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.
Category: International Corruption
Former Ukrainian Minister Arrested at Border.
Earlier this week, the former Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko was arrested at the Ukrainian border attempting to flee the country. Haluschenko is deeply involved in the growing Ukrainian energy scandal, which has also implicated several of President Zelensky’s closest advisors. According to a report in the Washington Post, Haluschenko was arrested on a train at the Ukrainian-Polish border and charged with money laundering and participation in a criminal organization. This case is particularly relevant because Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been severely impacted by relentless Russian bombing. This story is far from being done. I have a feeling that many more high-profile names will be implicated.
Transparency International Perception Index Shows Worrying Trends.
On Tuesday, Transparency International released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index. The index rates countries from 0 to 100 (0 being the worst and 100 the best) and shows some very concerning trends. According to this article in The Guardian, the UK dropped from 71 to 70. The reason was increased campaign contributions from wealthy individuals, including an unnamed donor who gave £15 million to the Conservative Party in the last election cycle. The U.S also saw a dip in its score from 65 last year to 64 this year due to the current political climate. Across the board, except for a few examples, such as Ukraine, which has sought to strengthen its anti-corruption operations, there is a worrying lack of impetus to tackle global corruption. It is unclear in which direction anti-corruption efforts will go, but given that far-right populism appears to be going strong, the outlook is not promising.
Top Chinese General Sacked Over Corruption Allegations.
Yesterday, China’s most senior general, Zhang Youxia, was placed under investigation for “ suspected serious violations of discipline and law”. China’s military has fired many high-ranking generals over the years due to corruption. According to a report in The Guardian, Youxia allegedly leaked classified information about China’s nuclear program to intelligence sources in the U.S, as well as taking bribes. According to a Reuters report, Youxia’s ouster raises questions about a depleted military leadership in China at present. It is unclear what will happen next, but it is clear that Xi is not stopping his anti-corruption crusade anytime soon.
Top Costa Rican Court Attempts to Strip President of Immunity.
(Disclaimer: This article is about events that occurred last summer.)
Back in July of last year, Costa Rica’s top court attempted to strip President Rodrigo Chaves of his presidential Immunity. According to a report in the AP, Chaves tried to induce a video producer who had won a contract awarded by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration to give $32,000 from that contract to former Chaves campaign advisor. According to a report by France 24, the culture minister, Jorge Rodriguez, may also be involved, and the attorney general has requested that his immunity be revoked as well. Chaves has accused the Costa Rican Supreme Court, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and Congress of stifling the policy program. Subsequently, this became moot, as in September of last year, the congress, which needed a supermajority of 38 votes to revoke his immunity, received only 34.
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.
Documentary Film Exposes Judicial Corruption in Romania.
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.
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.
Ukraine Rocked by Massive Energy Corruption Scandal.
This week, Ukrainian politics was hit by a massive corruption scandal involving Energoatom, the state-run nuclear power company, and allegedly $100 million worth of bribes. Corruption in Ukraine is still endemic. According to a New York Times report, those involved in the scheme demanded kickbacks of 10 to 15 percent. Investigators of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) discovered several of the kickbacks were related to building protective covering for nuclear power stations that Russia has targeted during the war. At the center of the scandal is Ukrainian businessman Timur Mindich, who co-owned a TV company founded by Zelenskyy. On top of that, several ministers, including a former energy minister and a former deputy prime minister, may be involved. This could spell serious trouble for Zelenskyy, with some opposition MPs calling for the government to fall.
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.
Crispin Corruption Report 