More than words

Unaoil, a Monaco-based oil consulting company, was recently exposed in a media investigation for potentially supporting or facilitating bribes on behalf of large multinational firms in the oil and gas industry. Though the company is from Monaco, Unaoil is believed to have supported companies in winning contracts across Middle Eastern and African countries. The investigation, which Fairfax Media and The Huffington Post conducted, identified several emails providing references to the routing of bribes.

The Unaoil case provides several lessons on using forensic email reviews to help gather evidence or indications of fraud, misconduct and regulatory non-compliance. Investigators who use these reviews rely on communication as a raw form of evidence that exhibits subjects' unethical or illegal intent. Keyword searches are an effective method of identifying evidence in the huge volumes of data stored in digital devices. Investigators choose keywords based on context and relevance to the case.

An analysis of the evidence gathered by Fairfax Media and The Huffington Post on the Unaoil case reveals a number of lessons on forensic email reviews for investigators.

Using code words in communication