Nonfiction

Kleptopia: How Dirty Money Is Conquering the World

Kleptopia: How Dirty Money Is Conquering the World

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-03-05 06:54:23
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Tom Burgis
  • ISBN：0062883666
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Summary

A Washington Post Notable Book of the Year • An Economist Book of the Year

“A must-read for anyone wanting to better understand what has already happened here in America and what lies ahead if Trump is reelected in November…。 A magisterial account of the money and violence behind the world’s most powerful dictatorships。” –Washington Post

In this shocking， meticulously reported work of narrative nonfiction， an award-winning investigative journalist exposes “capitalism’s monster”—global kleptocracy—and reveals how it is corrupting the world around us。


They are everywhere， the thieves and their people。 Masters of secrecy。 Until now we have detected their presence only by what they leave behind。 A body in a burned-out Audi。 Workers riddled with bullets in the Kazakh Desert。 A rigged election in Zimbabwe。 A British banker silenced and humiliated for trying to expose the truth about the City of London。

They have amassed more money than most countries。 But what they are really stealing is power。

In this real-life thriller packed with jaw-dropping revelations， award-winning investigative journalist Tom Burgis weaves together four stories that reveal a terrifying global web of corruption: the troublemaker from Basingstoke who stumbles on the secrets of a Swiss bank， the ex-Soviet billionaire constructing a private empire， the righteous Canadian lawyer with a mysterious client， and the Brooklyn crook protected by the CIA。

Glimpses of this shadowy world have emerged over the years。 In Kleptopia， Burgis connects the dots。 He follows the dirty money that is flooding the global economy， emboldening dictators， and poisoning democracies。 From the Kremlin to Beijing， Harare to Riyadh， Paris to the White House， the trail shows something even more sinister: the thieves are uniting。 And the human cost will be great。

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Reviews

Viola ，

Note March 2022 Source: Tom Burgis@tomburgis“A London company owned by oligarchs from the former Soviet Union is suing me and my publisher @HarperCollinsUK over Kleptopia， my book about how dirty money is conquering the world。 The first hearing was recently delayed but will now be at the High Court this Weds， March 2 “

Abhishek Prakash ，

To the unversed in the world of dirty money （I for one） its a painful read。 To many names， fractured timelines， countries to keep track。 At one point， one feels like just going on without understanding what's happening。 It may make more sense to the people who are involved in the world。 Otherwise it's a painful read。 To the unversed in the world of dirty money （I for one） its a painful read。 To many names， fractured timelines， countries to keep track。 At one point， one feels like just going on without understanding what's happening。 It may make more sense to the people who are involved in the world。 Otherwise it's a painful read。 。。。more

Olga Kraineva ，

Timely read based on worldly events at the moment。 The long list of lies and tangled web of deception and back scratching is mind numbing and depressing。 There are so many names in this book that point to corruption of power that a better question would be who is famous or of political stature that isn’t corrupt。

Liene Gatere ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Can't recommend a better book if you want to understand who is Nursultan Nazarbayev， the former ruler of Kazakhstan， who is still in a formal power position。 Tom Burgis from Financial Times has put a lot of money moving episodes in 340 pages and sometimes it was not easy to follow all the links。 But overall an exciting story about how kleptocratic dictatorships and kleptocratic democracies operated during 2008-2019， highlighting the importance （but lack of） of CONTROL of corruption， conflicts of Can't recommend a better book if you want to understand who is Nursultan Nazarbayev， the former ruler of Kazakhstan， who is still in a formal power position。 Tom Burgis from Financial Times has put a lot of money moving episodes in 340 pages and sometimes it was not easy to follow all the links。 But overall an exciting story about how kleptocratic dictatorships and kleptocratic democracies operated during 2008-2019， highlighting the importance （but lack of） of CONTROL of corruption， conflicts of interest， revolving door， political donations， money laundering etc。 It is also a story about the fate of whistleblowers， investigative journalists and campaigners。 'Kleptopia' was published in the second half of 2020。 On January 2021， one of the main caracters acused the author of corruption and made demands against the publisher HarperCollins。 。。。more

