Waging Justice
The Sentry is an investigative and policy organization and CFJ’s strategic partner. It seeks to disable multinational predatory networks that benefit from violent conflict, repression, and kleptocracy.
Pull back the curtain on wars, mass atrocities, and other human rights abuses, and you’ll find grand corruption and unchecked greed. These tragedies persist because the perpetrators rarely face meaningful consequences. The Sentry aims to alter the warped incentive structures that continually undermine peace and good governance. Our investigations follow the money as it is laundered from war zones to financial centers around the world. We provide evidence and strategies for governments, banks, and law enforcement to hold the perpetrators and enablers of violence and corruption to account. These efforts provide new leverage for human rights, peace, and anti-corruption efforts.
Co-founded by George Clooney and John Prendergast, The Sentry is a strategic partner of the Clooney Foundation for Justice.
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What We Do
Launched in 2016, The Sentry produces hard-hitting investigative reports and dossiers on individuals and entities connected to grand corruption and violence.
We advocate for the use of tools of financial and legal pressure, including anti-money laundering and illicit finance measures, targeted network sanctions, criminal prosecutions, compliance actions by banks and other private companies, and asset recovery. As a result of our work, money laundering routes have been exposed and shut down, assets have been frozen, travel has been banned, and corrupt networks have been cut off from the international financial system. Through strategic partnerships with governments, global banks, and other private and public organizations, The Sentry has succeeded in creating real consequences for many of the officials and commercial actors perpetuating and profiting from war, mass atrocities, and other human rights abuses.
Recent Reports
Our Impact
In 2021, The Sentry focused on the cross-border networks and international enablers that facilitate the corruption that lies at the root of so much suffering around the world.
- Our persistent investigations and advocacy targeting corrupt business tycoons like Dan Gertler, Benjamin Bol Mel, and Al-Cardinal resulted in new and updated network sanctions against all three men and their companies by the US Department of the Treasury.
- Our investigations highlighted the responsibility of corporate actors—from the French-owned Castel Group, a global sugar and beverage giant, to Russia’s Wagner Group, a private mercenary army—for atrocities committed in the CAR.
- Evidence surfaced by The Sentry triggered an internal investigation by Castel Group, contributed to EU sanctions against Wagner and Valery Zakharov in particular, and served as the basis for a criminal indictment against Hassan Bouba, a government minister and former militia leader with links to both.
- As a member of the Congo Hold-up consortium, The Sentry helped investigate Africa’s biggest data leak, revealing how family and friends of former President Joseph Kabila stole millions of dollars of public funds and then stashed those millions in overseas real estate.
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About the Team
You can learn about the rest of the team members at The Sentry here.
Please note, some staff are not listed for security reasons.
