Laundering lobby wins in Malta and Czech Republic

[Frank Felix Debatin]

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The perhaps most financially powerful lobby in the world – an unholy alliance of Russian oligarchs, South American drug lords, and tax evaders from around the globe – is successfully continuing its tactic of chipping away, bit by bit, at public access to company registers. The latest casualty is the ESM – the Czech register for Beneficial Owners, the directory of individuals who ultimately control companies. According to the website of the register, the Czech Ministry of Justice has announced that public access was shut down on December 17, 2025. Since then only so-called privileged users, such as authorities, have access. It was only in July that access to Malta’s company register was similarly restricted.