Book Launch: ‘Indulging Kleptocracy’ and The Battle Against Transnational Enabling

 20 May at 12.30h in the European Parliment Library, Brussels
REGISTRATION

A new book published by Oxford University Press, Indulging Kleptocracy: British Service Providers, Postcommunist Elites, and the Enabling of Corruption, offers a detailed examination of how Western professionals—including lawyers, accountants, and PR agents—have facilitated the rise of postcommunist kleptocrats. Co-authored by John Heathershaw, Tena Prelec, and Tom Mayne, the book focuses on the UK as a key hub for these enabling networks, drawing on case studies from countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan.

The event will also explore wider themes including corrosive capital—investments that exploit and deepen governance vulnerabilities—and the EU’s role in both addressing and, at times, perpetuating these flows. Insights will be shared from the EU-funded GEO-POWER-EU Horizon Europe project, which examines the EU’s geopolitical influence in regions such as the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia.

An expert panel will bring together representatives from research, journalism, and civil society:

• John Heathershaw (Exeter), Tena Prelec (UniRi) and Tom Mayne (Exeter) – book authors
• Sonja Stojanović Gajić (UniRi) – on corrosive capital and geopolitical competition in the EU’s neighbourhood
• Alexandra Gillies (OCCRP) – on investigative journalism’s role in fighting back against transnational corruption

The discussion will focus on transnational enabling—highlighting the intersections between international finance, legal service provision, and reputation management—and how cross-sectoral collaboration can help build accountability ecosystems and resistance strategies.

This event is part of a broader effort to understand and map enabler networks using big data, investigative reporting, and contextual analysis, in order to challenge and reform the systems that allow kleptocracy to thrive.