Businessman targets Eswatini journalists with $9.9M lawsuit - ICIJ Farmers Bank, which featured in ICIJ’s Swazi Secrets investigation, and its founder are seeking damages from an independent media outlet that reported on the troubled banking venture.

The founding director of Eswatini’s Farmers Bank, which featured in ICIJ’s #SwaziSecrets, has accused Swazi Bridge, a news outlet operating in exile, of defamation in a nearly $10 million lawsuit press freedom advocates have labeled “abusive.”

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The Swazi Secrets leak — part 1 Swazi Secrets leak exposes the violence and corruption of eSwatini, Africa's last absolute monarchy

Thulani Maseko’s courage should inspire us all to demand accountability and justice.

For more on Thulani Maseko's story and the systemic challenges facing Eswatini, read our detailed #SwaziSecrets investigation:
www.opensecrets.org.za/the-swazi-secrets-leak-p...

Swazi Secrets This investigation examines how a politically-connected oil tycoon in Zimbabwe moved suspect funds from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to the City of London using front companies, fake invoices, and…

Have you read our #SwaziSecrets investigation? Named a top story for 2024 by @gijn.org it reveals leaked documents from Eswatini’s Financial Intelligence Unit, highlighting how financial secrecy supports corruption under Africa’s last absolute monarchy.

Here are the top journalism collaborations of 2024 Here’s our list for 2024, which was put together with input from Mariela, the Center’s Civic Science Fellow Catherine Devine, and members…

Every year, @centerforcooperativemedia.org.web.brid.gy tracks journalism collaborations in its database, and at year-end, the team compiles a top 10 of those that broke new ground, had an impact, or were otherwise noteworthy.

Check out the 2024 list featuring ICIJ's #SwaziSecrets:

How Eswatini became a transit hub for southern Africa’s money laundering networks By Warren Thompson and Micah Reddy

Financial journalist Warren Thompson and ICIJ's Africa coordinator Micah Reddy revisited the #SwaziSecrets investigation, which showed how the tiny African kingdom became part of alleged money laundering networks in southern Africa, for Financial Fortune.

Millions in suspicious transactions tie South Africa’s ruling party to a controversial Swazi archbishop, documents show - ICIJ As the African National Congress heads into a consequential election, a trove of leaked financial records carries echoes of past corruption scandals.

We have found no wrongdoing within the #ANC regarding these #SwaziSecrets. Our comrades are innocent. www.icij.org/investigatio...
#Zuma #Guptas #BhekiLukhele #BonganiMahlalel #Zupta

In Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, bucolic landscapes belie a darker underbelly - ICIJ Behind the scenes of ICIJ’s Swazi Secrets investigation, reporters encountered smiling citizens, gun-toting security, and a simmering undercurrent of fear and mystery.

Reflecting on #SwaziSecrets, ICIJ Africa coordinator Micah Reddy wrote: "On the face of it, most of the locations I visited seemed totally unremarkable and innocuous." Read about the on-the-ground reporting that helped uncover dark money flows in Eswatini.

In Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, bucolic landscapes belie a darker underbelly - ICIJ Behind the scenes of ICIJ’s Swazi Secrets investigation, reporters encountered smiling citizens, gun-toting security, and a simmering undercurrent of fear and mystery.

Behind the scenes of ICIJ’s most recent investigation #SwaziSecrets, Africa Coordinator Micah Reddy's visit to Eswatini led him to encounter smiling citizens, gun-toting security, and a simmering undercurrent of fear and mystery.

Read our latest:

Lawmakers signal crackdown on press freedom following Swazi Secrets - ICIJ After ICIJ’s investigation revealed the role Eswatini may have played in southern Africa’s illicit economy, members of the tiny kingdom’s parliament are seeking to prevent future leaks.

Lawmakers in Eswatini are demanding that the country’s finance minister answer questions about the leak of confidential files that ICIJ’s #SwaziSecrets investigation was based on. Members of the kingdom’s parliament are seeking to prevent future leaks.

