December 2019
Intelligence and due diligence in Russia & CIS
AnotherDay assisted an international law firm on an ongoing civil litigation case with intelligence collection to support a freezing order.
Often desktop research only goes so far when trying to answer a sensitive question; adverse media can be withheld, allegations of corruption not published or hidden, or reporting restrictions observed due to government affiliation.
Getting to a clearer picture requires reaching out to human sources with first-hand experience of a topic, activity, company or individual, and where possible corroborating this through multiple sources, open source information or other documentation. These methods combined give the best chance of getting a true understanding of the exact nature of a topic or problem at hand.
The COVID-19 pandemic, in many areas, has caused a rupturing of human source networks in many parts of the world and has required significant efforts to overcome in some cases. We’re pursuing a strategy to recommit to our source networks: in practice, this means much more regular overseas travel to meet with, train, and develop multiple source handlers in a range of jurisdictions. We have also deepened our source enquiry capability significantly in some areas already, identifying new partners and platforms which will help us develop local capability in the future. Any partner which conducts human source enquiries should be able to clearly demonstrate how they’re continuously building and maintaining human source networks.
Developing and maintaining local human source networks around the world is more of an art than a science, and requires continuous commitment and close relationships with handlers. Our recommitment in this space, we feel, will help to shape and strengthen source networks in a post-COVID environment.
Our team specialise in handling sensitive information from trusted sources, and using it as a foundation of intelligence which can be corroborated through other methods. The overall steps of this process are outlined below:
Once initial risk assessments and due diligence have been completed, and the strategy is clear, we help our clients implement and maintain the control measures required to succeed in their new market (or an existing one which is changing beyond recognition). To do this, we utilise a unique AnotherDay-built technology platform: Cascade.