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.
Category: Anti-Corruption
19 People Killed in Nepal Over Corruption and Social Media Protests.
Today, 19 people were killed in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, during protests triggered by a ban on social media and frustration over corruption. According to a report in the New York Times, these protests are the most sustained in recent memory, with both opposition politicians as well as some members of the ruling communist party calling for the prime minister KP Sharma Oli to step down. The primary catalyst for the protests was a ban on all social media platforms that include, but are not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The government’s rationale for taking these actions is that social media is not conducive to “social harmony”. According to a report in Reuters, the protestors are also frustrated at what they see as a lack of action on tackling endemic corruption in Nepalese society. While it is admirable to see a government having concerns about the dangers that social media can pose, instituting an all-out ban clearly has not been the best course of action.
Protests Erupt Over Zelensky’s Corruption Moves.
Earlier this week in Kyiv, Protests erupted over President Zelensky’s move to strip Ukraine’s national anti-corruption bodies of their independence. According to a report in the BBC, Zelensky proposed a bill that would grant government control of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP). Zelensky’s rationale for taking this course of action was that he was concerned about possible Russian influence on the two organizations. As a result of this announcement, mass protests began in Kyiv due to widespread frustration within Ukrainian society over the rampant corruption that has plagued the country for years. According to another report by the BBC published yesterday, Zelensky realized the error of his ways and resubmitted an amendment to the bill to reinstate their independence. While fears of Russian influence are always a concern in Ukraine, this looks like a rare misstep from Zelensky, who has been widely praised for his actions during the war.
Siddiq is Facing an Arrest Warrant in Bangladesh.
Several months ago, I wrote an article about Tulip Siddiq, the former Labour Party anti-corruption minister in the UK, facing corruption allegations in Bangladesh. Last week, the BBC reported that the Bangladeshi government issued an arrest warrant for Siddiq on corruption charges. Siddiq released a statement saying that the arrest warrant was part of a “politically motivated smear campaign” against her. According to a report in Sky News, the arrest warrant was issued over allegations about how Siddiq received a plot of land totaling 7,200 square feet in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. It is unclear whether or not the UK will extradite her, but I could see it becoming a political flashpoint between the two countries.
Japan and Ukraine Reach Anti-Corruption Pact.
Last week, Ukraine and Japan agreed to an Anti-Corruption pact to improve Ukrainian anti-corruption measures. According to a report in Euromaidan, the Ministry of Justice of Japan will help their Ukrainian counterparts enhance Anti-Corruption policies and bring in more personnel to fight corruption. According to a report in the Japan Times, negotiations for this agreement started in June at the G7 conference in Italy. These reforms could help Japanese companies break into the Ukrainian market. Despite recent strides in combating corruption, Ukraine still has much to do.
Massive Anti-Corruption Protests Rock Uganda.
Last week, several large-scale protests occurred in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. According to a report in Reuters, at least 73 people were arrested in the protests. The demonstrations in Kenya last month inspired these protests about proposed tax increases. According to a report in Al Jazeera, Several members of parliament are facing corruption charges, as is the speaker of the parliament, Anita Among. In a country with a population of 45 million, 15 million are under 35, and they are frustrated with widespread corruption. It is unclear what will happen next, but it is clear that the young people of Uganda are fed up with rampant corruption.
Ukraine’s Agriculture Minister Facing Allegations of a Land Grab.
Yesterday, Ukraine’s agriculture minister, Mykola Solsky, agreed to cooperate with a corruption investigation involving the alleged illegal seizure of public land. According to a report in Al Jazeera, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) discovered a plot by a serving minister in President Zelenskyy’s cabinet to illegally acquire 7.3 million dollars of state-owned land in Northeastern Ukraine. According to a report in Barron’s NABU, it was alleged that a “criminal group” that may or may not have been led by Solsky attempted to acquire a further 3,300 hectares of land that are valued at $5 million. NABU is also trying to prove Solsky’s involvement by saying he and his co-conspirators attempted to destroy documents that showed that the Ukrainian Government rightfully owned the land. It is unclear what the outcome of this investigation will be, but it is heartening to see Zelenskyy’s government taking steps to clamp down on corruption.
Head of Montenegro’s Anti-Corruption Fired after Abuse of Office Allegations Surface.
Yesterday, the head of Montenegro’s Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) was fired after allegations surfaced that she abused her power in office. According to a report in Barron’s Jelena Perovic, she was arrested after a government investigation found that she had awarded herself overtime pay worth $14,000 in 2023. Montenegro is amid an anti-corruption drive in a bid to be admitted to the EU. According to a report in Radio Free Europe, Perovic’s lawyer, Nikola Martinovic, said that her arrest was related to the alleged misuse of a state car. Whatever might or might not have happened, it’s never a good look when the head of an Anti-Corruption agency gets arrested for misuse of public office.
Vietnam Sentences Lan to Death Over Fraud.
Last Week, the Vietnamese real estate magnate Troung My Lan was sentenced to death after being found guilty in a massive financial fraud trial. Vietnam is a country that has been plagued by corruption, particularly in and around the COVID-19 pandemic. According to an AP report, Lan was illegally involved with the Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank and set up 2,500 loans, which caused the bank to lose $27 billion. Lan grew famous in Vietnam by founding the real estate firm Van Thinh Phat. The Ho Chi Minh City court leveled such a harsh sentence because Lan was at the head of a well-organized criminal network, and there was no chance of her repaying the court-ordered $26 million to the bank. According to Al Jazeera, her lawyers have 15 days to appeal the death sentence.
Russian journalist Connected to Navalny Detained.
Last Friday, a Russian journalist who filmed the last video of Alexi Navalny was detained in Moscow, and according to a report by The Guardian, Russian authorities accused Antonia Forskaya of being part of an “Extremist Organization” which the Russian government uses to refer to Navalny’s organization. According to an article in the AP, she is accused of producing and editing videos for Navalny’s organization. In an even more worrying development, two other journalists, Alexandra Astakhova and Anastasia Musatova, were detained simply for going to visit Forskaya while she was imprisoned. Given recent events, I fear for Forskaya and all of the other brave Russian journalists, both inside and outside of the country, who are exposing the corruption embedded within Putin’s regime.
Crispin Corruption Report 