Zambia's president shocks by firing the entire board of the country's anti-corruption commission - ICIJ The surprise dissolution follows corruption allegations against the commission by one of its own board members — and highlights political constraints on financial reporting and anti-corruption institu...

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema fired the board of the country’s anti-graft body last week. The decision follows corruption allegations against the entity — and highlights political constraints on financial reporting raised in ICIJ's #SwaziSecrets.

#Eswatini - #SwaziSecrets release of 890,000 records from the Financial Intelligence Unit. #Swaziland

Millions in suspicious transactions tie South Africa’s ruling party to a controversial Swazi archbishop, documents show - ICIJ As the African National Congress heads into a consequential election, a trove of leaked financial records carries echoes of past corruption scandals.

A steady stream of suspicious financial transactions — in the millions of dollars — has coursed through a politically-connected network in South Africa and into the bank accounts of Swazi pastor Bheki Lukhele and his church, #SwaziSecrets reveals.

How international gold dealers exploited a tiny African kingdom’s economic dream - ICIJ Eswatini’s king professed to have a bold plan for a thriving economic zone. ICIJ uncovered two phantom gold refineries channeling millions of dollars to Dubai through it.

Eswatini’s king professed to have a bold plan for a thriving economic zone, meant to be an oasis for new business. ICIJ's #SwaziSecrets investigation uncovered two phantom gold refineries channeling millions of dollars to Dubai through it.

​​About the Swazi Secrets investigation - ICIJ Swazi Secrets exposes the role the tiny kingdom of Eswatini, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, may have played in the regional illicit economy.

Where did the leaked data come from?

#SwaziSecrets is based on over 890,000 records from the Eswatini Financial Intelligence Unit obtained by Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit devoted to publishing and archiving leaks, which shared them with ICIJ.

How international gold dealers exploited a tiny African kingdom’s economic dream - ICIJ Eswatini’s king professed to have a bold plan for a thriving economic zone. ICIJ uncovered two phantom gold refineries channeling millions of dollars to Dubai through it.

What are some of the key findings? 

#SwaziSecrets shows King Mswati III promised a “special economic zone” to repair Eswatini’s economy that never materialized, and instead became a ghost town with two phantom gold refineries channeling millions to Dubai.

Frequently asked questions about the Swazi Secrets investigation - ICIJ Where is Eswatini? Where did the Swazi Secrets leak come from? Who are the journalists behind the investigation? These questions and more, answered.

You might still be wondering: Where is Eswatini? Where did the #SwaziSecrets leak come from? Who are the journalists behind the investigation?

We've got the answers to these questions and more:

Swazi Secrets - ICIJ A glimpse inside the tiny kingdom of Eswatini — Africa’s last absolute monarchy — where suspicious money flows and the elite exploit proximity to the king.

#SwaziSecrets reveals the role Eswatini may have played in southern Africa’s gold smuggling economy — and how weak anti-money laundering controls allow those close to the royal family to benefit from proximity to the king.

Read our stories here:

ICIJ’s #SwaziSecrets investigation uncovered suspicious financial flows through the tiny African kingdom of Eswatini. 

Unfamiliar? Africa’s last absolute monarchy sits landlocked by South Africa and Mozambique. 

Follow along for a quick history lesson. ⬇️🧵

bit.ly/3JlBBRE

The central bank in a tiny African country tried to block a suspicious banking venture. Then the king’s allies intervened. - ICIJ Staff say they can’t authorize any transactions. Clients can’t open accounts. But the newcomer remains in suspended animation at the center of a political tussle.

Read the full #SwaziSecrets story here:

​​About the Swazi Secrets investigation - ICIJ Swazi Secrets exposes the role the tiny kingdom of Eswatini, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, may have played in the regional illicit economy.

The case of Farmers Bank was uncovered as part of the cross-border #SwaziSecrets collaboration, which reveals how Eswatini’s weak anti-money laundering controls allow those close to the royal family to benefit from proximity to the king.

The central bank in a tiny African country tried to block a suspicious banking venture. Then the king’s allies intervened. - ICIJ Staff say they can’t authorize any transactions. Clients can’t open accounts. But the newcomer remains in suspended animation at the center of a political tussle.

