Mr. Paz’s eventful week in La Paz.

The current president of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, has been facing scrutiny on multiple fronts. According to a report in the Washington Post, Paz, who only took office two weeks abruptly scraped long standing fuel subsidies put in place by the previous left wing government. On top of that, the government bought a batch of contaminated gasoline, which damaged thousands of cars. The upshot of that was massive street demonstrations, with protesters wielding sticks of dynamite. Away from the protests, Paz had to fire his economic minister after allegations emerged that he failed to declare his true income when purchasing a luxury car. However, all of that pales in comparison to the travails of Paz’s informal Argentine advisor, Fernando Cerimedo, whose former lover, a Bolivian lawyer, Nadia Beller, was shot but thankfully survived—from her hospital bed, Beller accused Cerimedo of ordering her killing to silence her from making allegations of widespread corruption in the Paz government. Needless to say, it’s been a week full of explosive allegations in La Paz.

Mayor of Lawrence, MA, Arrested on Fraud and Money Laundering Charges.

On Friday, the mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was arrested on fraud and money laundering charges. According to an AP report, Brian DePena is accused of using a $1.5 million COVID-19 pandemic loan intended for his tire business for personal use. DePena is accused of funneling the money to pay off mortgages on his house and to fund his mayoral campaign. On Friday, DePena was released on bail on the condition that he surrenders his passport and does not apply for any more loans without approval from the court. It is unclear what will happen next; however, I have a feeling that there may need to be another mayoral election in Lawrence soon.

Former Ukrainian Ambassador Resigns After Corruption Allegations.

Several days ago, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, resigned after allegations emerged that she concealed ownership of two apartments. According to a report in Euronews.com, Stefanishyna failed to declare on official government forms that she owned two luxury apartments in Kyiv, as well as undeclared cash that she used to pay for airfare. According to another report in Reuters, the total sum of undeclared assets is $310,000. According to investigators from NABU (the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption organization), Stefanishyna earned the equivalent of $ 89,000 between 2024 and 2025, so clearly something does not add up. She also failed to declare the use of a Mercedes SUV that reportedly belonged to one of her aides. It is unclear what will happen next, but clearly Stefanishyna won’t be continuing her diplomatic career anytime soon.

Endemic Corruption Plagues Iraqi Society.

Iraq, like many places around the world, is plagued by endemic corruption. Recently, a major scandal has broken out in the Iraqi oil industry. Two weeks ago, according to a report by CBS News, Iraqi authorities seized 825 pounds of gold and a large quantity of cash that was connected to the Ministry of Oil. Last Thursday, $10.6 million in cash was recovered from a rainwater drainage pit which was reportedly linked to the oil ministry. According to a report in Al Jazeera, these events are closely linked to the arrest of the former deputy oil minister Adnan Al Jumaili, who embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars from the oil ministry and enriched himself by investing in real estate and buying vehicles and gold jewelry in large quantities. While this is an admirable start, new Prime Minister Ali Faleh Ali-Zaidi has quite a job on his hands to eradicate the widespread corruption that has plagued Iraqi society.

Former SNP Chief Murrell to Face Long Prison Sentence.

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.

Adani to be Cleared in Bribery Case.

Yesterday, news reports emerged that Gautam Adani, one of India’s richest men and an ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will have the bribery charges against him dropped. According to a report in the Washington Post, Adani was facing charges that he paid millions in bribes to Indian government officials while telling U.S.-based investors about his strong anti-bribery principles. U.S prosecutors alleged that Adani, worth $104 billion, bribed Indian officials to the tune of $250 Million to secure solar energy contracts. In an interesting twist, Adani said that if his case were dropped, he would invest 10 billion in the U.S. economy. For someone who is being cleared in a large-scale bribery case, offering $10 billion in investments to the U.S. economy sounds suspiciously like a bribe.

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.

Tensions between Mexico and the U.S rise due to Moya’s indictment.

Last Wednesday, the Department of Justice Charged Ruben Rocha Moya, the governor of Sinaloa in Mexico, with conspiracy with the Sinaloa drug cartel. According to a report in the Washington Post, Moya allegedly helped transport drugs such as fentanyl in the U.S in return for political favors involving the Sinaloa cartel. This further complicates an already fraught relationship between the Trump administration and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. Last Saturday, Moya resigned, according to a report in Al Jazeera that also states that in the 2021 Mexican election, Moya supported members of the cartel who threatened Moya’s political opponents with kidnapping as well as stuffing ballot boxes on election day. It is unclear what will happen next to Moya, but I have a feeling he will be extradited to the U.S.

Former Bulgarian President Radev reclaims Power.

This morning, the former president of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, was sworn in as Prime Minister with a resounding majority. He had been the president of Bulgaria (a largely ceremonial role). According to a report in the Washington Post, Radev was the leader of the anti-corruption protests that toppled the previous government of Boyko Borisov. While taking a strong anti-corruption stance is admirable, Radev also appears to have some pro-Russian sentiments in openly criticizing the previous government’s warm relations with Ukraine. According to a report in Al-Jazeera Bulgarian police have seized $1.1 million that was allegedly used in buying votes and subsequently many political figures including local councilors and mayors have been arrested. I applaud Radev for taking a strong anti-corruption stance, but I fear that could be undermined if he forges close links to Putin and Russia.

Orban’s defeat continues to Cause Political Ripples Both Domestically and internationally.

On Sunday, Viktor Orban, who had been Prime Minister of Hungary for 16 years, was heavily defeated by the upstart candidate Peter Magyar. Orban’s Fidesz party was reduced to only 55 seats in the 199-seat Parliament, allowing Magyar’s Tisza to have a supermajority to hopefully undo the most extreme excesses of the Orban era. According to a report in the Guardian, Hungarians were fed up with the stagnant economy and woeful healthcare and education systems that have been neglected for far too long. As for Peter Magyar, he is an interesting figure in Hungarian politics. He was an Orbán loyalist for many years, but he broke with the government over a scandal relating to the pardoning of a government official who covered up years of abuse at a state-run children’s home. According to a report by PBS, Magyar wants parliament to transfer power on May 5^th; whether that happens is up for debate.