Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1530259
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 DECEMBER 2024 NEWS MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Founded in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and based in Washington, Am- sterdam and Sarajevo, OCCRP has grown into a powerhouse of investigative journalism. Work- ing with a budget of €20 million, the organisation has managed to build a network of 200 journalists across 70 media partners across the globe. The organisation has spearhead- ed major exposés, including the Panama Papers and Pegasus Pro- ject, unearthing corruption and financial misconduct, prompting significant global impacts, such as the recovery of billions in lost state revenues and the downfall of mul- tiple government leaders. The organisation has also assist- ed Maltese newspapers, including MaltaToday, in carrying out in- vestigations related to organised crime, financial misconduct and political corruption. Despite its success in carrying out such investigations, the OC- CRP has come under fire over its financial ties to the United States. According to the Mediapart in- vestigation, approximately 52% of OCCRP's funding between 2014 and 2023 came from US agencies, including the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development (US- AID). The US reportedly retains veto power over key staff appoint- ments, such as the organisation's CEO and editor-in-chief, raising questions over editorial independ- ence. The organisation has defended its position, saying any implica- tions that its editorial stance is affected by the donors "is simply wrong". "OCCRP has no limits on its journalism and no donor influ- ences our reporting. The story, co-written by a disgruntled for- mer member of our network, was unable to cite a single instance of inaccuracy or influence in our work and relied instead on insin- uation and implication," it said in an announcement. "OCCRP has a long history of holding power to account and insisting on transpar- ency even in difficult circumstanc- es, and we have always been open about our funders. We list them on our website, in our published audits, in our annual reports for the past 17 years, and in our IRS 990 forms, which all U.S.-based non-profits are required to file. All of these documents are publicly available." The Malta connection Revelations hold particular rel- evance for Malta, which has seen news organisations collaborate with OCCRP on investigations related to alleged political mis- conduct, money laundering and financial crime in the country. Between 2022 and 2024, the US State Department contributed $2.3 million to projects aimed at bolstering investigative journal- ism in Malta and Cyprus, both described as critical hubs for tax evasion and financial crimes. These efforts included the OC- CRP-coordinated "Cyprus Con- fidential" investigation, which led to local reforms and interna- tional probes. While the OCCRP's aide to newsrooms supports crucial in- vestigative journalism, critics have questioned whether such stories push biases aligned with US for- eign policy interests. The story re- vealed funding agreements bar in- vestigations into US matter while using US funds. This, critics argue, limits the scope of potential stories and rais- ing ethical concerns about selec- tive scrutiny. The co-founder behind OCCRP The Mediapart investigation also sheds light on OCCRP co-founder Drew Sullivan, and his past links to the US government. Initially trained as an aerospace engineer, Sullivan worked on the US space shuttle program before transitioning to journalism in the 1990s. He gained experience with the Associated Press (AP) and later co-founded OCCRP in 2008 to combat corruption and organised crime, primarily in the Balkans. Under his leadership, OCCRP expanded into a global network, producing landmark investiga- tions like the Panama Papers. While the OCCRP's significant financial contribution has allowed it to carry out significant investi- gative work, questions have been raised in the report over its edito- rial independence. Sullivan has defended OCCRP's reliance on US government grants, arguing they were necessary to sustain the organisation in its ear- ly years when alternative funding sources were scarce. He main- tained that funding agreements include "impenetrable guardrails" to ensure editorial autonomy, and no government has any influence on OCCRP's investigations. Critics argue US financial sup- port puts OCCRP's investigations in line with American foreign policy priorities, particularly in targeting nations like Russia and Venezuela. He however argues that investigative targets are based on journalistic merit rather than donor interests. Investigation into OCCRP reveals Washington has right to veto key appointments MALTA'S largest cab fleets have grown, despite government efforts to curb the amount of cab drivers coming from outside the EU, a move meant to address oversatu- ration in the market. Figures tabled in parliament show that between April and November of this year, Malta's largest and second-largest cab fleets operators are among those who've increased the number of vehicles they own. The country's largest fleet which is owned by WT Global now has 352 vehicles, mean- ing that since last April, the fleet has grown by 43 vehicles. The fleet size is more impres- sive when compared to November 2023, when the number of vehicles stood at 269. Meanwhile, the second largest fleet, owned by Gozitan giants Agius Trading, added 40 cars to their fleet between April and November 2024. In fact, between those months, Maltese roads saw an increase of 125 Y-plate vehi- cles, bringing the total number of such ve- hicles to at least 5,434. This figure stood just below 5,000 in November 2023. The increase is surprising given that gov- ernment has tried to curb the number of third-country nationals in Malta last July by not allowing them to come to Malta to seek employment in the cab sector. Last summer, Prime Minister Robert Ab- ela said that the country has enough Y-plate drivers, adding that hundreds of non-EU nationals applying to work as taxi drivers and food couriers are having their work permit applications refused. The move had prompted a price-hike in cab fares, with Malta's largest ride-hailing platform, Bolt confirming that the increase in price was linked to a low supply of cabs. Just this week, employment minister By- ron Camilleri tabled figures in parliament that show that the number of TCNs work- ing in Malta's cab and courier sectors de- creased by 19% since last June. The figures, published in response to a parliamentary question by PN MP Mark Anthony Sammut, did not differentiate be- tween cab drivers and couriers. MaltaTo- day asked the ministry to provide a break- down of the numbers, but no explanation has been sent back. In fact, the figures published by Camilleri raised eyebrows within the Light Passenger Operators Association (LPOA), which is Malta's only cab driver lobby. A spokesperson for the LPOA had noted that cab fare prices had decreased to pre-Ju- ly levels, meaning that, "the market remains oversupplied, similar to when large num- bers of TCNs were being employed." The association further questioned how some fleet owners have increased their fleet sizes significantly, with more than 150 cars added across a number of fleets. "This rais- es the question: Who is driving these cars if the supply of drivers has decreased?" The cab lobby warned that illegal practices remain "widespread and systemic," adding that the 50:50 model, where drivers would work with similar conditions as a self-em- ployed driver remains the primary form of employment across most fleets, despite the fact that TCNs cannot legally work under such a model. Government claims number of TCN cab drivers are down, but vehicles have increased Cab numbers are on the increase