Ashwin ，

Amazing book！ It feels like a fictional thriller although it’s completely based on real people and real incidents that happened。 Very well researched book， best of investigative journalism。

Elena ，

If it was a fiction spy book it would have been nice to read， unfortunately it is a real story that made me troubled and angry。

Emily Haworth ，

Eye-opening & jaw-dropping; an absolute must-read。“The events that shape the world happen the way they do because powerful people make choices based on their own interests and foibles。”

Jean-Paul ，

good insight into the privatasation of power and all the cogs in the system like china， russia， UK， france， Afrika， israel， The US and others

LJ Lombos ，

Fascinating look at （or a microcosm of） the power plays， mass fraud， and money laundering behind the global elite。 I have two main criticisms of this book。 First， I struggled to keep pace with the overall narrative as there were several storylines enmeshed with how a Central Asian-based extractives conglomerate managed to prop up African dictators， kept London’s financial guardians within its orbit， and even managed to play a role in securing Trump’s presidential victory， among other controversi Fascinating look at （or a microcosm of） the power plays， mass fraud， and money laundering behind the global elite。 I have two main criticisms of this book。 First， I struggled to keep pace with the overall narrative as there were several storylines enmeshed with how a Central Asian-based extractives conglomerate managed to prop up African dictators， kept London’s financial guardians within its orbit， and even managed to play a role in securing Trump’s presidential victory， among other controversies。 Hence， some parts appeared dry and confusing。 The other one is the seemingly focused attention of the book on this large Eurasian multinational that it would have done justice to the readers for Mr。 Burgis to have been more geographically specific in his title—I was initially under the impression that it would bring a globetrotting thriller only to find its limited scope to my dismay。 Nevertheless， this is a great and bold piece of investigative journalism and a contribution to a greater public understanding of how corruption holds a tight grip on the world’s powerbrokers and moneymen。 。。。more

Alex Visentin ，

Read about half but I can’t finish it。 It’s Impossible to follow。

Ross Beck-MacNeil ，

（read as physical book） What's it about？ It's a non-fiction book， written by a journalist， about dirty money that enters the West from the former Soviet Union。 Focuses on Kazakhstan， specifically the oligarch Ablyazov， former owner of the BTA bank， and ENRC， a London listed resource company owned by the "Trio"。 Told chronologically， from 2008 to 2020。 What did I think？I liked the book。 It does a good job of exposing thing， even though it can be hard to keep track of all the different characters。 （read as physical book） What's it about？ It's a non-fiction book， written by a journalist， about dirty money that enters the West from the former Soviet Union。 Focuses on Kazakhstan， specifically the oligarch Ablyazov， former owner of the BTA bank， and ENRC， a London listed resource company owned by the "Trio"。 Told chronologically， from 2008 to 2020。 What did I think？I liked the book。 It does a good job of exposing thing， even though it can be hard to keep track of all the different characters。 Well researched。 Would have liked if it had talked more about the big picture， rather than just being a narrative。 Crazy that the author was/is being sued by ENRC。 To have a fair and free society， we need to support this kind of work。 。。。more

Ludvig Broomé ，

Man får kraftig huvudvärk av att läsa om sånt men boken var väldigt spännande。 Vill jämna London med marken när jag inser hur genomkorrupt den staden är

Matt ，

I found this book fascinating but I did find this quite a heavy read。 It is horrifying how so much dirty money comes into the economy and politics。 I really thank Tom and investigative journalists like him for revealing this。 Just overall this was quite dense， quite into the detail of their criminal endeavours and like the money trail， pretty complex。 I suspect brilliantly researched - the mere fact that they had to get the attack lawyers onto the author says a lot。 But as said make time for it。 I found this book fascinating but I did find this quite a heavy read。 It is horrifying how so much dirty money comes into the economy and politics。 I really thank Tom and investigative journalists like him for revealing this。 Just overall this was quite dense， quite into the detail of their criminal endeavours and like the money trail， pretty complex。 I suspect brilliantly researched - the mere fact that they had to get the attack lawyers onto the author says a lot。 But as said make time for it。 It’s not a bedtime read which is when I manage most of my reading。 。。。more

