Spanish PM Sanchez to Testify in Wife’s Trial.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, was summoned by the judge in his wife’s corruption case. According to a report, Sanchez will be questioned on July 30th by Judge Juan Carlos Peinado at the Prime Minister’s official residence. At the center of the case is whether or not Sanchez’s wife used her husband’s political connections to further her business interests. According to a report in USnews Begona Gomez, Sanchez’s wife, claimed that the allegations are part of a right-wing plot to unsettle the current socialist government., It is unclear what will happen next, but if Gomez is found guilty, it could cause political instability.

Menendez Found Guilty on Corruption Charges.

Well, that didn’t take very long. After only 13 hours, Robert Menendez was found guilty on all 16 counts of bribery, extortion, wire fraud, and acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government between 2018 and 2022. According to a report in the Washington Post, his co-defendants, Egyptian businessmen Wael Hana and real estate developer Fred Daibes, were also found guilty on similar charges. Within moments of the verdict being handed down, senate democrats were lining up, implored to resign from or otherwise be expelled from office. All of the attention on this case turns to Menendez’s wife, Nadine, who is facing trial on similar charges this fall after undergoing cancer treatment. It is a damming indictment of US politics that Menendez, who narrowly escaped being found guilty on corruption charges in 2017, would be so bold as to continue to engage in corrupt behavior while in office.

Jury Deliberations Start in Menendez Case.

On Friday, Jury deliberations started in the Robert Menendez Corruption trial. Menendez is charged with using his power as a senator to lobby the Egyptian government’s interests in Congress. According to a report in CNN, prosecutors structured their presentation of the case in chapters calling different witnesses involved in Menendez’s various schemes. According to the report in The Hill, Menendez’s attorneys blamed his wife (who is also facing trial this fall on similar charges) for concealing her business doings from her husband. It is unclear how long the deliberations will take.

Attempted Coup Unsettles Bolivian Politics.

Last Wednesday in Bolivia, a former general in the army led a group of troops to attack the presidential palace. According to a report in The Guardian, the current president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, told the coup’s leader, Juan Jose Zuniga, to stand down. According to a report in the AP, the former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, claimed that Arce had been in on the plot and encouraged the coup as a way to score political points. Recent polls in Bolivia have shown that Arce’s Movement For Socialism (MAS) is unpopular due to an ongoing economic crisis. It is unclear what will happen, but Arce’s position will not be secure for the foreseeable future.

Former European Investment Bank Head Facing Corruption Allegations.

Today, prosecutors for the European Union (EU) looking into financial crimes are investigating the former head of the European Investment Bank (EIB), Werner Hoyer. According to a report in Politico, the European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) is investigating Hoyer and another individual for allegations that they misappropriated EU funds and abused their power in office—police in Germany and Luxembourg, where the EIB have been working jointly on the investigation. According to a report in Euronews, the EIB has 250 billion Euros in capital that funds climate change projects and the future reconstruction of Ukraine. It is unclear what Hoyer’s future is, but the former head of the investment bank that serves the EU is never a good look.

Ex- Chicago Alderman Burke Facing ten years in Prison on Corruption Charges.

Prosecutors in Chicago recommended that former Alderman Ed Burke face ten years on corruption and bribery charges. According to a report in CBS, Burke pressured businesses, including a Burger King franchise, a liquor store called Binny’s Beverage Depot, and the Field Museum of Natural History, to use his private property tax law firm. According to a report by the local PBS affiliate, Burke’s lawyers (who were paid $4 million out of campaign funds) argued that at 80, Burke was just an older man who had dedicated his life to helping the good people of Chicago. I could just about believe that if it wasn’t for the fact that Burke has a net worth of $30 million. Sadly, it appears that democratic politics in Chicago haven’t changed very much over the years.

Adidas Embroiled in Chinese Corruption Allegations.

Today, Adidas is embroiled in a bribery scandal in China. According to a report in Aljazeera, a whistleblower claims senior staff received millions of Euros in kickbacks from outside suppliers. According to an anonymous report in Reuters, these senior staff members also received non-financial perks like real estate. There are also reports that a senior staffer with access to the marketing budget may have used those funds for personal use. Executives at Adidas will be worried by the 4% drop in its share price when the stock market opens this morning.

The European Union takes a Rightward Turn.

Yesterday, the elections for the Parliament of the European Union took place. According to a report in BBC, the right wing in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands all made solid gains and will be able to have more of a say in dictating EU policy going forward. Briefly, the way that the EU parliament is that individual parties within a country form blocs within the parliament; for example, the Eurosceptic Alternative for Deutschland party in Germany (AFD) is part of the Identity and Democracy Party bloc (ID) within the EU. Some of the shocking news of the evening came out of France. According to a report in the Washington Post, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, called a snap legislative election due to the gains made by the far-right National Rally (RN). My fear with elections is that these far-right will undermine European democracy and stop the flow of aid to Ukraine, as it is well known that some of these parties have close ties to Russia.

Ex-PM of Malta Pleads Not Guilty in Corruption Case.

Last week, the former Prime Minister of Malta pleaded not guilty to a sprawling corruption scandal. According to a report in Politico, Muscat was involved in a scheme whereby he allegedly benefitted financially from selling four hospitals to an American private healthcare company called the Steward Health Care group. Muscat received a 60,000 euro payment from a Swiss company, Accurtor AG, closely linked to Steward. Muscat’s chief of staff and another cabinet minister have also been implicated in this scandal. While Muscat’s hands might not be dirty, allies of his are facing charges related to the death of Daphne Galizia, a prominent Anti-Corruption journalist, as well as a bribery scheme involving a contract to run a power station.

Update on Ericsson Corruption Scandal.

I wrote an article a year ago on the U.S. Department of Justice monitoring the telecommunications company Ericsson over corrupt practices in China and Djibouti. Today, Ericsson announced that the monitoring program instituted by the Justice Department has ended. According to a website called capacitymedia.com, the Department of Justice released a statement saying it was satisfied that Ericsson had met its compliance requirements. According to Ericsson’s president, Borje Ekholm, Ericsson is committing to being more transparent with its business practices in the future. Only time will tell if this is a true statement or not.