CASE STUDIES
Risky Deal
Grapevine was commissioned by a client to assess the level of risk associated with purchasing a Chinese fugitive’s corporate assets in northern China.
Among the various issues associated with the deal, the client’s primary concerns revolve around the loss of major contracts as well as the possibility of the fugitive’s company being implicated in anti-corruption investigations.
Based on our findings, we concluded that the risks related to purchasing the assets were minimal as we determined that the authorities do not have any intention of implicating the company in the fugitive’s ordeal.
Public Information Research
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Our research revealed a rumor that the fugitive’s major client in China, one of the three dominating state-owned oil enterprises, may permanently cut business ties with the fugitive’s company , due to the bribery and corruption rumors linked. ​
Source Interviews
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Along with conducting extensive open source information gathering, Grapevine also consulted with local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, as well as sources close to the fugitive’s “backers” who were retired politicians.
The far-reaching anti-corruption campaign began in China following the conclusion of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012. As of 2016, the campaign has taken down more than 120 high-ranking officials, and over 100,000 people have been indicted for corruption.