Kevin ，

My friend gave me his copy of this book so I didn't know much about it。 I do read all those bits of Private Eye about foreign dictators fighting out their battles in the British courts， money-laundering， empty London properties owned by corrupt politicians and all of that。 This is a carefully researched book exposing all of that through some very thorough journalism which is then swept up into a winding narrative that spans Kazakhstan， London， the US， Africa， and the Middle East。 It is quite an My friend gave me his copy of this book so I didn't know much about it。 I do read all those bits of Private Eye about foreign dictators fighting out their battles in the British courts， money-laundering， empty London properties owned by corrupt politicians and all of that。 This is a carefully researched book exposing all of that through some very thorough journalism which is then swept up into a winding narrative that spans Kazakhstan， London， the US， Africa， and the Middle East。 It is quite an achievement and I think it is well written and the story side of things doesn't feel too forced。 Some of this I felt I knew and some I didn't but I think what really stood out was how all of these things were interconnected with Russian oligarchs and Corrupt African politicians running their dirty money through London and Swiss banks who anonymize them through shell companies， literally profiting off the back of dodgy practices with very few people raising an eyebrow or even thinking any of this is wrong。 The author has also worked out the problem sometimes with this sort of thing。 As a reader I know it is all very important but it can also be quite boring too read and complicated。 He has tried to overcome this problem by making it more of a story with a few 'hero' people who did their best to try and expose this behaviour。 The problem really is I think he only partly succeeds in doing this。 There are a vast wealth of companies and names， a constantly diverging vista of cities， countries and histories， and forays off into all sorts of new areas all the time。 It is quite hard to keep up and by the end I don't think I fully worked out how all of the things covered interconnected。 It might well be my fault， and I know this stuff is really important （and the author has deliberately tried to make it more interesting） but I still got a bit lost in it all in a way that made it less than completely satisfying。 。。。more

Peter ，

This book is like a sandwich made with really important and well researched information and crusty bread that hurts a little bit when you bite it。

Ben Titley ，

Interesting book， well written but was hard to follow at times with all the different names etc。 Would have scored it 3。8/5 so have marked it down as can't score everything 4*。 Interesting book， well written but was hard to follow at times with all the different names etc。 Would have scored it 3。8/5 so have marked it down as can't score everything 4*。 。。。more

Cole ，

This author cited a lot of things I'd already read; if you're going to read something on this topic， Sarah Chayes and Oliver Bullough are better， more original resources。 This author cited a lot of things I'd already read; if you're going to read something on this topic， Sarah Chayes and Oliver Bullough are better， more original resources。 。。。more

Julian Tribble ，

My real rating would be a 3。5。 The way its written is quite similar to the book putins people。 This book does try to spin a narrative in the chaos that is dirty money and in that aspect is was quite succesful and enjoyable to read。 Insights into the thoughts and emotions of people in those moments intrigued me。 Yet I would struggle to pick it up again， something about it means it is quite an effort to read and truelly challenges me （in certain chapters） to stay interested。

Diogo Matos ，

Great book！I felt quite sick after reading it。。。 Especially because we all know about this， but no one does anything about it！

Mark Hillick ，

Startling insights into the corrupt world of finance， crime and politics， with a focus on Russia and its old republics， in particular Kazakhstan。Exciting read， and well-written with fairly unbelievable stories。

Yems ，

This book has so much potential。 Disappointed with how the author chose to covey his stories。 Makes it nearly impossible follow

