On Monday, a judge in the Dominican Republic sentenced seven government officials to prison in a massive healthcare scandal. According to a report in the AP, Santiago Hazim Albainy, the executive director of the national health insurance agency, accepted $31 million in bribes. Albainy ran and took bribes from representatives of insurance companies in exchange for made-up contracts detailing services provided to people who turned out to be deceased. Three others were sentenced on Monday, including a prominent businessman and two private health insurance executives. These executives are to be held under house arrest for a year.
Documentary Film Exposes Judicial Corruption in Romania.
Last week, a documentary exposing judicial corruption in Romania sparked widespread protests. According to a report in Al Jazeera, these protests have been going on for five days. The documentary titled Captured Justice alleges that prosecutors pursuing anti-corruption efforts are thwarted by their superiors. Then those higher-ranking judges and civil servants embezzle millions of Leu (the Romanian currency) from government contracts. Romania is not the first European country to face anti-corruption protests; they have disrupted both Ukraine and Bulgaria. As with many of these situations, it is unclear what will happen next. Although it is encouraging to see the Romanian President, Nicusor Dan, acknowledging that change must occur.
A Daughter of Former President Zuma is involved in Russian Recruitment Scheme.
Last week, one of Former South African president Jacob Zuma’s daughters (Zuma has twenty children from six wives) was implicated in a scheme to recruit mercenaries for the Russian Army. According to a report in Al Jazeera, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, a member of her father’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party since 2024, is alleged to have forced 17 South African men to enlist for military service with a Russian private military contractor (PMC). One of the more mind-boggling elements of this story is that, allegedly, eight of the seventeen men recruited were members of Zuma’s own family. Also, these claims emerged only after an affidavit was filed against her by her own half sister, Nkosazana Bonganini Zuma Mncube. Shortly after these claims, Zuma Sambudla resigned as an MP and was replaced by her half-sister, Brumelda Zuma. It is unclear what will happen next, but clearly, the political and family dynamics of the Zumas are quite complex.
Anti-Corruption Protests Rock Bulgaria.
Yesterday, a string of massive anti-corruption protests erupted across Bulgaria, including the capital, Sofia. This is the latest in a string of anti-corruption efforts worldwide. According to a report by Radio Free Europe, the central focus of protests is massive tax hikes in the most recent government budget. Bulgarian citizens are deeply unhappy that, according to Transparency International, Bulgaria is the second-most-corrupt country in the European Union. It is unclear what will happen next, but sentiment towards the prime minister, Boyko Borisov is at an all-time low.
Prime Minister Netanyahu Requests a Pardon in Corruption Trial.
This morning, reports from Israel suggest that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has formally requested a pardon in his long-running corruption trial. According to a report in CNN, Netanyahu feels that it is in the “public’s interest” for him to receive a pardon. The president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, has sole authority to issue pardons, so Netanyahu cannot pardon himself. According to a report in Reuters, the prominent opposition leader Yair Lapid should only be pardoned if he admits guilt and expresses remorse for his actions. It is unclear what will happen next, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Herzog, a close ally of Netanyahu, grants him a pardon.
Ukraine Rocked by Massive Energy Corruption Scandal.
This week, Ukrainian politics was hit by a massive corruption scandal involving Energoatom, the state-run nuclear power company, and allegedly $100 million worth of bribes. Corruption in Ukraine is still endemic. According to a New York Times report, those involved in the scheme demanded kickbacks of 10 to 15 percent. Investigators of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) discovered several of the kickbacks were related to building protective covering for nuclear power stations that Russia has targeted during the war. At the center of the scandal is Ukrainian businessman Timur Mindich, who co-owned a TV company founded by Zelenskyy. On top of that, several ministers, including a former energy minister and a former deputy prime minister, may be involved. This could spell serious trouble for Zelenskyy, with some opposition MPs calling for the government to fall.
Orban Obtains a Reprieve on Russian Oil Sanctions.
Last week, during a meeting with President Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán successfully secured an exemption from sanctions regarding the purchase of Russian oil. According to a report in Sky News, Orban made the argument that, as Hungary is a landlocked country, the easiest method for them to get oil and natural gas is through the Turkstream and Druzhba pipelines, respectively. Despite the Trump administration instituting sanctions on two major Russian oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, it is no surprise that he was willing to help a fellow right-wing populist, Orban. Orban will also be grateful for this show of support because he is facing a fierce challenge in next year’s election in the form of upstart opposition candidate Peter Magyar. Finally, considering that Hungary is about to purchase U.S Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) with the contracts being estimated at around $600 million, someone will surely “benefit” from this transaction.
Corruption at the Israeli Labor Union.
Yesterday, the Israelis detained several high-ranking members of Histadrut, the umbrella organization of several Israeli labor unions. According to a report in the Times of Israel, many high-ranking officials, including the chair of the organization, Arnon Bar-David, have been accused of crimes ranging from Bribery, Fraud, breach of trust, money laundering, and tax offenses. Many of the suspects arrested are the heads of local authorities and are alleged to have accepted bribes from prominent Israeli businesspeople in exchange for promoting their business interests. One particular case of interest is that of Ezra Gabay, the head of Gabay Insurance Agency, who allegedly used his influence to secure jobs in local authorities in exchange for the individuals in those positions signing up for insurance policies with his company. I have a feeling that this scandal will have some legs and that some relatively high-level figures in the Israeli government may have some involvement.
Rio Tinto Investigating Allegations of Corruption.
An American/Australian mining company is investigating allegations of corruption at its copper mine in Mongolia. According to a report on mining.com (a website covering the mining industry), Rio Tinto is investigating procurement-related corruption at the Oyu Tolgoi Mine, which it and the Mongolian government jointly own. According to a Reuters report, earlier this year, Rio Tinto agreed to pay a $135 million fine to a group of investors who sued the company over defrauding investors regarding the expansion of Oyu Tolgoi. The two hedge funds, Pentwater and Turquoise Hill, that owned stakes in Rio Tinto at the time believed that, despite Rio Tinto’s assurances that the mine was on schedule and budget, the mine renovation was actually over budget by $1.9 billion. It is unclear what will happen next, but this will be a significant financial blow for the company.
Nine Chinese Generals Facing Corruption Probe.
On Friday, the Chinese government expelled nine high-ranking generals from its military. According to a report in the BBC, the highest-ranking general that was sacked was He Weidong, who was the vice chair of the Central Military Commission (CMC); however, the political commissars of both the army and navy were also sacked. All of these men are alleged to have misappropriated large sums of money from the military for their own personal use. According to a reportin CNN, He was also a member of the Politburo, thus he would have very close ties to Xi. It is unclear what will happen to their generals, but it wouldn’t surprise me if one of these generals had a “heart attack in a swimming pool” (a Chinese saying referring to when there is a death under mysterious circumstances).
Crispin Corruption Report 