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.

Cherfilus-McCormick Resigns Before Congressional Investigation.

Last week, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democratic representative from Florida, resigned before an investigation into her allegedly embezzling $5 million in disaster relief funds to fund her 2021 Congressional campaign. According to a report in the New York Times, McCormick used the five million from FEMA, which was supposed to help register people for vaccines during COVID. Instead, she used most of the money to fund her campaign and the rest for personal use. Despite resigning from Congress, she is still facing federal criminal charges and could spend up to 53 years in prison. It is unclear what will happen next, but it is not a great look for the democrats, who are trying to highlight corruption on the other side of the aisle.

Former Ghana Finance Minister Bids for Permanent Residence in the U.S.

The former Ghanaian finance minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, who is facing corruption charges back in Ghana, is attempting to gain permanent residency in the United States. According to a report by the website Semafor, Ofori-Atta was detained by ICE agents in January for overstaying his visa. During Ofori-Atta’s tenure, he was accused of awarding public contracts to Databank, a company he co-founded, and of allegedly misusing state funds. As of right now, the Ghanaian government is pursuing extradition proceedings against Ofori Atta. Who knows what will happen next, but somehow I wouldn’t be surprised if Ofori-Atta gets his freedom in this country, but at a price.

Transparency International Perception Index Shows Worrying Trends.

On Tuesday, Transparency International released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index. The index rates countries from 0 to 100 (0 being the worst and 100 the best) and shows some very concerning trends. According to this article in The Guardian, the UK dropped from 71 to 70. The reason was increased campaign contributions from wealthy individuals, including an unnamed donor who gave £15 million to the Conservative Party in the last election cycle. The U.S also saw a dip in its score from 65 last year to 64 this year due to the current political climate. Across the board, except for a few examples, such as Ukraine, which has sought to strengthen its anti-corruption operations, there is a worrying lack of impetus to tackle global corruption. It is unclear in which direction anti-corruption efforts will go, but given that far-right populism appears to be going strong, the outlook is not promising.

Orban Obtains a Reprieve on Russian Oil Sanctions.

Last week, during a meeting with President Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán successfully secured an exemption from sanctions regarding the purchase of Russian oil. According to a report in Sky News, Orban made the argument that, as Hungary is a landlocked country, the easiest method for them to get oil and natural gas is through the Turkstream and Druzhba pipelines, respectively. Despite the Trump administration instituting sanctions on two major Russian oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, it is no surprise that he was willing to help a fellow right-wing populist, Orban. Orban will also be grateful for this show of support because he is facing a fierce challenge in next year’s election in the form of upstart opposition candidate Peter Magyar. Finally, considering that Hungary is about to purchase U.S Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) with the contracts being estimated at around $600 million, someone will surely “benefit” from this transaction.

Rio Tinto Investigating Allegations of Corruption.

An American/Australian mining company is investigating allegations of corruption at its copper mine in Mongolia. According to a report on mining.com (a website covering the mining industry), Rio Tinto is investigating procurement-related corruption at the Oyu Tolgoi Mine, which it and the Mongolian government jointly own. According to a Reuters report, earlier this year, Rio Tinto agreed to pay a $135 million fine to a group of investors who sued the company over defrauding investors regarding the expansion of Oyu Tolgoi. The two hedge funds, Pentwater and Turquoise Hill, that owned stakes in Rio Tinto at the time believed that, despite Rio Tinto’s assurances that the mine was on schedule and budget, the mine renovation was actually over budget by $1.9 billion. It is unclear what will happen next, but this will be a significant financial blow for the company.

Trump Urges Pardon in Netanyahu Corruption Trial.

Yesterday, in a meeting between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump urged Israeli prosecutors to drop the case. According to a report in The Guardian, Trump referred to Netanyahu’s case as a “ridiculous witch hunt,” which is hardly surprising considering Trump’s use of the phrase many times before, referring to his criminal cases. Netanyahu is accused of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust while in office. According to a 2024 report by Al Jazeera, Netanyahu is accused of accepting gifts from certain businesspeople in exchange for political access, as well as favorable media coverage, in return for a promise to hinder the growth of a rival newspaper. According to another report in Al Jazeera, the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, has the power to pardon Netanyahu if he so desires; however, he has stated that this option is not currently on the table. Whether or not Trump’s words have any sway, one leader trying to influence judicial proceedings in another is never a good look.

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.