Episode description

The ability to prove your ID for a bank account or for public services may be taken for granted in much of the world - but many countries still lack this basic infrastructure. It’s seen as so important - that it’s part of the UN’s sustainable development goals - but this push for biometric ID systems has also opened the door to corruption.

An investigation by Lighthouse Reports in partnership with Bloomberg has shown how money intended to create ID cards in the Democratic Republic of Congo may have been leveraged via shell companies to benefit a handful of the country's elite - and the Hypnose shopping centre in Lubumbashi is a product of the inequality and corruption that has long troubled the vast central African nation

Reporter Tomas Statius joins Jeneifer Zabasajja to talk about his investigation into the ID schemes and explain why one of the poorest countries in the world has one of the most expensive passports. 

You can read the full story on Bloomberg now.

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