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.
Author: petercrispin
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.
US Sanctions Ugandan Parliament Speaker.
Today, the U.S. government sanctioned the Ugandan parliament speaker Anita Among and her Husband over alleged corruption and human rights abuses. According to an article in the AP, Among, a close ally of the Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni, has been in the spotlight for receiving $894,000 in the form of per diems and “entertainment” allowances. This is a massive problem in a country that can barely fund its healthcare and education systems. According to a report in ABC, Lt General Peter Elwelu was sanctioned for allowing extrajudicial killings. Finally, three ministers were sanctioned for being involved in a bizarre scheme to steal roofing material for impoverished communities.
Vietnam Votes in New President.
Yesterday, the Vietnamese parliament voted To Lam to be the next president. Vietnam has been going through a period of massive political turmoil in recent months. According to an article in Barron’s, Lam is an anti-corruption crusader who has allegedly used his anti-corruption committee in parliament to remove anyone he sees as a threat to his political aspirations. According to a report on Aljazeera, Lam was the only candidate on the secret ballot; hence, he was a shoo-in for election. Given the nature of politics in Vietnam recently, it would not shock me if Lam was forced out of office sooner rather than later.
Protests Continue to Fuel Uncertainty in Georgia (the Country).
Last week, protests in Georgia erupted over a controversial new law stating that NGOs and any independent media organizations that receive at least 20 percent of their funding from foreign entities must register as foreign agents. According to a report on the BBC, the main reason that has sparked such a furious reaction is that it is very similar to a law President Putin enacted in Russia several years ago. Last year, Georgia was awarded candidate status by the EU. Many people, especially young Georgians who favor closer ties with Europe, fear that hopes of joining the EU could be dashed if the law goes ahead. While the Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili, vetoed the law, prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze, a political opponent of Ms. Zourabichivili, had enough votes in the Georgian parliament to override the veto. A battle for the future of Georgia is ongoing; as of right now, it is still being determined if the country will politically ally itself with the EU or if near neighbor Russia gains more influence in the region.
Slovakian Prime Minister Fico gravely injured in Assassination Attempt.
Today, the Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was seriously injured in an attempted Assassination. According to a report in The Guardian, Fico was attending a political event in Handlova 90 miles northeast of Bratislava. Fico is viewed as a right-wing populist with a pro-Russian stance that is not dissimilar to Viktor Orban of Hungary. According to an article in the New York Times, Fico rose to power in the 1990s, leading the Smer Party, which started on the left of the political spectrum, to shift course and, after several years in opposition, adopted Anti-immigrant and anti-LGBT policies that were more in line with Putin and Orban. As of writing this, Fico’s status is unclear, but whether or not he survives attempted assassinations of European leaders is never good, despite how one may feel about their politics.
The Menendez Corruption Trial Begins.
This week, the corruption trial of Robert Menendez begins. According to a report in the AP, Menendez and his wife were arrested on bribery and corruption charges over accepting bribes from three business people, including one from Egypt. Menendez’s lawyer will claim in court that his wife was the driving force behind the bribery schemes, and he knew nothing about it. Menendez’s wife Nadine’s trial will not start until July at the earliest due to a health issue. It is unclear how the trial will play out, but whatever its outcome will ruin his reputation forever.
Kejriwal Released On Bail By The Indian Supreme Court.
Several weeks ago, I wrote an article about the Chief Minister of the capital of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, being arrested in March for corruption charges. Today, a court in India ruled that he should be released from prison and allowed to campaign during the ongoing national elections. According to a report by Yahoo, Kejriwal warned that India is on the brink of “dictatorship.” As soon as Kejriwal was released, thousands of his supporters flooded the streets of New Delhi in celebration. Despite Kejriwal being released on bail, considering the state of democracy in India at the moment, it wouldn’t surprise me if he ended up back in prison.
Rep Cuellar Charged With Bribery.
Last Friday, Henry Cuellar, a Democrat in the House of Representatives from Texas, was charged with bribery & money laundering. According to a report in the New York Times, Cuellar and his wife Imelda are alleged to have accepted $600,000 from an oil and gas company owned by the government of Azerbaijan to lobby on its behalf in the U.S. He also made several speeches in Congress praising the Azeri government. He also tried to stop a bill that cracked down on predatory lenders that apparently would benefit an unknown Mexican bank that he and his wife were doing business with. According to a report in the Guardian, Imelda Cuellar set up shell companies to launder the proceeds of bribes. This is a very worrying situation for the Democrats, as Cuellar may be forced to resign and open the door for the Republicans in a pivotal House seat.
Crispin Corruption Report 