Yesterday, the former chief executive of the Scottish National Party, Peter Murrell, was found guilty of embezzling £450k in party funds. According to a report in the Guardian, current SNP leader John Swinney claims to have been unaware of Murrell’s actions, as does his ex-wife and former first minister Nicola Sturgeon. The sheer amount of money spent and the variety of items is mind-boggling. According to a report on ITV, Murrell spent £3k on a high-end coffee machine, as well as £2k on salt and pepper shakers, a new VW Golf, a new Jaguar, and a £124k motorhome. The length of Murrell is unclear as of this writing, but he should have plenty of time to read the book of selected speeches by his ex-wife that he bought for £22.
Category: Financial Crime
Polish Government Seeking the Extradition of Ziobro from the U.S.
The Polish Government announced that it was seeking the extradition of its former justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, from Hungary to the U.S According to a report in The Guardian, Ziobro is facing allegations of diverting funds meant to go towards victims of crime to his own personal interests. In particular, Ziobro is accused of buying the controversial Israeli software Pegasus to listen in on his political opponents. Ziobro was being sheltered in Hungary by the now former president Viktor Orban. It is an open question whether Ziobro will actually face justice back in Poland.
Anti-Corruption Protests Erupt in Albania.
Last weekend, a series of Anti-Corruption protests erupted in Albania’s capital, Tirana. Albania has been trying to innovate in its fight against endemic corruption. According to a report in Al-Jazeera, police used water cannons and tear gas against the protestors, while in return the protesters lobbed Molotov Cocktails at the police. The protestors aim to force Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign. According to a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the Albanian Anti-Corruption organization known as SPAK opened criminal proceedings against Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku. She was allegedly interfering in public procurement processes for the construction of the Llogara Tunnel in Southern Albania to favor certain companies. It is unclear whether or not the prime minister or the deputy prime minister will ever face justice.
Court Sentences Seven in Healthcare Fraud Scandal.
On Monday, a judge in the Dominican Republic sentenced seven government officials to prison in a massive healthcare scandal. According to a report in the AP, Santiago Hazim Albainy, the executive director of the national health insurance agency, accepted $31 million in bribes. Albainy ran and took bribes from representatives of insurance companies in exchange for made-up contracts detailing services provided to people who turned out to be deceased. Three others were sentenced on Monday, including a prominent businessman and two private health insurance executives. These executives are to be held under house arrest for a year.
Rio Tinto Investigating Allegations of Corruption.
An American/Australian mining company is investigating allegations of corruption at its copper mine in Mongolia. According to a report on mining.com (a website covering the mining industry), Rio Tinto is investigating procurement-related corruption at the Oyu Tolgoi Mine, which it and the Mongolian government jointly own. According to a Reuters report, earlier this year, Rio Tinto agreed to pay a $135 million fine to a group of investors who sued the company over defrauding investors regarding the expansion of Oyu Tolgoi. The two hedge funds, Pentwater and Turquoise Hill, that owned stakes in Rio Tinto at the time believed that, despite Rio Tinto’s assurances that the mine was on schedule and budget, the mine renovation was actually over budget by $1.9 billion. It is unclear what will happen next, but this will be a significant financial blow for the company.
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.
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.
Trump Urges Pardon in Netanyahu Corruption Trial.
Yesterday, in a meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump urged Israeli prosecutors to drop the case. According to a report in The Guardian, Trump referred to Netanyahu’s case as a “ridiculous witch hunt,” which is hardly surprising considering Trump’s use of the phrase many times before, referring to his criminal cases. Netanyahu is accused of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust while in office. According to a 2024 report by Al Jazeera, Netanyahu is accused of accepting gifts from certain businesspeople in exchange for political access, as well as favorable media coverage, in return for a promise to hinder the growth of a rival newspaper. According to another report in Al Jazeera, the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, has the power to pardon Netanyahu if he so desires; however, he has stated that this option is not currently on the table. Whether or not Trump’s words have any sway, one leader trying to influence judicial proceedings in another is never a good look.
Hollywood Director Rinsch Charged With Money Laundering and Other Crimes.
Earlier this week, Carl Rinsch, a Hollywood director who directed Keanu Reeves in the 2013 film 47 Ronin, was charged with Money Laundering as well as other financial crimes. According to a report in The Washington Post, Rinsch claimed that despite being paid $44 Million to make a science fiction series called White Horse, he asked Netflix for another $11 million. Rinsch allegedly took 10 of the 11 million, put it into a brokerage account, made some ill-advised bets, and lost most of it. However, with the few million remaining, Rinsch invested in cryptocurrency (specifically Elon Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin). According to a report in the LA Times, Rinsch spent $632K on two high-end mattresses. This whole caper would make a great Netflix drama.
Javier Milei’s Cryptocurrency Misadventures.
Last week, Javier Milei, the chainsaw-wielding president of Argentina, became embroiled in a cryptocurrency scandal. According to a report in the Guardian, Milei tweeted about a cryptocurrency called $Libra, saying it would boost the notoriously sluggish Argentine economy. According to a report in the AP, the backers of $Libra are a fascinating collection of characters. Hayden Davis, a well-known meme coin developer who founded the Melania Trump meme coin, is the main backer of Libra. As well as Davis, Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool, was deeply involved in the promise of an interview with Milei; finally, an unknown crypto backer known as “Meow” also played a prominent role. When Milei touted $Libra, the price went from $0 to $5 and then only a few hours later plummeted back down $0. This appears to be a classic “rug pull” whereby a cryptocurrency is artificially inflated, and the value craters when crypto influencers sell their shares, making the tokens worthless. It is unclear what will happen to Milei, but there are rumors of possible impeachment proceedings in the future.
Crispin Corruption Report 