Inside the dirty oil business
The Franco-British oil and gas corporation Perenco is little-known but powerful. It styles itself as “Europe’s leading independent oil and gas group”. The multinational’s success has benefited its owners above all: the Perrodo family. The billionaires, who gave their name to their company (Perrodo Energy Company), have accumulated their fortune far from media spotlight and public scrutiny. This series by Disclose in collaboration with Investigate Europe, will shed light on the company’s footprint in the world, including alleged pollution, structures in tax havens and political ties.
Arms giant Thales, in which the French state is a shareholder, has sold to the Burmese forces six radars used for monitoring its coast, Disclose and Info Birmanie can reveal. The surveillance systems, which were delivered between 2017 and 2020 in spite of an EU embargo, may be used to crack down on civilians, including the Muslim Rohingya minority who have been persecuted by the ruling junta.
A vast corruption network made it possible to exploit Interpol’s shortcomings in order to remove red notices against at least 28 alleged criminals. The former chairperson of Interpol’s oversight body – the Commission for the Control of Files (CCF) – and the organisation’s bureau in Moldova were at the heart of the system. Despite warnings, it has taken years for Interpol to respond, Disclose can reveal on the basis of exclusive documents.
