thinks Britain may not be far behind Trump’s America.
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 09/09/2026
The Met Police has launched an inquiry into allegations that Reform UK broke electoral law. We welcome the investigation. But the govt must also use its elections bill to strengthen penalties for electoral finance offences. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
"Democracy for Sale will continue scrutinising money and influence in our politics, wherever we find it. "Reform can stop us going to their conference. But Farage and his friends can’t stop our journalism." New by me, on being banned by Reform democracyforsale.substack.com/p/ive-been-b...
democracyforsale.substack.com
I’ve been banned by Reform. But this isn’t really about me.
My press accreditation for Reform’s conference was revoked. This should concern us all.
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Naomi Fowler @naomifowler.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This is awful news. 'Beyond outraged' - press freedom group slams Yorgen Fenech trial verdict. timesofmalta.com/article/beyo...
timesofmalta.com
'Beyond outraged' - press freedom group slams Yorgen Fenech trial verdict
‘Full justice’ remains elusive almost nine years after Caruana Galizia assassination
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Laura Hughes @laurahughesft.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Our latest @financialtimes.com film looks at the rise of Palantir and the mounting scrutiny the company is facing on both sides of the Atlantic. @dangarrahan.bsky.social @joemillerjr.ft.com @cynthiao.bsky.social #palantir #nhs #technology #data www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ5X...
youtube.com
Palantir: profits, procurement and power | FT Film
YouTube video by Financial Times
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 07/07/2026
It is deeply concerning when politicians seek to weaponise the issue of ethics and integrity to claim that legitimate investigations by established regulators are in fact illegitimate attempts to silence them.
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 07/07/2026
The question for Nigel Farage now is whether it's less embarrassing to un-resign and claim that was an establishment stitchup, or to spend a month competing with a bin. Neither is exactly a *great* option. Neither solves his ongoing scandals. And it's a mess entirely of his own making.
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
as.ft.com/r/7f413e3b-1... The price of Palantir’s politics
as.ft.com
The price of Palantir’s politics
Pushback to the tech group’s politics may threaten the core of its $330bn business
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 22/06/2026
Congress is getting ready to remove the requirement that shell companies register their real owners. The bill "will restore America’s status as the leading offshore haven"
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j... “The demonstrations are huge because people are tired of this injustice. They’re tired of all the corruption. One of our slogans is ‘stop the dictatorship of dirty money’ because we’ve learned from experience that similar projects only ever benefit a wealthy few.”
theguardian.com
‘We want a new Albania’: protests against Jared Kushner-backed resort turn anger on government
Opposition to plans for ‘small paradise’ island of Sazan becomes wave of dissent against establishment
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
5 (!) years ago the FT cracked open funky invoices and dodgy lobbying. Today Greensill was banned from UK directorships. But where is the Serious Fraud Office with its probe into Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG and its financing arrangements with Greensill?? @bondhack.ft.com as.ft.com/r/59893149-7...
as.ft.com
Lex Greensill banned from UK directorships for 9 years
Financier’s disqualification from Insolvency Service comes 5 years after Greensill Capital collapse
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 04/06/2026
3. ⏰ The Greensill scandal is a reminder of what happens when political access, weak oversight and private interests become too closely intertwined. It is alarming that so few of the recommendations made after the lobbying scandal it exposed have been implemented five years on.
spotlightcorruption.org
Lobbying scorecard: what has happened to lobbying transparency under the new government? - Spotlight on Corruption
Today we are releasing a lobbying scorecard on where the new government has got to on lobbying transparency. While the previous government committed to
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Reposted by @cynthiao.bsky.social
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 04/06/2026
SpaceX IPO shows Musk’s genius is in mythmaking ft.trib.al/zQuitF7
ft.trib.al
SpaceX IPO shows Musk’s genius is in mythmaking
How exactly the company plans to support its gargantuan valuation is not obvious
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Sue Hawley @suehawley.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
This case should surely add to calls for companies themselves to face some responsibility and accountability where those they employ break post-employment rules about lobbying. @ethicsandintegrity.bsky.social @appgonacrt.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social @direthoughts.com
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
An absolute pleasure to talk to @privateeyenews.bsky.social about Democracy for Sale's investigation into Labour Together hiring a PR firm to target journalists who were reporting on the undeclared political funding that powered Starmer's rise to power The Paul Foot awards really are the best
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
🔴 Keir Starmer promised to crackdown on "Slapps" - abusive libel cases to silence journalists and critics Then Labour quietly dropped it We can reveal why: a three-year lobbying blitz by libel lawyers who've acted for Russian oligarchs, Epstein + more democracyforsale.substack.com/p/how-lawyer...
democracyforsale.substack.com
How lawyers to the super-rich strangled Labour's Slapp bill
Exclusive: A discreet lobbying campaign by lawyers who have acted for oligarchs and the super-rich told government that reforming England's libel laws was too difficult.
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 13/05/2026
“The likelihood of PII appearing in AI training data is only increasing as public data ‘runs out’ and AI companies look for new sources of high-quality training data. This includes information from data brokers and people-search websites.”
technologyreview.com
AI chatbots are giving out people’s real phone numbers
People report that their personal contact info was surfaced by Google AI—and there’s apparently no easy way to prevent it.
