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.

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.

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.

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).

Gone Bust: PPE Medpro fails to pay back £122 million by the Deadline set by the UK Government.

Yesterday, PPE Medpro, established by Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Douglas Barrowman, failed to repay the £122 million it owes the UK government due to a breach of contract for not providing medical gowns that were sterile enough. According to a report in the Scotsman newspaper, the UK Department of Health & Social Care won its legal case in court, which was supposed to force the company to pay up. PPE Medpro had until 4 pm yesterday to pay the required funds to the UK government. According to a report in the BBC, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has vowed to track down all of the money owed to the government, which, with interest, now totals £145 million. It is unclear if the company will ever pay back the money, as according to accounts filed in July of this year, the company’s assets total £666,025.

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.