Book Launch & Expert Panel | Indulging Kleptocracy and the Battle Against Transnational Enabling

GEO-POWER-EU is pleased to announce an important public event at the European Parliament addressing the urgent challenge of transnational corruption and the European Union’s role in tackling it. The discussion also marks the official launch of the book Indulging Kleptocracy (Oxford University Press), which reveals how postcommunist kleptocrats have exploited Western enablers to entrench their wealth and influence.

Co-authored by Dr. Tena Prelec (University of Rijeka, GEOPOWER consortium member), Prof. John Heathershaw, and Tom Mayne (University of Exeter), the book focuses on the UK’s role as a hub for service providers—lawyers, PR consultants, accountants—who facilitate cross-border corruption. Drawing on detailed case studies from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan, it sheds light on the global enabling infrastructure that supports authoritarian elites.

🔍 Panel Highlights:

  • Prof. John Heathershaw, Dr. Tena Prelec, and Tom Mayne present their book Indulging Kleptocracy and its key findings.

  • Dr. Sonja Stojanović Gajić (University of Rijeka) shares early insights from the EU-funded GEO-POWER-EU Horizon Europe project on corrosive capital in the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova—and how these flows affect geopolitical competition and democratic resilience.

  • Alexandra Gillies (OCCRP) discusses how investigative journalists uncover and confront the transnational networks of corruption.

Hosted by MEP Vladimir Prebilič, this timely conversation will explore how to strengthen accountability ecosystems, expose enabler networks through big data and investigative reporting, and coordinate EU action to curb corrosive capital and kleptocratic influence.

🗓️ Tuesday, 20 May 2025
🕧 12:30 CET
📍 European Parliament Library (PHS 5F), Brussels
🔗 Register here to attend.

*Featured image: The Economist, illustration from “Londongrad is falling down” (May 5, 2022). Screenshot for editorial use.