Alexandros Potapidis ，

It felt a bit surreal reading this book while on my commute from a little village of West Sussex to the grandeur of London， a place that feels as if everything that is happening in the world is happening there。 The reason it felt surreal had to do with the fact that I had started a new job as a compliance officer for a financial institution， which entails navigating the dangers of financial crime and money laundering。 Kleptopia on the other hand is rift of individuals and companies that have use It felt a bit surreal reading this book while on my commute from a little village of West Sussex to the grandeur of London， a place that feels as if everything that is happening in the world is happening there。 The reason it felt surreal had to do with the fact that I had started a new job as a compliance officer for a financial institution， which entails navigating the dangers of financial crime and money laundering。 Kleptopia on the other hand is rift of individuals and companies that have used political power to convert it into financial gains and took advantage of their funds in order to promulgate their grip on the political sphere。 As the author succinctly encapsulates， "the thieves had used power to steal money， then used that money to steal more power"， p。 48。 Tom Burgis， a journalist for the Financial Times， uncovers only a negligible part of this vicious circle。 In this synchronised dance of officials， whose declared purpose is to serve the greater good of people and society， they are aiming to enrich themselves through corrupt methods。 He dugs into a corporation that has indirect links to the （ex） president of Kazakhstan， Nursultan Nazarbayev， and revealed how this company used its wealth to expose the gaps in regulatory practices and managed to exploit the， thirsty for capital， London stock market。Along the way Burgis unraveled the company's involvement in Mugabe's regime that stole the 2008 elections in Zimbabwe by receiving $100m from the very same Kazakh company in exchange for selling a platinum mine。 Additionally， the author demonstrated how funds whose origins are found to be connected to illicit and criminal activities found their ways to the lucrative sector of the US real estate。 It was the same industry that helped a money mogul to flourish （while doing business with money launderers） and become the 45th US president。 One of the central characters of Burgis' story is Nigel Wilkins， whose role as a compliance officer for a London based Swiss bank and later a whistle-blower， should have exposed the inadequate processes in place to deal with money laundering。 Instead， Nigel was fired from the Financial Services Authority （FSA） when he exposed the truth to his superiors。In some respects Kleptopia is also a philosophical examination between money and power and Burgis is using his strong metaphorical and allegorical skills to walk us through the biggest financial crimes that are hiding in common view。 In essence the book is a narrative reminiscent of an ancient Greek drama， corresponding to the three parts of the book， Crisis-Chrysalis-Metamorphosis。 An accurate allegory of a story of corruption， power， and money。 London is "a bureau de change for converting power into money"， p。 57。 As for the financial regulator in the UK， according to Nigel the watchdog was not policing the moneymen， as its declared purpose ought to be， but protecting them。 The FSA's task seems to be removing obstacles to the transportation and multiplication of money。 In one sense this should not come as a surprise considering the fact that the financial industry is a big hub that absorbs its workforce from the same talent pool， whether it is the banks or the regulator。 In other words， everyone is shopping from the same shops。The interesting element of Kleptopia is its skill to elegantly shift from the general to the particular and vice versa。 From the pity money-launderers exploiting petrol schemes to the notorious kleptocrats that are in the position of power to subvert state institutions and seize for themselves what belongs to the people。 These individuals are known as D。 Trump， V。 Putin， Xi Jinping， T。 Ertogan， and M。 Bin Salman， among many others。 The state system does matter because it is harder to sustain a kleptokratic democracy than a kleptokratic dictatorship; "there are so many more people who could demand to be bought off， and it is much harder simply to imprison or eliminate them"， p。 221。 This is why Donald Trump does not belong to this special club anymore。 The book also excels in skillfully interchanging events of seemingly insignificant importance （a robbery in 1983 Britain） to world changing events （Arab spring revolution）。 It demonstrates how these events can shape the fortunates of individuals who machinate to enrich themselves while stealing from the nation and its people what rightfully belongs to them。 A particular case would be the 2008 financial crisis where banks were saved thanks to public money。Overall Kleptopia is a fascinating work of investigative journalism into the world of money laundering and corruption。 It sheds light to the dark corners of the City of London and Manhattan。 However， it can be exhaustively detailed and offer a vast magnitude of characters。 It also provides links between events that can't be confirmed， which can lead to assumptions without the element of proof。 This resulted in a legal suit by the people the author exposes in the book。 Correlation does not always mean causation and caution should be exercised when examining particular events， but not the bigger picture。  。。。more