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
The (data) plot thickens. “NHS England has granted external staff from companies including Palantir “unlimited access” to identifiable patient data while working on a part of its flagship data platform.” www.ft.com/content/8ce1...
ft.com
NHS to grant Palantir contractors ‘unlimited access’ to patient data
Staff from consultancy firms drafted in to work on Federated Data Platform project set to benefit
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
APCO Worldwide executive sought to ‘get rid’ of documents despite legal warning in dispute over controversial dossier on journalists commissioned by UK’s Labour Together. Listen to the audio ⤵️ Story by Miles Johnson
as.ft.com
PR executive tried to ‘get rid’ of documents despite legal warning
Audio recordings reveal Tom Harper told contractor to destroy material about an investigation into journalists
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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 27/04/2026
the water wars are picking up. One to bookmark.
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Tony Tassell @tonytassell.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Six lessons from history’s greatest financial crises - great read here from @robinwigglesworth.ft.com and Gillian Tett to kick off the FT’s Story of Money podcast www.ft.com/content/0bd7...
ft.com
Six lessons from history’s greatest financial crises
The Babylonians had debt defaults. The S&L scandal led to 2008. What else does the past tell us?
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 16/04/2026
MPs advertising products on behalf of private companies, or being brand ambassadors, creates very real conflicts of interest. If the MPs code of conduct doesn't address this, then it's a major gap that needs to be addressed. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
CEO of bitcoin firm championed by Nigel Farage leaves company
Resignation announced of Jai Patel, whose liquidated crypto firm was relaunched as Stack BTC this year
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Great deep dive into how US law firm's entanglement with Jeffrey Epstein brought down its boss - led by the amazing @kayewiggins.ft.com www.ft.com/content/064e...
ft.com
Apollo, Paul Weiss and Epstein: how a star client brought down a Big Law boss
Apollo’s Leon Black asked lawyer Brad Karp to settle a fee dispute with Jeffrey Epstein. It was the start of a years-long relationship
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Reposted by @cynthiao.bsky.social
Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
A tax barrister sued me personally for £8m for libel after we linked him to a tax avoidance scheme. Today the High Court struck out the claim, granted summary judgment, and ruled it was a SLAPP. The judgment is highly critical.
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
St. Lucia signed contracts with investors, which could have potentially translated into tens of thousands of citizenships, including with a company linked to a Montenegro businessman who was shortly thereafter arrested on allegations that he was part of a tobacco smuggling ring. #DueDiligence
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
On that note, the UK home office just revoked visa-free access to St. Lucians citing a threat to border security posed by its Citizenship by Investment programme #CitizenshipByInvestment www.gov.uk/government/n...
gov.uk
Over £370 million saved in crackdown on asylum claims by tourists
Almost £400 million has been saved in asylum accommodation and support costs after a crackdown on tourists abusing the UK’s immigration system.
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Peter Andringa @peter.andringa.me · 25/02/2026
It was great to work with Michela and the brilliant Behind the Money team this week to share our reporting on ICE. Find it in your podcast app below:
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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
This post is the single best advert for the fact that proper local journalism matters. If Jim’s team hadn’t put the pieces together quickly, this wouldn’t have been stopped.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Woken up to lots of unhappy messages about us keeping on this story Sorry but if a political org - run by a now Minister - hires private intel to smear journalists then takes these baseless smears to security services, I will investigate it. And keep investigating until accountability happens
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Dan McCrum @mccrum.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Internal bank documents show the scale of secret shareholdings in India’s Adani, at the very moment Hindenburg accused it of “brazen market manipulation” An FT and OCCRP collab. as.ft.com/r/eb906e00-d...
as.ft.com
Bank probe reveals Adani associates’ secret investments
[FREE TO READ] People close to Indian conglomerate accused of market manipulation held billions of dollars’ worth of shares
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
🚨 Cabinet Office investigating Labour Together and Josh Simons over campaign to smear journalists But...ministers overseeing inquiry have received £150,000+ from Labour think tank Experts and MPs demand 'full independent investigation' New on D4S: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-g... 🧵
democracyforsale.substack.com
Revealed: Government accused of ‘conflict of interest’ over journalist smear inquiry
Starmer said Cabinet Office will investigate Josh Simons and Labour Together - but its ministers have received more than £150,000 from the think tank and its directors
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Tens of thousands of "golden passports", a movie producer turned sleuth, and the Chinese-owned company building a jail in the Caribbean www.ft.com/content/7767... "The total number of citizenship by investment citizens likely surpasses the native population of St Kitts and Nevis".
ft.com
The man who saw too much
After decades chasing stars and scrambling for financing, Philippe Martinez became an unlikely crusader
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 11/02/2026
UK to ban political party donations from foreign-owned companies ft.trib.al/9IPn1l3
ft.trib.al
UK to ban political party donations from foreign-owned companies
Government says new legislation will curb overseas interference in elections
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... “Epstein got away with his crimes because nearly every element of society allowed him to get away with them.”
