Reportercast October 2022 with Alexandru Flenchea: Transnistria explainer

10/27/22 • 55 min

In this special episode of Reportercast, Alexandru Flenchea, a former negotiator for Moldova's government on the issue of Russia-occupied separatist Transnistria, and former advisor to the US embassy in Moldova, joins host Matei Rosca to discuss little-known Transnistria's role in the Ukraine invasion. Flenchea, who also runs a Transnistria-focused NGO in Moldova called Initiative 4 Peace, explains the basics of life and politics under the obscure, kleptocratic and urecognised regime of Tiraspol, as well as any options the West might have to deter the regime from continuing on a trend of repression of dissent and criticism of Russia's invasion. Moreover, Flenchea delves into the tragic case of Victor Plescanov, a dissident from Tiraspol unjustly sentenced in September to three years in prison for displaying a Ukraine flag and criticising the Kremlin and their stooges in Transnistria. Flenchea analyses the importance of illicit financial flows into Transnistria as the key lifeline for the regime, alongside direct subsidies, and a military and intelligence presence of Russia

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Reportercast September 2022 with Bradley Birkenfeld

Bradley Birkenfeld reminisces about his earth-shattering disclosure against Swiss banking giant UBS and his initial struggle to get the US authorities to pay attention. He also explains the importance of whistleblowers to current efforts to stop the Russian invasion in Ukraine and enforce sanctions. More broadly he calls for Europe to implement US-style whistleblower rewards in order to clean up its corporate sector.

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Reportercast November 2022: Valeria Hontareva on Ukraine's reconstruction and banking reforms

Valeria Hontareva, the former central bank governor of Ukraine (2014-2017), and now a world-famous expert on finance reforms, banking governance and monetary policy, discusses her biography, why she decided to give up a comfortable life as one of Ukraine’s top investment bankers, why she decided to refuse to yield under pressure to do less reform, what lessons can Western policymakers learn, how to carry out a successful financing of Ukraine’s reconstruction, and how to stay resilient in the face of what increasingly appears to be an imminent global financial and economic crisis. She also gives details of her life under constant threat from crooked bankers as she closed or nationalised Ukraine's dirty banks, including PrivatBank, the country's largest at the time.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.