Financial Transparency Coalition

Task Force coordinating committee member Global Witness released Grave Secrecy today, a report telling the story of companies which were used to launder the proceeds of corruption, tax evasion and other crimes. The report shows how shell companies based the UK, Bulgaria, and New Zealand were used to launder corrupt money originating from Kyrgyzstan's AsiaUniversialBank.

Kyrgyzstan is a country that has long been riddled with corruption. Endemic graft and nepotism was a major factor in the 2010 revolution that the country underwent, and attempts by the government to tamp down corruption have been largely unsuccessful since. The country completely disbanded the Finance Police, who used to be their anti-corruption watchdog. In a unique exercise in transparency, Kyrgyzstan will this week be broadcasting the entrance exam for a new anti-corruption agency on live television.

WASHINGTON—In a move that could anger a vital ally in the war in Afghanistan, the Pentagon on Wednesday awarded a major jet fuel contract to Mina Corp., a secretive company that has declined to reveal its ownership but has nonetheless become a trusted partner with the U.S. military.