Earlier this week, South Korean authorities issued a warrant for former president Yoon Suk Yeol after he instituted martial law in early December. According to a report from ABC, prosecutors intend to question Yoon on allegations of abuse of power and inciting a possible insurrection. Another report from The Guardian states that shortly after the warrants were issued against Yoon, a task force set up to investigate the order of martial law raided the office of the South Korean army’s counterintelligence unit in an attempt to figure out what role they played. If found guilty of the insurrection charges, Yoon faces life imprisonment or even the death penalty. The warrant is valid until January 6th, and Yoon could be held at Seoul’s central prison until then.
Category: Security
Attempted Coup Unsettles Bolivian Politics.
Last Wednesday in Bolivia, a former general in the army led a group of troops to attack the presidential palace. According to a report in The Guardian, the current president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, told the coup’s leader, Juan Jose Zuniga, to stand down. According to a report in the AP, the former president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, claimed that Arce had been in on the plot and encouraged the coup as a way to score political points. Recent polls in Bolivia have shown that Arce’s Movement For Socialism (MAS) is unpopular due to an ongoing economic crisis. It is unclear what will happen, but Arce’s position will not be secure for the foreseeable future.
Ukraine Embroiled in Another Corruption Scandal.
This past weekend, the Ukrainian government uncovered another large-scale corruption scandal involving missiles for the war effort. According to a report in Aljazeera, employees at a weapons manufacturer called Lviv Arsenal and members of the Ministry of Defense allegedly embezzled $40 million. It was intended to be a payment for missiles used in the war effort. Instead, the money was moved to several offshore accounts, and the military did not receive the 100,000 missiles they ordered. According to a report in NPR, the prosecutor general of Ukraine has announced that the funds have been recovered and will shortly be added to the defense budget. This scandal highlights two major issues. Firstly, corruption is still rife in Ukraine despite significant strides in anti-corruption efforts. Secondly, those 100,000 missiles would have been very handy for the war effort, and instead, several people decided to create a nice little earner for themselves.
Unrest in Ecuador.
Recently, in Ecuador, there has been a rise in violence, particularly post-Covid. However, yesterday, a TV station called TC in the city of Guayaquil was stormed by several gunmen. According to a report in Axios, the attack on the TV station was related to a well-known leader of a notorious gang, Adolfo Macias, escaping from his cell in a maximum-security prison. According to an article in the BBC, 130 prisons are being held hostage by inmates across several prisons across Ecuador. The Ecuadorian president, Daniel Noboa, sworn into office in November, has recently announced an ambitious plan which, according to Reuters, includes building new maximum-security prisons, developing a new gang-related intelligence unit, and procuring new weapons for the security services. This plan would cost $800 million, with the US government contributing 200 million primarily for acquiring the weapons. It appears that Noboa faces a massive task in controlling the prison system and limiting gang-related influences in Ecuadorian society.
Chinese Government is in the Middle of a Major Military Shake-Up.
Xi Jinping and his government have recently conducted a massive anti-corruption purge of the country’s military. According to an article in Axios, Nine generals and three officials who were connected to China’s development of military technology were fired from a Chinese Communist Party working group called Rocket Force, which focuses on China’s missile program. On top of that, The Washington Post reports that Xi appointed a new defense minister, Dong Jun, the former head of the Chinese Navy. The previous defense minister, Li Shangfu, has not been seen in public for two months, and questions are mounting as to his whereabouts. Many experts on China-related policy believe Xi faces an impossible task in rooting out endemic corruption as there is a chronic lack of transparency and accountability within the Chinese military.
Fat Leonard Returns to the U.S. to Face Justice.
Today, as part of a prisoner exchange deal, Leonard Francis, better known as Fat Leonard, has been extradited to the U.S. from Venezuela to face justice. According to the Washington Post, Francis was returned to the U.S. along with ten other U.S. citizens who were imprisoned in Venezuela. While Francis had not committed any crimes in Venezuela, the Maduro government had detained him on the off chance a prison swap with the U.S. ever seemed feasible. According to a report by CNN, In exchange for Francis, the U.S. issued clemency to Alex Saab, a financier with close links to Maduro, who was wanted on money laundering charges by the U.S. government. It has been a long road, but finally, Francis will face U.S. justice and spend a long time in prison.
EU Approves Membership Talks with Ukraine.
Yesterday, the EU approved membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova. While this is undeniably a big step for Ukraine as a country, it is not certain that Ukraine will be accepted into the bloc. According to a report in The Guardian, Hungarian President Viktor Orban, a well-known ally of Russia and President Putin, is threatening to hold up the process in any way possible. It is entirely possible that Orban’s sole goal was to get the EU to release 10 billion Euros from the EU budget. Ukraine has a lot of work to do before it can be accepted into the bloc. According to an article in Reuters, Ukraine must continue to clean up its judicial system and hire more anti-corruption professionals. It will be a long road, but based on its recent track record, Ukraine is committed to joining the EU despite the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The Hidden Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan.
In recent months, Sudan, in particular the western region of Darfur, has been in the midst of a wide-ranging conflict that has triggered a humanitarian crisis. According to an article in Politico, the UN is concerned about a repeat of the genocide that occurred between 2003 and 2005 in Darfur, where it is estimated that 300,000 people were killed in Darfur. The current conflict, which started earlier this year between the Sudanese government and a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Force (RSF), has been largely overlooked by the world’s press. According to a report on ABC News, 800 people were killed in a multi-day attack by the RSF last week. Sadly, no ceasefire is on the horizon, and history will repeat itself.
Old Tensions Between Kosovo and Serbia Flare up.
In recent weeks, long-held tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have simmered to the surface. Kosovo is an ethnically divided country between Albanians and Serbians. Despite independence and vocal support from the West, there is always a fear of Serbia trying to reclaim what it sees as its rightful territory. According to an article in CNBC, there has been violence on Kosovo’s northern border with Serbia, not to mention Serbian military units amassed on the border. In late September, there was a shootout between Kosovar police and heavily armed Serbs. One of the major sticking points is that, according to the AP, The Serbian population in the North of Kosovo, particularly in the city of Mitrovica, feels the government in Pristina is not representing them. Earlier this year, the Serbian population in the north boycotted local elections, allowing ethnic Albanians to claim most of the mayoral positions, further alienating the Serbs. While the rest of Europe focuses on Russia and Ukraine, the situation in Kosovo should warrant closer examination by Western leaders.
Ukraine’s ongoing crusade against Corruption.
This week, the Ukrainian government under President Zelensky has been making further efforts to eradicate societal Corruption in Ukraine. Several outlets, including Reuters, have reported that a delegation of Ukrainian officials has met with Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security advisor, about improving anti-corruption efforts. Along with that is a report from the BBC that Ihor Kolomoisky, a well-known Ukrainian oligarch, is to be held in custody for two months on fraud and money laundering charges. Arguably, the most critical corruption story to come out of Ukraine is that President Zelensky has fired his defense minister, Oleskii Reznikov, because of allegations of Corruption. A report by the Washington Post suggests that Rustem Umerov, the former head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, will take over. While there is a long way to go, it is clear that the Ukrainian government is making strides in stamping out governmental malfeasance.
Crispin Corruption Report 