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.

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.

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.

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.

Head of Vietnamese Parliament Resigns in Ever-Widening Corruption Scandal.

On Friday, the head of the Vietnamese Parliament resigned in another blow to Vietnamese political stability. Vietnam is a country that has recently been embroiled in an ever-growing list of corruption scandals. According to a report in the AP, Vuong Dinh Hue resigned shortly after his deputy, Pham Thai Ha, was charged with abuse of power. There is no indication that Hue has been involved in corruption, despite investigators stating that he “violated party regulations.” It appears that Vietnam’s political future will remain uncertain if senior leaders continue to resign due to corruption allegations.

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.

Former Colombian President Uribe to Face Trial.

This week, the former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has been charged with fraud and witness tampering by Colombian prosecutors. According to a report by The Guardian, Uribe is facing allegations that he used right-wing paramilitary groups to target leftist rebels. Uribe is praised by many on the Colombian right wing for eradicating the threat of The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC). According to a report in The Washington Post, Uribe retains a large amount of political capital in that he has helped elect two successors into the office of president. Uribe has faced legal issues for the last decade so that I wouldn’t expect a swift conclusion to this trial.