The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), known for publishing a critical report on the Adani Group last year, is now being investigated for its funding from U.S. government agencies.

OCCRP, founded in 2007, says it has a team of journalists across six continents who focus on reporting about organised crime and corruption. Although the OCCRP presents itself as an independent organisation, it actually receives significant funding from the US Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). These concerning details about its connections with the US government were revealed in an investigative report by the French newspaper Mediapart, published on December 2nd. The report, titled ‘The hidden links between a giant of investigative journalism and the US government’ explores the significant influence the US government has on OCCRP's operations.

“While the OCCRP presents itself as being totally independent, its management have placed it in a position of structural dependence upon the US government, as revealed in this investigation,” it stated. The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project was established with financial support from the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, according to Mediapart. “Still today, Washington provides around half of the budget of the OCCRP, and has the power to veto the nomination of “key personnel” in the NGO, including Drew Sullivan,” it added.

The French newspaper emphasised, “While the OCCRP does indicate on its website that it receives funding from the US Department of State, and notably from the US Agency for International Development, USAID, it conceals the extent of the funding and the strings attached to it from its media partners, journalists and the wider public. The US government financing is never mentioned in OCCRP-produced articles.”

Mike Henning, a senior consultant at USAID's Europe and Eurasia Office, has even called OCCRP "one of the best achievements" of the US government organisation. “The OCCRP has omitted from its official history the role played by the US government in its creation, only mentioning the funding by the UN. Sullivan responds to that by underlining that the UN Democracy Fund payment was indeed the first that the NGO received,” Mediapart stated.

Since it started, OCCRP has received at least $47 million from the US government, $14 million from several European countries (including Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, and France), and $1.1 million from the European Union. “The OCCRP appears uncomfortable about the scale of US funding, as the amounts are not published on the NGO’s website,” Mediapart noted.

According to Mediapart, OCCRP has funded a program that uses its investigations to trigger sanction actions and legal investigations. What’s interesting is that this so-called 'independent organisation' doesn't report critically on the US government but instead focuses on foreign countries like Russia, Malta, Cyprus and Venezuela, which are seen as opposing American interests.

“The Department of State also gave 173,324 dollars to the OCCRP for a mission of “uncovering and combatting Venezuelan corruption” – Venezuela’s autocratic president Nicolás Maduro is a high-profile enemy of the US,” the French newspaper revealed.

Mediapart stated, “For a journalistic organisation to lead such activities upon the initiative and with the funding of the US, even for a just cause, raises important ethical questions.”

In August 2023, OpIndia predicted that the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) might attempt to disrupt India’s financial markets, similar to the actions of US-based short seller Hindenburg Research.

They revealed that OCCRP is supported by organisations like George Soros’ Open Society Foundation (OSF), the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation. OSF even provided a grant of $800,000 (around ₹6.61 crores) to OCCRP to help strengthen its cross-border reporting and broaden its impact. OCCRP has published two critical reports so far: one in August 2023 and another in May 2024. Both were rejected by the Adani Group and the Mauritius-based fund '360 One.'

The Supreme Court of India also ruled that the OCCRP report could not be used to question the ongoing investigation by SEBI. The court said that reports from third-party organisations, without proper verification, cannot be used as evidence. These revelations come at a time when Gautam Adani is facing allegations of bribery in the US.

OpIndia previously reported on how USAID, which funds OCCRP, was involved in efforts to bring about a 'regime change' in Bangladesh, a neighbouring country to India. A research report by the Council of Hemispheric Affairs showed that USAID's interference played a role in the 2018 uprising in Nicaragua. A leaked 14-page document revealed the U.S. government's plan to influence Nicaragua's internal affairs, especially around the 2021 presidential election.

The document outlined USAID's strategy to create conditions for a "transition to democracy" in Nicaragua by working with NGOs, media organisations, think tanks and human rights bodies to support the opposition against the Ortega government.

To justify this interference, the document misrepresented historical events. For example, it falsely claimed that the Sandinista party manipulated the elections, even though the Organisation of American States (OAS) only noted minor irregularities. It also ignored the violent and disruptive actions of the opposition during the 2018 uprising.

The U.S. has a long history of involvement in Nicaragua, dating back to 1856. Leaked documents revealing these plans were not surprising. As Ben Waddell's article in Global Americans points out, US support has played a role in nurturing uprisings in the region, including through funding opposition groups.

USAID has also been involved in meddling with Venezuela's internal affairs. A 2019 report by People’s World explained how USAID, in collaboration with the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), promoted U.S. foreign policy in Venezuela, including supporting opposition groups and organising humanitarian aid that aligned with political goals.

Wikileaks also revealed a strategy by the US embassy in Caracas to weaken Chávez, with USAID and NED funding opposition groups and blending humanitarian aid with political motives. Additionally, the US State Department's Bureau of Energy Resources has worked to reduce Latin American reliance on Venezuelan energy.