Leaked #SwaziSecrets files reveal that concerns over Farmers Bank’s murky funding caused the regulator to stall the newcomer’s license.

Then came the political pressure to reverse its decision.

How international gold dealers exploited a tiny African kingdom’s economic dream - ICIJ Eswatini’s king professed to have a bold plan for a thriving economic zone. ICIJ uncovered two phantom gold refineries channeling millions of dollars to Dubai through it.

Read this full #SwaziSecrets story here:

A quote by Musa Motsa, a farmworker evicted in 2012 to create Eswatini’s special economic zone, which housed shell companies, reads “I am 51 years old, and I don’t have my home [...] and the sad part is there is nothing here.”

There are no remnants of the once vibrant community. And nothing in the SEZ points to the businesses that, on paper, claim it as a base: two mysterious gold refineries channeling millions of dollars to Dubai. #SwaziSecrets bit.ly/3xC9hb7

An ICIJ, Swazi Secrets labeled graphic with an illustration of gold rings with Eswatini’s flag, reads “The ICIJ coordinated this investigation involving: 38 journalists, 11 countries, 890,000 + leaked files from the Eswatini Financial Intelligence Unit.”

Eight media partners worked on #SwaziSecrets, uncovering the role Eswatini may have played in southern Africa’s gold smuggling economy — and how weak anti-money laundering controls allow those close to the royal family to benefit from proximity to the king. bit.ly/3JlBBRE

How international gold dealers exploited a tiny African kingdom’s economic dream - ICIJ Eswatini’s king professed to have a bold plan for a thriving economic zone. ICIJ uncovered two phantom gold refineries channeling millions of dollars to Dubai through it.

Eswatini’s king had a bold plan: a “special economic zone” to supercharge the tiny African country’s economy. But a decade after a spate of evictions pushed residents out, ICIJ’s #SwaziSecrets shows the SEZ is far from a thriving metropolis.

How international gold dealers exploited a tiny African kingdom’s economic dream - ICIJ Eswatini’s king professed to have a bold plan for a thriving economic zone. ICIJ uncovered two phantom gold refineries channeling millions of dollars to Dubai through it.

#SwaziSecrets also potentially connects Eswatini to the larger gold smuggling economy.

Files show millions of dollars were passed from a notorious “cash-in-transit” company in South Africa through a gold refining company in Eswatini, and then on to Dubai.

Swazi Secrets - ICIJ A glimpse inside the tiny kingdom of Eswatini — Africa’s last absolute monarchy — where suspicious money flows and the elite exploit proximity to the king.

#SwaziSecrets, ICIJ’s latest investigation, reveals the role Eswatini may have played in southern Africa’s gold smuggling economy — and how weak anti-money laundering controls allow those close to the royal family to benefit from proximity to the king.

Read ICIJ's weekly newsletter! – ICIJ Be the first to know about investigations, get all the latest news from the network and behind-the-scenes stories.

#SwaziSecrets is almost here: Over 890,000 leaked files from the Eswatini Financial Intelligence Unit were obtained by Distributed Denial of Secrets, a nonprofit devoted to publishing and archiving leaks, and shared with ICIJ.

Stay in the loop:

Blue and black gradient graphic with ICIJ logo reads "Swazi Secrets: ICIJ's latest investigation is coming soon."

ICIJ and seven media partners worldwide will soon publish #SwaziSecrets — a cross-border investigation that reveals Eswatini’s unexplored role as a possible conduit in southern Africa’s gold smuggling economy.

Get the investigation as soon as we publish: bit.ly/3SCsH8c

Read ICIJ's weekly newsletter! – ICIJ Be the first to know about investigations, get all the latest news from the network and behind-the-scenes stories.

COMING SOON: For ICIJ’s latest investigation, 38 journalists from 11 countries investigated illicit financial flows in Southern Africa and beyond.

Stay tuned for the launch of #SwaziSecrets in the coming days. Sign up to get it delivered to your inbox: