Yesterday, a federal court in Argentina ruled that Cristina Fernández de Kirchner could serve her 7-year sentence under house arrest. Kirchner has been embroiled in a corruption scandal for years. According to a report in the Guardian, her sentence prohibits her from engaging in any political activities, signaling her decision to withdraw from running in the local Buenos Aires legislative elections this fall. As reported by Reuters, Kirchner will not be allowed to leave her apartment except for medical appointments, and her visitors will be subject to scrutiny by the Argentine courts. It is truly remarkable to see how far this titan of the Peronist movement has fallen.
Former French President Sarkozy Stripped of Legion of Honor Due to Corruption Conviction.
Yesterday, the former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was stripped of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest honor. According to a report in The Guardian, Sarkozy was found guilty of corruption in 2021 for attempting to bribe a judge and peddle influence in return for intelligence about an investigation into his campaign finances in 2007. The only other people to be stripped of the legion of honor are Phillippe Petain, the French Vichy leader who collaborated with the Nazis during WWII, Bashar Al Assad the former Syrian despot, Lance Armstrong, and finally Harvey Weinstein (quite a rogue’s gallery of people). According to a report, Sarkozy allegedly received millions of euros in campaign funds from the Gadhafi regime in Libya in 2007. It is unclear what will happen next, but French prosecutors have asked for a 7-year jail term in the Libya case.
Former Ghanaian Finance Minister Put on Interpol Red Notice List.
Earlier today, the former Ghanaian finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta was placed on Interpol’s red notice list. According to a report in Al Jazeera, Ofori Atta is being investigated over the dubious awarding of contracts involving the electricity and petroleum industries. According to another report in Yahoo Ofori- Atta was allegedly involved in embezzling $58 million to build a national cathedral. According to a report in the BBC, Ofori-Atta is out of Ghana receiving unspecified medical treatment. His whereabouts at present are not known. However, rumors exist that he could be anywhere from the US to the Cayman Islands, a noted hotspot for illicit activity.
Former Kyrgyzstan President Sentenced to 11 Years in Absentia.
Yesterday, a court in Kyrgyzstan sentenced the former president Almazbek Atambayev to 11 years in absentia on charges of corruption and participating in mass unrest. According to a report in Al Jazeera, Atambayev was found guilty of illicit enrichment, illegally acquiring land, and resisting arrest by Kyrgyzstan special forces. Kyrgyzstan has been a politically unstable country ever since the fall of the Soviet Union. An example of this was that Atambayev fell out with his successor in 2017, was arrested in 2019, then freed, and then arrested again in 2020 before being freed on medical grounds and moving to Spain in 2023. According to a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Project (OCCRP), Atambayev was accused of embezzling funds from renovating the thermal power plant in the capital, Bishkek. What will happen next is unclear, but Atambayev won’t return to Bishkek anytime soon.
Mongolian PM Resigns After Son’s Corruption Allegations.
Yesterday, the Mongolian prime minister, Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, resigned after receiving a no-confidence vote. According to a report from the BBC, Oyun-Erdene’s son and his girlfriend posted an image of a black Dior handbag and other shopping bags full of luxury goods. Mongolia has a history of corruption, with the former prime minister, Sukhbaatar Batbold, having allegedly bought two luxury apartments in New York City with misappropriated mining funds. According to a report in Al Jazeera, Oyun Erdene needed 72 parliamentarians to survive the no-confidence result. However, he only received 44 votes. This is just another in a long line of political upheavals related to corruption in Mongolia’s history.
Ghana Embassy Shut Down Over Visa Scam.
Yesterday, reports emerged that the Ghanaian embassy was shut down over an alleged visa scam. According to a report from Newsweek, Fred Kwarteng, a member of the IT department, set up an unauthorized link on the embassy website that redirected users to his private company, Ghana Travel Consultants (GTC). Kwarteng and his associates then charged more for visa-related services than was reasonable, and they kept all of the proceeds for themselves. As a result, the entire IT department was dissolved, and the whole embassy will be closed until an ongoing restructuring plan is finished. It is unclear what will happen to Kwarteng, but I imagine he would face prosecution in Ghana and possibly in the U.S.
Trump Administration in Talks to Lease a Jet From Qatar.
Qatar is in talks with the Trump administration to lease a jet to replace its aging Boeing jets, which are currently operating as Air Force One. According to a report from The Washington Post, government ethics officials are concerned that such a transaction would violate the emoluments clause in the Constitution. Trump is visiting Qatar this week as part of a three-country tour through the Middle East, which also includes Saudi Arabia and the UAE; therefore, this topic is likely to be discussed further. In another interesting twist, Laura Loomer, a far-right internet personality who is seen as Islamophobic, who normally backs Trump on most issues, criticized him by equating the sale of a plane to an Islamic takeover of America. This is an outrageous statement, but Loomer seldom disagrees with Trump on anything.
Serbian Students Pressure Government in Anti-Corruption.
Yesterday, in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, massive anti-corruption protests erupted on May Day. These protests were sparked by the collapse of a newly renovated train station that killed 16 people. According to a report in France 24, many Serbians believed that the tragedy should be blamed on corruption regarding the shoddy construction. Yesterday, the student groups in Novi Sad rallied the five biggest unions in massive protests in the capital, Belgrade. It will be fascinating to see how these protests turn out. Serbia is an autocratic country and could easily institute a crackdown.
Nadine Menendez Found Guilty on Bribery Charges.
Nadine Menendez, the wife of Bob Menendez, was convicted on Monday of participating in her husband’s bribery scheme. According to a report in the New York Times, Nadine Menendez used her influence with the Egyptian business community to make her husband a foreign agent. Jurors in Ms Menendez’s trial heard that she had accepted cash in return for granting access to her husband. According to a report in Politico, this case brought by the Southern District of New York may be the last of its kind for a while, as there have been resignations, and the Trump administration has other priorities than fighting corruption. It will be fascinating to see what type of sentence Menendez gets, unless President Trump pressures the Department of Justice like he did around Eric Adams.
Siddiq is Facing an Arrest Warrant in Bangladesh.
Several months ago, I wrote an article about Tulip Siddiq, the former Labour Party anti-corruption minister in the UK, facing corruption allegations in Bangladesh. Last week, the BBC reported that the Bangladeshi government issued an arrest warrant for Siddiq on corruption charges. Siddiq released a statement saying that the arrest warrant was part of a “politically motivated smear campaign” against her. According to a report in Sky News, the arrest warrant was issued over allegations about how Siddiq received a plot of land totaling 7,200 square feet in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. It is unclear whether or not the UK will extradite her, but I could see it becoming a political flashpoint between the two countries.
Crispin Corruption Report 