theguardian.com
So the Epstein scandal is about politics? Silly me for thinking it’s about the mass abuse of women and girls | Marina Hyde
Obsessing over individual players and political chaos leaves less time to focus on the misogyny. And that’s for the best, isn’t it guys, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons commissioned PR firm to investigate journalists and their sources Why? Because they were digging into the dark money behind Labour Together, and Keir Starmer's rise Me on D4S, on why our revelations matter so much: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/labour-tog...
democracyforsale.substack.com
‘Labour Together broke the law’
The think tank that propelled Starmer to power hired private investigators to shut down scrutiny of its dark money - I speak to one of its targets, journalist Paul Holden
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
That @petergeoghegan.bsky.social is onto something here and he's not letting go of it open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
open.substack.com
‘Labour Together broke the law’
The think tank that propelled Starmer to power hired private investigators to shut down scrutiny of its dark money - I speak to one of its targets, journalist Paul Holden
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Robert Smith @bondhack.ft.com · 07/02/2026
Ariane de Rothschild ousted her husband as CEO of his family’s storied bank, negotiated a big DOJ settlement and examined several mergers Behind every move was none other than Jeffrey Epstein, who had found his backdoor into one of Europe’s most powerful banking dynasties www.ft.com/content/0d70...
ft.com
How the house of Rothschild became entangled with Epstein
Swiss private bank Edmond de Rothschild was in trouble. Ariane de Rothschild turned to Jeffrey Epstein
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
www.ft.com/content/8b04... Epstein helped Ian Osborne establish Hedosophia, one of London’s most secretive technology funds
ft.com
Epstein propelled investment career of UK power broker Ian Osborne
Convicted sex offender helped establish tech fund Hedosophia after Osborne offered to help clean up Epstein’s image
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
as.ft.com/r/3152dedf-7... Ron DeSantis lashes out at ‘harmful’ AI in break with Trump’s White House
as.ft.com
Ron DeSantis lashes out at ‘harmful’ AI in break with Trump’s White House
[FREE TO READ] Florida’s Republican governor criticises attempts by administration to ‘kneecap states and let Big Tech write the rules’
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
The Epstein rot goes deep “Having been invited in 2010 to an Epstein dinner with Woody Allen and then Prince Andrew in New York, the magazine editor, Tina Brown, replied: “What the fuck is this . . .? The paedophile’s ball?” as.ft.com/r/9fb21859-9...
as.ft.com
The Epstein rot goes deep
[FREE TO READ] America must now ask itself if it can restore a culture of shame
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Jared Holt @jaredlholt.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Let’s try this one in foreign correspondent voice: State Security Forces Arrest Journalist Who Covered Protests Against Regime Official
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Stephen Abbott Pugh @stephenabbottpugh.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Worth noting that the fee for accessing information on the Cayman Islands beneficial ownership search platform by a licensed financial institution or a designated non-financial business or profession is set at $1500 USD per user per year
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
as.ft.com/r/67e1bbe6-8... Jeffrey Epstein sent thousands of pounds to Peter Mandelson’s husband, emails show
as.ft.com
Jeffrey Epstein sent thousands of pounds to Peter Mandelson’s husband, emails show
[FREE TO READ] Epstein sent Reinaldo Avila da Silva payments starting in 2009
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u... "They are going to carry guns and use cars as weapons, then they run the risk of getting killed", Mrs Lipinski,62, said." 1. Read the first amendment of the US Constitution 2. Read the second amendment 3. Read the 10 commandments (from murder to lying) Then ponder.
nytimes.com
A Shocked Nation Watches Minneapolis Killings: ‘Something Needs to Change’
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
as.ft.com/r/1e92e5b2-a... Trump’s ‘New Gaza’ vision contrasts with the devastation on the ground “…a bombed-out wasteland where Israel continues to restrict essential goods, babies die of hypothermia and Israeli troops open fire on Gazans almost every day”
as.ft.com
Trump’s ‘New Gaza’ vision collides with devastation on the ground
[FREE TO READ] Progress on US-backed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas faces enormous obstacles as conditions remain dire
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cynthiao.bsky.social @cynthiao.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
www.ft.com/content/c309... "Humanity is about to be handed almost unimaginable power and it is deeply unclear whether our social, political and technological systems possess the maturity to wield it." Uhm, it is very clear that they do not possess the maturity. Just look at social media.
ft.com
‘Humanity needs to wake up’ to dangers of AI, says Anthropic chief
Dario Amodei posts 20,000-word essay detailing potentially catastrophic risks from powerful technology in years to come
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 23/01/2026
Nigel Farage attended Davos on a pass sponsored by the family office of Iranian billionaire Sasan Ghandehari, which told the World Economic Forum that the Reform UK leader had advised the company since 2018. ft.trib.al/V138xDu
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Jim Waterson @jim.londoncentric.media · 24/01/2026
This is one of the strangest and most screwed-up stories I’ve worked on. www.londoncentric.media/p/tiktok-lon...
londoncentric.media
Who's secretly filming fake TikToks inside Londoners' homes?
We tracked down the viral video account invading people's houses to spread false claims about immigrants.
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