# Kleptopia > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kleptopia > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kleptopia.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleptopia > Source revision: 1356519696 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) ***Kleptopia: How Dirty Money Is Conquering the World*** by Tom Burgis is a non-fiction book about the combined effects of [globalization](/source/Globalization) and worldwide forces of corruption, published in 2020. The book uses narrative nonfiction and true crime tropes to detail and explore global [kleptocractic](/source/Kleptocracy) effects and consequences – with Kazakhstan in particular "featur[ing] heavily in Burgis's investigation"[1] – as well as how practices of corruption (such as [money laundering](/source/Money_laundering)) entrench themselves via [shell corporations](/source/Shell_corporations), the [dark money banking system](/source/Banking_system), and [political lobbying](/source/Lobbying). Burgis anchors the book with the stories of four individuals, which the [Financial Times](/source/Financial_Times) described as "elegantly woven together and delivered in a form that makes the technicalities of finance accessible to the non-expert."[2] On 9 September 2021, it was reported that mining company [Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC)](/source/Eurasian_Natural_Resources_Corporation), parent [Eurasian Resources Group](/source/Eurasian_Resources_Group), had taken legal action against the publishers in respect of claims made in the book[3] that was later dismissed. ## Reception A reviewer for *[The Times](/source/The_Times)* of London described the book as "meticulously reported piece of investigative journalism, it is written in the style of a fast-paced thriller."[4] A [*Washington Post*](/source/The_Washington_Post) article notes, "Burgis is a strong storyteller. We can visualize diamonds smuggled in a toothpaste tube for Swiss banking clients. We see a lawyer taking SIM cards with important contacts from her oligarch client and concealing them in a candy wrapper as he fled one snowy night on a private plane from his home country for asylum in London."[5] The book was also listed as one of the publication's 50 notable works of nonfiction for 2020.[6] [The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)'s review voiced some criticism over the various plots and storylines followed in the book: "This is a ghastly and very important story. But the secret to great storytelling is knowing what to leave out. If Burgis had found a more focused way to tell this one, he would have written a much more powerful book."[7] ### Legal action against publishers On 9 September 2021, it was reported that ENRC had taken legal action against HarperCollins and The Financial Times, with respect to claims made within the book and subsequent reportage.[3] The claim was dismissed in March 2022.[8] ## See also - *[Moneyland](/source/Moneyland)* (2018) - [Kleptocracy Tour](/source/Kleptocracy_Tour) ## References 1. ["Review: Kleptopia by Tom Burgis"](https://african.business/2020/11/technology-information/review-kleptopia-by-tom-burgis/). *African Business*. 2020-11-17. Retrieved 2020-11-29. 1. Temelkuran, Ece (14 November 2020). ["Kleptopia — dirty money's tangled web of deceit"](https://www.ft.com/content/1fd2b702-d1e7-4356-b40a-2f619646d2b0). *Financial Times*. Retrieved 2020-11-29. 1. ["ENRC Sues Author, Publisher for Libel over 'Kleptopia' Book - Law360"](https://www.law360.com/articles/1418311/enrc-sues-author-publisher-for-libel-over-kleptopia-book) 1. Nixon, Simon. ["Kleptopia by Tom Burgis review — exposing a global web of corruption"](https://www.thetimes.com/article/kleptopia-by-tom-burgis-review-22l793h6v). *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. [ISSN 0140-0460](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0140-0460). Retrieved 2020-11-29. 1. Taub, Jennifer. ["Review | Trump among the kleptocrats"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/trump-among-the-kleptocrats/2020/09/03/db0fef02-ed5d-11ea-ab4e-581edb849379_story.html). *Washington Post*. [ISSN 0190-8286](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0190-8286). Retrieved 2020-11-29. 1. ["50 notable works of nonfiction in 2020"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/50-notable-works-of-nonfiction-in-2020/2020/11/16/37f4c4de-2069-11eb-b532-05c751cd5dc2_story.html). *Washington Post*. 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2020-11-29. 1. ["Kleptopia review: power, theft and Trump as leader in Putin's own image"](http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/25/kleptopia-review-tom-burgis-trump-putin-russia). *the Guardian*. 2020-10-25. Retrieved 2020-11-29. 1. Tobitt, Charlotte (2022-03-02). ["Judge dismisses libel claim over FT journalist Tom Burgis' book"](https://pressgazette.co.uk/judge-dismisses-libel-claim-against-tom-burgis-kleptopia/). *Press Gazette*. Retrieved 2022-03-02. ## External links - [ISBN search entry](https://isbnsearch.org/isbn/9780136019701) - [NPR interview with author about the book](https://www.npr.org/2020/09/03/909423715/dirty-money-kleptopia-and-world-leaders) - [Interview where Burgis defines "kleptopia" and why he wrote the book](https://thechartcast.com/episodes/episode-54-tom-burgis/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220628035232/https://thechartcast.com/episodes/episode-54-tom-burgis/) 28 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kleptopia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleptopia) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleptopia?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.