The Covid-19 crisis has created a fertile environment for corruption and fraud. At the outset, concerns centred on the risks posed by fraudsters seeking to profit from the financial shock of the pandemic. Those fears proved well founded – in March 2020, fraud reports rose by 400%. Over time, concern spread to suspected abuse of the government’s financial support schemes. Recently, there has been a shift in focus away from fraud and towards allegations of cronyism in the awarding of government contracts. Read more