Bajo Lupa Digital looks at corruption cases from the angles that rarely appear together in a news story: the companies that paid, the path the money took, and what courts and governments in other countries decided. Each angle is a section with its own format. However, all of them share the same method: primary sources, a visible evidence level and the right of reply. This page explains what you will find in each one and how they connect to the case files of our sister outlets, Auditoría Abierta, Bajo Lupa and Foco Rojo.
Companies under scrutiny
This is the corporate side. Contractors, banks, law firms, consultancies and shell companies that paid, channelled or laundered the money in each case. Each profile takes one person under investigation and rebuilds the companies in their file: which contract they signed, how much they billed, what ruling or sanction they received and on what date. In addition, each company is cross-referenced with the politicians involved in other countries.
For example, here are the companies behind the three annulled proceedings against Lula da Silva, the Plus Ultra firms in the case of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and Westfield Capital and First Capital in the case of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. The pieces are currently published in Spanish; English versions follow.
Go to Companies under scrutiny
Money trail
This is the figures section. Where the money went and what the State recovered: bribes, offshore accounts, money laundering, forfeitures, asset seizures and civil damages nobody has paid. Every amount carries its date, its source and its original currency. That way, readers can follow the full path, from the bribe to the seized property, without mixing what was proven with what prosecutors merely requested.
It is the section with the most published pieces. Among them, the US$9 million José López threw into a convent, Odebrecht’s contributions to Keiko Fujimori’s campaign and the US$100 million confessed by Sérgio Cabral.
Cross-border justice
This is the section on justice that arrives from abroad. United States sanctions under section 7031(c), OFAC lists, federal trials in Miami, extraditions granted or refused, Interpol notices, asylum cases and Inter-American Court rulings. In each piece we explain the weight of every measure. A corruption designation is not a conviction. A granted extradition is not a sentence. That distinction is the backbone of the section.
Here, for example, are the two extradition extensions for Alejandro Toledo, the final conviction Ecuador cannot enforce against Rafael Correa, and the arrest of Jorge Glas inside the Mexican embassy.
Rankings and comparisons
This is the tables section. It sets several case files side by side under the same criteria: who is serving time and who is free, how many years a conviction takes to become final in each country, how many annulments there were versus acquittals, and which convicted politicians returned to office. Every row carries a date, a source and a link to the file behind it. Therefore, a table never says more than the pieces that support it.
The section is under construction. The first comparisons will be published as the other three sections build up comparable files. In the meantime, the regional list of former presidents convicted, on trial or acquitted is available at Auditoría Abierta.
Go to Rankings and comparisons
Cases of corruption
This is the general section. It gathers pieces that cut across several angles at once, or that present a new case before breaking it down into companies, money and justice. Within the network, the person-level case files live at Auditoría Abierta, with the analysis by fronts, and at Bajo Lupa, with the judicial timeline. For that reason, Bajo Lupa Digital does not repeat them: it links to them and adds the missing angle.
How the five sections connect
Each person under investigation can appear in three pieces on this site: one on their companies, one on their money and one on foreign justice. The three link to each other and to the full case file at the sister outlets. Afterwards, the comparisons take those pieces and put them in a table. So anyone who arrives looking for one figure can go as deep as they like without leaving the network.
If you are looking for a company, start with Companies under scrutiny. For a figure, Money trail. To know what another country decided, Cross-border justice. To compare cases, Rankings and comparisons. And to see who is behind each name, the case files at Auditoría Abierta.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How does Bajo Lupa Digital differ from Auditoría Abierta and Bajo Lupa?
All three share the same author, method and people under investigation. However, each adds an angle. Auditoría Abierta analyses every case file by fronts and evidence levels. Bajo Lupa follows the judicial timeline and fact-checks rumours. Bajo Lupa Digital looks at the companies, the money and the justice of other countries. Foco Rojo, the fourth outlet, tracks early warnings, cases without closure and whistleblowers.
Why does the same person appear in several sections?
Because each section answers a different question about the same case. Keiko Fujimori, for example, has a piece in Money trail about her campaign contributions. If a foreign sanction or a regional comparison involving her appears in the future, she will appear there too, always with links to the others.
What does it mean that a figure is “proven”?
That it appears in a judgment, an official resolution or a public document we link to. Figures that prosecutors merely requested, or that come from uncorroborated testimony, are marked as documented but disputed. Figures circulating without a document behind them do not enter the tables.
Is a United States sanction a conviction?
No. A designation under section 7031(c) or inclusion on OFAC lists are administrative measures by the US Government. They require no trial and prove no crime. In Cross-border justice we explain, case by case, what is a conviction, what is a sanction and what is only an open investigation.
Can I propose a case or request a correction?
Yes. Write to us through the contact page. We review every proposal with the same method we apply to what we publish. Corrections are recorded at the foot of each piece with their date.