Richard Smith

Richard Smith is a researcher documenting shell company abuse. Past collaborations, credited and uncredited, with Australian Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Al-Jazeera, interest.co.nz, Glasgow Herald; blog posts at www.nakedcapitalism.com

European investment scammers allegedly laundered their money through Scotland

Investigations by European and Ukrainian prosecutors revealed an alleged investment fraud targeting hundreds across the continent - and funds associated with it were laundered via UK corporate entities

By Thomas Rowley, David Leask and Richard Smith

/ 7 Oct 2021

European investment scammers allegedly laundered their money through Scotland

Never mind the Pandora Papers: why secrecy still rules in the UK

Thanks to poor drafting and a lack of enforcement, legislation intended to make it clearer who owns UK companies just isn’t working

By Richard Smith

/ 6 Oct 2021

Never mind the Pandora Papers: why secrecy still rules in the UK

Will the e-money boom make the UK a hub of money laundering?

openDemocracy investigation finds that international money launderers are moving into Britain’s e-money business – with the Financial Conduct Authority's official seal of approval.

By David Leask and Richard Smith

/ 8 Jul 2020

Will the e-money boom make the UK a hub of money laundering?

Revealed: Nearly 400,000 British companies evade anti-money laundering checks

David Cameron promised to stop scammers and kleptocrats hiding behind British shell companies. But almost one in ten UK firms still do not declare ‘persons of significant control’

By David Leask and Richard Smith

/ 6 Jun 2020

Revealed: Nearly 400,000 British companies evade anti-money laundering checks

Revealed: More than 700 British firms blacklisted in Ukraine for suspicious activity

British shell companies provide high prestige with low transparency – perfect for money-laundering, popular across the former Soviet Union.

By David Leask and Richard Smith

/ 16 May 2020

Revealed: More than 700 British firms blacklisted in Ukraine for suspicious activity

The Northern Irish ghost companies that mask crime worldwide

Exploitation of workers, corruption and money-laundering, all kept in the shadows by lax regulation. Could Northern Ireland become “the new Panama”?

By Peter Geoghegan, David Leask and Richard Smith

/ 26 Mar 2020

The Northern Irish ghost companies that mask crime worldwide