Today, Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter, two heavyweights of the global football administration, were cleared of corruption charges. According to a report in The Guardian, the Swiss attorney general’s office had asked for 20 months in prison with two years of the sentence suspended. This case centered around a payment of $2.2 million to Blatter from Platini in the name of non-contracted work done when Platini was advising Blatter’s campaign to be re-elected as FIFA president from 1998 to 2002. According to a report in the BBC, this case was tied in with the wider FIFA scandal and other high-ranking FIFA officials participating in corruption and bribery on an industrial scale. While this is no surprise to me, it is a sad indictment of the state of football that this type of corruption is accepted so readily and that supporters face ever-increasing prices. At the same time, the administrators who run the game continue to rich off the people who love the beautiful game so much.
Category: Uncategorized
EU Takes Back €1 Billion From Hungary.
Last week, the EU stripped € 1.04 billion in aid from Hungary. The EU and Hungary have been at loggerheads over development money for several years. According to a report in Radio Free Europe, The EU believed that the Hungarian government had violated EU public procurement rules. This type of aid is critical for Hungary as the traditional economy as manufacturing has declined; the Orban government has relied on these payments to prop up the economy as well as to use for infrastructure such as football grounds or repaving roads (I can attest to the fact that they are very smooth). It will be fascinating to see how this plays out; Hungary needs the money, but unless Orban changes his leadership style (which is unlikely), I don’t see the EU changing its mind.
Indian Businessman Adani Facing Fraud Charges.
Today, it was announced that Gautam Adani is facing multiple federal fraud charges. According to a report in The Washington Post, Adani is the second richest man in India and a close ally to Prime Minister Modi. Adani has many interests, from real estate to coal mines and solar farms. According to a report in the Washington Post, the charges that Adani faces surround an alleged $265 million bribe paid to the Indian government and then supposedly lying to investors about the bribe. This is not the first time Adani has faced allegations of wrongdoing around potential stock manipulation. If Adani is found guilty, it could have significant political ramifications in India.
Jury Deliberations Start in Menendez Case.
On Friday, Jury deliberations started in the Robert Menendez Corruption trial. Menendez is charged with using his power as a senator to lobby the Egyptian government’s interests in Congress. According to a report in CNN, prosecutors structured their presentation of the case in chapters calling different witnesses involved in Menendez’s various schemes. According to the report in The Hill, Menendez’s attorneys blamed his wife (who is also facing trial this fall on similar charges) for concealing her business doings from her husband. It is unclear how long the deliberations will take.
Ex-PM of Malta Pleads Not Guilty in Corruption Case.
Last week, the former Prime Minister of Malta pleaded not guilty to a sprawling corruption scandal. According to a report in Politico, Muscat was involved in a scheme whereby he allegedly benefitted financially from selling four hospitals to an American private healthcare company called the Steward Health Care group. Muscat received a 60,000 euro payment from a Swiss company, Accurtor AG, closely linked to Steward. Muscat’s chief of staff and another cabinet minister have also been implicated in this scandal. While Muscat’s hands might not be dirty, allies of his are facing charges related to the death of Daphne Galizia, a prominent Anti-Corruption journalist, as well as a bribery scheme involving a contract to run a power station.
Update on Ericsson Corruption Scandal.
I wrote an article a year ago on the U.S. Department of Justice monitoring the telecommunications company Ericsson over corrupt practices in China and Djibouti. Today, Ericsson announced that the monitoring program instituted by the Justice Department has ended. According to a website called capacitymedia.com, the Department of Justice released a statement saying it was satisfied that Ericsson had met its compliance requirements. According to Ericsson’s president, Borje Ekholm, Ericsson is committing to being more transparent with its business practices in the future. Only time will tell if this is a true statement or not.
US Sanctions Ugandan Parliament Speaker.
Today, the U.S. government sanctioned the Ugandan parliament speaker Anita Among and her Husband over alleged corruption and human rights abuses. According to an article in the AP, Among, a close ally of the Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni, has been in the spotlight for receiving $894,000 in the form of per diems and “entertainment” allowances. This is a massive problem in a country that can barely fund its healthcare and education systems. According to a report in ABC, Lt General Peter Elwelu was sanctioned for allowing extrajudicial killings. Finally, three ministers were sanctioned for being involved in a bizarre scheme to steal roofing material for impoverished communities.
Vietnam Votes in New President.
Yesterday, the Vietnamese parliament voted To Lam to be the next president. Vietnam has been going through a period of massive political turmoil in recent months. According to an article in Barron’s, Lam is an anti-corruption crusader who has allegedly used his anti-corruption committee in parliament to remove anyone he sees as a threat to his political aspirations. According to a report on Aljazeera, Lam was the only candidate on the secret ballot; hence, he was a shoo-in for election. Given the nature of politics in Vietnam recently, it would not shock me if Lam was forced out of office sooner rather than later.
Slovakian Prime Minister Fico gravely injured in Assassination Attempt.
Today, the Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was seriously injured in an attempted Assassination. According to a report in The Guardian, Fico was attending a political event in Handlova 90 miles northeast of Bratislava. Fico is viewed as a right-wing populist with a pro-Russian stance that is not dissimilar to Viktor Orban of Hungary. According to an article in the New York Times, Fico rose to power in the 1990s, leading the Smer Party, which started on the left of the political spectrum, to shift course and, after several years in opposition, adopted Anti-immigrant and anti-LGBT policies that were more in line with Putin and Orban. As of writing this, Fico’s status is unclear, but whether or not he survives attempted assassinations of European leaders is never good, despite how one may feel about their politics.
The Menendez Corruption Trial Begins.
This week, the corruption trial of Robert Menendez begins. According to a report in the AP, Menendez and his wife were arrested on bribery and corruption charges over accepting bribes from three business people, including one from Egypt. Menendez’s lawyer will claim in court that his wife was the driving force behind the bribery schemes, and he knew nothing about it. Menendez’s wife Nadine’s trial will not start until July at the earliest due to a health issue. It is unclear how the trial will play out, but whatever its outcome will ruin his reputation forever.
