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The fraud: Holding the powerful to account, with accounting

Aged 6 Jim Mitzelfeld received an accounts book for Christmas, it sparked a passion for bookkeeping that would enable him break the biggest story of his career.

When he was six, Jim’s Dad gave him an accounting book for Christmas and taught him to keep meticulous accounts of his outgoings of sweets and football cards. Jim tells reporter Taqwa Sadiq that it was a skill he took with him through life. So in 1993 when he was working as a reporter in Michigan and he heard that the governor had frozen the local government’s ability to write cheques, Jim thought this might be a story for him. With his, by now, detailed knowledge of bookkeeping and accounts Jim spotted a discrepancy; soon he had revealed massive fraud at the heart of the local legislature. He won a Pulitzer prize for his investigation and even the man who ended up being sentenced to six years in prison as a result of the story, congratulated him on his work.

In February 2019, Nupur Gupta was teaching at a yoga retreat in Goa when she got into difficulty in the sea. A Hungarian man called Attila Bosnyak who happened to be on the same yoga retreat was passing the beach, saw her in trouble and sprang into action. A dramatic rescue followed and a strong bond was formed between Nupur and Attila. That could have been the end of the story but instead it was the start of an on-going romantic relationship. This interview was first broadcast in 2021. They are now married with a little baby girl.

If you have a story about a wonderful partnership in your life we'd love to hear it, it could be romantic, or a best friend, a dog who's rescued you or even a guitar from which you can never be separated. We're seeking out the origin stories of beautiful relationships. Email us at outlook@bbc.com or send a message or voice note on WhatsApp: + 44 330 678 2707.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar

Available now

41 minutes

Last on

Thu 17 Oct 2024 02:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Wed 16 Oct 2024 11:06GMT
  • Wed 16 Oct 2024 17:06GMT
  • Wed 16 Oct 2024 21:06GMT
  • Thu 17 Oct 2024 02:06GMT

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Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

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