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.

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.

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).

Update on Filipino Corruption.

A month ago, I wrote an article on widespread protests in the Philippines concerning government corruption related to flood defenses. According to a report in The Guardian, Filipino citizens are paying the price for inadequate flood defense. An example of this is a woman who was a health worker in the province of Bulacan in the north of the country who, while trying to get to work, grabbed hold of a metal pole and was electrocuted to death, because the pole was connected to a live wire and was submerged in flood waters. Despite the Filipino government spending upwards of £7 billion on flood defense projects, 421 projects have been identified as non-existent, meaning they were reported as completed, but no work was actually done. According to a report in the Inquirer (the leading newspaper in the Philippines), the majority of Filipinos feel that corruption is widespread and endemic. This is a sad state of affairs that I don’t see changing soon, particularly given the Marcos family history.

Milei Ally Resigns after Bribery Allegations.

Earlier this week, a close ally of Argentine President Javier Milei resigned due to bribery allegations. Jose Luis Espert, a member of Argentina’s lower house of government, known as the Chamber of Deputies, is alleged to have close ties to Argentine businessman Frederico Andres Machado, better known as Fred. Espert may have accepted a two-hundred-thousand-dollar bribe from Machado related to the upcoming Argentine congressional election, according to a report from a website called the Court House News detailing how it is caught up in a sprawling case involving cocaine being smuggled on board airplanes owned by clients who have close links to various South American drug cartels. On top of that, he is also alleged to have been involved in a $550 million Ponzi scheme that involved the sale of up to 100 fake airplanes. Espert claims he thought the money was coming from Machado’s Guatemalan mining company, which, considering Machado’s other business “ventures,” I find hard to believe.

Former Illinois House Speaker Madigan to Serve Time in Prison during Appeal.

Michael Madigan, the longest-serving democratic speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, will have to begin serving his seven-and-a-half-year sentence for corruption and bribery while he appeals. According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, Madigan helped advance the political career of City Councilman Danny Solis in exchange for Solis drumming up business for Madigan’s law firm. Additionally, according to a report in Capitol News Illinois, Madigan was prominently involved in a wide-ranging and complex scheme involving the local branch of AT&T and the construction of an apartment complex, which was marked by a shady contract despite no work being completed. This is quite the fall from grace for someone who has been deeply involved in Illinois politics for decades. I’m shocked that, in 2025, Chicago could still be plagued by political corruption in the Democratic Party.

Sarkozy Sentenced in Libyan Campaign Case.

Last week, Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison for corruption. Two years ago, Sarkozy was found guilty of accepting millions of euros from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. According to a report in the BBC, Sarkozy will spend time in prison even if he launches an appeal. He will also have to pay a fine of €100,000. According to a report in The London Times, Sarkozy will reject any pardon from the French government because that would suggest that Sarkozy would have to admit guilt in accepting money from the Libyan government. No matter what happens in the future, the fact that a former French president will spend time behind bars is astonishing.