Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has put dirty money and the freedom to report on it firmly in the spotlight. Legal intimidation by oligarchs and other kleptocrats to stop details of their economic crimes being exposed has become an increasingly popular weapon in the UK – made possible with the help of some of the UK’s finest professional services.

While we welcomed government proposals that aim to curb the use of so called strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) announced in July, this is can only be the start for defending independent reporting. Just last week, British media companies were issued with a lawsuit from an organisation linked to Kazakhstan’s former president for reporting on his wealth.

It’s in this context, we ask how anti-corruption advisors and advocates can maintain momentum on their efforts to prevent, pursue, detect and deter economic crime and corruption?

We are delighted to announce our expert panel - who will talk about the importance of exposing crime and corruption so the public can hold power to account – includes:

Catherine Belton is the former long-serving Moscow Correspondent for the Financial Times. Her first book, Putin’s People, was a Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller and the subject of two defamation lawsuits by those with links to the Kremlin.
Caroline Kean heads the defamation and litigation practices at Wiggin LLP. Caroline represented fellow panellist Catherine Belton and fellow journalist Tom Burgis who was also successfully fought a lawsuit.
Susan Coughtrie is Deputy Director at the Foreign Policy Centre where she leads work on the safety of journalists and anti-corruption in the UK. She is also co-chair of the UK anti-SLAPP coalition.

The event is taking place in the Gustav Tuck Lecture Theatre in the Wilkins Building, UCL, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT and will be followed by a networking reception.

There are planned rail strikes on Wednesday 9 November, if you are unable to join us in-person you can register here to watch the live-stream of the event.

Registrations are closed

The role of media in exposing corruption: are we losing the battle?