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Lalitha Kunaratnam Profile
Lalitha Kunaratnam

@LalithaVelvet

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Investigative journalist, researcher & anti-corruption activist. Ex banker. All works free to republish, use or translate.

Joined October 2021
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
3 years
Thank you so much @crdfglobal for affording me the opportunity.
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
6 hours
The recent reshuffle of the top echelons of the Royal Thai Police was supposed to be clean and professional. The reshuffle and concurrent reforms, however, have done little to eradicate malfeasance and partisanship in the force. https://t.co/3U1nnSxD63
@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
1 year
Thai police the least trusted law enforcement agency, as per NIDA poll published in March 2024 https://t.co/cV0GdUmZOp
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
10 hours
“a few Nigerian banks have been complicit, turning a blind eye to transactions that clearly bear the hallmarks of illicit financial flows,” says Nigeria’s anti-corruption commission boss. These losses, draining Africa of billions of dollars annually, “are not mere numbers; they
@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
1 year
"If it weren’t for corruption, Africa would not need to borrow funds from developed nations" Africa is losing more than $50bn every year due to corruption. Seynabou Diakhate, the AU Advisory Board on Corruption (AUABC) chairperson, made this observation at the 8th African
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
1 day
Li Quan, the former chairman of New China Life Insurance, has been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for embezzling and accepting bribes. Li’s case is among the latest in a string of high-profile investigations targeting senior figures in China’s financial sector.
@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
2 years
A court in China found Mr Wang Bin, former chairman of China Life Insurance, guilty of taking 325 million yuan (£35.7 million) in bribes, and concealing overseas deposits. He was sentenced to death with two-year reprieve. He is the latest boss from a major Chinese financial
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
1 day
Thailand: Former DG of the Dept of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Ratchada Suriyakul, has been charged with bribery and corruption. This case highlights ongoing efforts by the Thai govt to hold senior officials accountable for corruption and abuse of power.
@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
3 years
Thailand: The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Chief, Rutchada Suriyakul, was dismissed on Friday to pave way for a transparent bribery investigation. Cash of 4.9mil Baht was found in his safe during his arrest in Dec 2022. https://t.co/kM7eL8sDZB
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
1 day
Two ministers resigned from Philippine President Marco Jr’s cabinet on Tuesday as a corruption scandal engulfed the country and reached the gates of the presidential palace. Both were implicated in an ongoing investigation into “ghost” infrastructure and billions of dollars 🧵
@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
2 months
The Philippine central bank has launched an inquiry into bank accounts of individuals implicated in a flood control corruption controversy. The Philippines has recently been embroiled in a flood corruption scandal. Anomalies were allegedly found in several flood control 🧵
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
7 days
scam-generated revenue is so massive that it amounts to nearly half of the country’s GDP. Recent reporting estimates that this scam industry defrauds Americans of nearly $10 billion per year. https://t.co/UwVH9hce4U
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justice.gov
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, together with major federal law enforcement and interagency partners, announced the creation of the first Scam Center Strike Force to secure America against...
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
7 days
The US Justice Dept has announced the creation of a new “Scam Centre Strike Force” to combat a surge in cryptocurrency-investment fraud by transnational criminal organisations operating out of South-east Asia. In some of the SE Asian countries where these compounds operate, 🧵
@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
11 months
According to the State of Southeast Asia 2024 Survey Report, the rise of global scam operations is the third-most concerning geopolitical trend for regional respondents. Thai respondents form the most concerned group (58.2%), reflecting Thailand’s vulnerability as a gateway for
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
8 days
A court in Gabon has sentenced the former first lady and the son of deposed President Ali Bongo to 20 years in jail. Both Sylvia Bongo and Noureddin Bongo were found guilty of embezzlement and corruption. https://t.co/aEuVMvfjU6
@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
2 years
The wife of Gabon’s deposed President Ali Bongo Ondimba has been charged with money laundering and other offences. Her house arrest order has also been upheld. https://t.co/hDWQNizUhe
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
9 days
President Erdoğan, was arrested in March along with several municipal officials who were accused of running a criminal organisation, accepting bribes, extortion and bid-rigging. https://t.co/t3eUz0Tqw1
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euronews.com
İmamoğlu, a prominent opposition figure seen as a rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was arrested in March accused of running a criminal organisation, accepting bribes and extortion.
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
9 days
Istanbul's chief public prosecutor filed a sweeping indictment against the city's jailed mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, accusing him of 142 offences tied to corruption and organised crime, and seeking 2,352-year jail term. İmamoğlu, a prominent opposition figure seen as a rival to 🧵
@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
8 months
Turkish authorities ordered the detention of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and about 100 others, including journalists and businessman, as part of a corruption investigation, the Sabah news website said on Wednesday. İmamoğlu's detention comes a day after Istanbul University
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
11 days
official, Dr Derek Elias, has risked jail to speak out about systemic rotting and graft in the Nauru detention system – detailing how millions in taxpayer funds were funnelled through secretive contracts to enrich private companies and corrupt officials. https://t.co/x9DZk71Ps1
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asrc.org.au
Human rights organisations have condemned the Albanese Government’s first deportation to Nauru under its new secret offshore deal, calling it a shameful breach of Australia’s values of fairness,...
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
11 days
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre is demanding answers from the Albanese Government following explosive new whistleblower revelations, exposing corruption, cover-ups and criminal infiltration at the heart of Australia’s offshore detention regime. A senior Home Affairs 🧵
@ASRC1
ASRC
12 days
Tune in to @Channel9 @60Minutes now to see two brave whistleblowers calling out the Albanese government for their colossal failures - enabling corruption, criminality and enormous harm to innocent people. https://t.co/YKJD451QyF
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
13 days
The syndicate’s operations were allegedly coordinated from Pakistan and Dubai, with members based in Thailand, Malaysia and the UK.
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
13 days
Interpol has issued a Red Notice against Rishabh Baisoya, wanted in connection with a ₹13,000-crore cocaine haul. The investigation revealed a multi-layered international network that smuggled cocaine from South America to India via Dubai. 🧵
@timesofindia
The Times Of India
17 days
#Interpol has issued a Red Notice for #RishabhBaisoya, a fugitive linked to a massive Rs 13,000-crore cocaine seizure. Believed to be in the #MiddleEast, Baisoya is accused of facilitating drug transportation for his father's international cartel. Authorities are pursuing a
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
13 days
How much do we know about Chen Zhi, the mysterious figure allegedly running a scam empire? https://t.co/VmJlC1sXMm
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bbc.com
The Cambodian national is charged with running scam compounds that stole from people all over the world.
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@LalithaVelvet
Lalitha Kunaratnam
13 days
move to seize assets and arrest suspects linked to Chen Zhi’s Prince Group and regional scam networks. Authorities allege Prince Group ran “scammer centres” in Cambodia where people were detained, abused and forced into labour to carry out frauds. https://t.co/sEmd1iLkcu 🧵/2
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nationthailand.com
Authorities across the US, UK, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China move to seize assets and arrest suspects linked to Chen Zhi’s Prince Group and regional scam networks
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