Supported projects

RRJOLL - From Rrjoll to Himarë, this investigation exposes how Albania's tourism model is driving the transformation of protected areas into luxury “resorts”, enabled by legal reforms and government decisions that favour private interests over environmental protection.

BRUSSELS - It is everywhere, yet invisible. Hawala, an ancient, trust-based money transfer system, moves vast sums of cash around the world every day, leaving almost no trace. No banks. No paper trail. Just a handshake and a code.

SKOPJE / BELGRADE / SOFIA - Illegal waste disposal and burning pose a significant environmental and public health risk in Southeast Europe, with North Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria being prime examples of this issue. Moreover, criminal waste trafficking close links to other organised crimes.

ISTANBUL / DAMASCUS – This investigation uncovers how Turkey's booming recycled steel industry is fuelled by scrap metal from war-torn countries like Syria. By tracing shipping data and smuggling routes, a shadow trade is revealed connecting Europe's steel supply chain to regional conflicts.

ZAGREB / BUCHAREST – Croatian businessman Josip Heit is under scrutiny for alleged involvement in Ponzi schemes and money laundering. While he claims success through luxury assets, his ties to criminals and warnings from Germany's financial authority about unauthorized crypto trading raise concerns ...

BURGAS / SOFIA / DAMASCUS – Following Bulgaria’s 2025 Schengen accession, its border with Turkey became the EU’s migration frontier. Based on months of field reporting, this investigation reveals that Bulgarian authorities are not required by the EU to address human rights violations in this region.

THE CYCLADES – Tourism in the Greek Cyclades is booming, but at a high cost. This cross-border investigation explores how over-tourism is putting pressure on water supplies, creating waste, and fuelling uncontrolled construction projects across the islands.

FLORENCE - A joint investigation by The Insider and IRPIMedia has revealed that members of the Russian elite, including former KGB colleagues of Putin, Kremlin insiders, arms manufacturers, and sanctioned oligarchs, have quietly acquired at least 15 luxury wineries and over 2,000 hectares of land in ...

COMRAT/ TASHKENT – Russia tried to influence Moldova's political decisions by funding its operations in an attempt to prevent it from joining the EU. When the EU cut off direct channels, Moscow used other routes, via Uzbekistan, to continue funding operations aimed at influencing the EU.

KYIV - This investigation examines how Russian sports betting platforms continue to offer live betting on Ukrainian football matches - including those held near active war zones - using data that can largely be traced back to Sportradar. This company promotes itself as a guardian of sporting ...

ANKARA / BATMAN - The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has announced its dissolution. But will this also bring an end to the controversial practice of replacing elected mayors with government-appointed officials in Kurdish-majority cities?

PRAGUE – In this months-long cross-border investigation, a team of six journalists looked into the Czech Ammunition Initiative - an initiative set up in early 2024 to supply Ukraine with a steady flow of artillery ammunition, to investigate allegations of high costs, poor quality shells and ...

TIRANA/MILANO - The destruction of the Balkans' forests continues, especially in the remote areas of Albania where the law doesn't reach and corruption reigns. It's a deep-rooted and local phenomenon, but it's supported by an international dynamic that involves Europe and, above all, the country's ...

GOMA – Romanian, Moldovan, and French security contractors deployed as instructors for the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s army in Goma, violated international law, faked their numbers and lacked military training.

KAMPALA / PARIS  - This investigation reveals that investments in Uganda's controversial oil projects, led by France's TotalEnergies and totalling $20 billion, primarily benefit President Museveni's inner circle, including his family members, military officials, ministerial staff and diplomats.

BUCHAREST - Toxic chemical smuggling flourished on Romania's borders while the country struggled to become a member of the Schengen area.

BELGRADE - Cocaine production and trafficking has reached record levels, with organised crime groups from the Western Balkans playing a major role in the EU market, working with Dutch groups. The recent hacking of the encrypted messaging platform Sky ECC has revealed the inner workings of criminal ...

LIVNO - In Bosnia and Herzegovina, many quails are killed by Italian hunters, and environmentalists are concerned that wildlife crime is rapidly growing out of control. A team of investigative journalists travelled to Bosnia and Serbia and busted an illegal hunting operation.

CLUJ-NAPOCA – This investigation reveals widespread illegal gravel extraction from riverbeds in Romania, exacerbated by corrupt practices and poor law enforcement. Ongoing dredging is causing serious damage, threatening freshwater resources, agriculture, and biodiversity.

ROTTERDAM - The Netherlands is a hub for Russian whitefish such as cod, and thus indirectly facilitates Russia's war chest. Millions of kilos of Russian fish arrive in the port of Velsen every year, but controls on illegal catches are seriously inadequate.

WARSAW / BUCHAREST / CULIACÁN - Europe is facing a fentanyl crisis. In 2023, victims of this deadly substance have already been reported in a few countries. The team of journalists traces the path of fentanyl from Mexico to Romania and Poland, showing the complexity of the problem.

ROME/MADRID/BUCHAREST - Every year, law enforcement authorities across Europe seize millions of euros worth of properties coming from illicit activities. Land lots, apartment buildings, warehouses, luxury cars or yachts were once belonged to members of mafia groups, arms or drug traffickers and ...

NAIROBI - For decades Kenya has been a purveyor of Olympic medals in distance running, and it will continue to be so at the Paris Games, but for the past decade or so it has also been clear that there is a strong smell of doping attached to the medals. Athletics is one of the most important economic ...

MINSK - A totalitarian state has emerged in Belarus and Russia since the suppression of pro-democracy protests in Belarus and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Criticism and anti-war voices are suppressed with draconian punishments. Democratic Belarusians and Russians are building the alternative in ...

BRUSSELS/AMSTERDAM - According to the European Commission, half of the sustainability claims on company websites are unproven, vague, unclear or downright deceptive. Clothing companies in particular use terms such as 'sustainable' more frequently than other companies without providing further ...

MARTISSANT - "This is where I realise my days are numbered" Joselia, an old lady, confides. In her neighbourhood, one of Port-au-Prince's slums, gangs are fighting for control of the few economic assets the city still has to offer. Haiti, the eternal worry child of the Caribbean, is now truly a ...

KABWE – More than four decades after the news broke about the illness caused by lead poisoning in Kabwe, Zambia, journalists dig deep to learn how victims' lives have changed since the World Bank provided $65 million in assistance to the Zambian government.

BUCHAREST - For almost 9 years, Romania has been criticised and monitored by the European Commission for allowing the large-scale destruction of several mountain rivers for the purpose of building micro-hydropower plants, without complying with the Water Framework and Habitats Directives.

TUNIS - Since the 2011 Revolution for Dignity and Freedom, the European Union and individual member states have funded the Tunisian security apparatus with more than 500 millions euros.

ACCRA – Low-quality petrol and diesel are a major problem for air quality in West Africa. They contain toxic substances such as sulfur and the carcinogenic benzene. When they break down, cars emit even more toxic exhaust fumes over densely populated cities.