Malvika ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4-4。5 stars。 My only quibbles with this chilling， eye opening book are that it's a bit too short for the subject matter and that I wish he'd focused on India。 These are a matter of personal taste and I can only hope he writes a follow up。 4-4。5 stars。 My only quibbles with this chilling， eye opening book are that it's a bit too short for the subject matter and that I wish he'd focused on India。 These are a matter of personal taste and I can only hope he writes a follow up。 。。。more

Eitan Rosenthal ，

Not exactly a great book， but such an important story to learn about: wide-spread corruption and it’s legal counterpart， the London-based laundry scheme。

Maxwell Kenyatta ，

Tom Burgis has done his research for the book and presents his facts in a way that is understandable if you are aware of the international news。

Craig ，

damn！！！！！The implications are staggering。 There is so much to unpack in this book， things that were happening that i wasn't even aware of。 Some of it was in the news but most of it went unreported。 damn！！！！！The implications are staggering。 There is so much to unpack in this book， things that were happening that i wasn't even aware of。 Some of it was in the news but most of it went unreported。 。。。more

Hassaan Naeem ，

Good read。 Lot's of interweaving plot lines， but informative read nonetheless。 Good read。 Lot's of interweaving plot lines， but informative read nonetheless。 。。。more

Vasudeva Reddy ，

In this explosive book author narrates a story that spans over two decades and involves all continents（almost） and explains how dirty move is breaking all borders and making acquaintances with powerful people。 It involves high level espionage， subterfuge， murders， politics of highest order。 Bottom line of the book is kleptocrats are not exception but are normal。 It explains how the highest political powers like Donald Trump， Tony Blair and others are party to that order。 The canvas is so big and In this explosive book author narrates a story that spans over two decades and involves all continents（almost） and explains how dirty move is breaking all borders and making acquaintances with powerful people。 It involves high level espionage， subterfuge， murders， politics of highest order。 Bottom line of the book is kleptocrats are not exception but are normal。 It explains how the highest political powers like Donald Trump， Tony Blair and others are party to that order。 The canvas is so big and at many places it is very hard to follow the characters。 Author made it particularly difficult to follow the flow by using different aliases of different persons at different places。 No matter the effort you put to read it， it is worth it。 Kleptocrats are having only two sides， their side and their enemy side。 And， the irony is， they all unite when it comes to privatization of public resources。 。。。more

Zoe ，

Extremely detailed and well-researched， this book paints an extremely depressing view of the global financial system and how the world's banks launder billions of dollars in dirty money， help to uphold despotic political elites， and the links between these very banks and those with dirty money and the regulatory agencies tasked with hunting out crime。 Despite this， the book is well written and engaging and definitely one to add to your reading list。 Extremely detailed and well-researched， this book paints an extremely depressing view of the global financial system and how the world's banks launder billions of dollars in dirty money， help to uphold despotic political elites， and the links between these very banks and those with dirty money and the regulatory agencies tasked with hunting out crime。 Despite this， the book is well written and engaging and definitely one to add to your reading list。 。。。more

Aly Olson-Turek ，

There is some excellent reporting in here， but I wish the prose was clearer， the list of characters streamlined to those most directly involved in the action to make it easier to digest

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Kleptopia: How Dirty Money Is Conquering the World

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Kleptopia: How Dirty Money Is Conquering the World&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Kleptopia: How Dirty Money Is Conquering the World&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0