Blog
24 May 2011
Corruption Mentioned As One of the Driving Factors in Arab Revolutions
The Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, mentioned on Monday that corruption was one of the driving factors of the revolutions unfolding in the Arab region, among increasing unemployment and the increasing cost of living. The Premier went on to say that the Arab nations […]
24 May 2011
Special Report on “Insider World”” in Montenegran Banking”
An interesting report examining the banking industry in Montenegro right after it declared independence from Serbia in 2006 was released on Tuesday. The report discusses widespread corruption in Montenegro, specifically in the banking industry. Corruption is not on the only theme, however, as lax governmental oversight, rapid price fluctuations, and cheap money all play a […]
24 May 2011
Indian Court Denies Bail to Accused in Telecom Corruption Scandal
The accused in India’s high-profile telecom scandal, which allegedly may have cost the public up to $39 billion, were denied bail today by an Indian judge, citing that the evidence against them was incriminating. The scandal dates back to 2008 when telecom licenses for the 2G spectrum were allegedly sold well below the then-current market […]
24 May 2011
Meps Back Joint Parliament and Commission Lobby Register
The European Union, still reeling from corruption scandals involving several MEPs, backed a proposal on Tuesday night to create a lobby or transparency registry in order to more easily and openly track those with a legislative footprint, which would be attached to the end of EU legislation. MEPs also called upon the Council of Ministers […]
24 May 2011
Drugs and Corruption Creeping Into Dominican Police and Military
Corruption from drug trafficking has increasingly become a problem in the Dominican Republic, as evidenced by the story of Elias Enmanuel Núñez, a former Lieutenant himself, who was fired and threatened after complaining about his superiors’ corrupt actions in the police force. According to Núñez, I would arrest a drug dealer for having however many […]
24 May 2011
Moscow Tax Official Illegally Wires up to $39 Million
Olga Stepanova, a former tax official who ran Moscow’s district tax office No. 28, wired money worth $39 million through her husband’s bank account after having fraudulently approved a $239 million tax return in 2007. All of this was done on an average monthly income equivalent of $38,000, according to William Browder (pictured here), who […] 24 May 2011
Romanian Labor Minister Resigns After Wife Receives Eu Funding
Romania’s Labor Minister, Ioan Botis (pictured above), resigned yesterday (Wednesday the 20th) after it came out on Monday that the NGO that his wife worked for received 500,000 euros in EU grants. Mr. Botis originally stated that he would only resign if the National Agency for Integrity accused him of having a conflict of interest; […]
24 May 2011
Kosovar Police Station Commander Sentenced for Accepting Bribes
The Kosovar commander of the police station in Kastriot/Obiliq, Sejdi Zeqiri, was sentenced to 28 months in prison on Wednesday (the 20th) for two counts of sexual abuse, two counts of mistreatment, verbal insults and mistreatment while carrying out his duties, and one count of accepting bribes. The panel that sentenced Mr. Zeqiri was comprised […] 24 May 2011
Romanian Union Leader Indicted for Accepting Bribes
Marius Petcu (pictured here) was arrested on suspicions of accepting bribes between September 2009 and March 2011 that amount to almost 342,000 euros, including a villa in the mountain resort town of Predeal, from a businessman who turned out to be an informer. Mr. Petcu, the leader of the Sanitas union federation, was arrested on […]
24 May 2011
Czech President Shuffles Cabinet After Corruption Scandal
The Czech President, Vaclav Klaus, appointed two new cabinet ministers after a corruption scandal involving Public Affairs, the junior partner in the Center-Right coalition, surfaced recently, throwing the Czech government coalition scrambling. The move comes ahead of a vote-of-confidence called by left parties scheduled for next Tuesday, which the government is now confident of winning. […] 24 May 2011
Kosovar Mayor Convicted of Extortion
A panel of EULEX judges at the District Court in Pristina found the Mayor of Kacanik, Xhabir Zharku (pictured here), guilty of extortion and illegal arms possession, with the trial having ended last Thursday (the 21st). Mr. Zharku was sentenced to three years of prison and fined a sum of 1,500 euros. Mr. Zharku, along […]
24 May 2011
Commonwealth Games Organiser Arrested in India
The Indian Central Bureau of Investigation confirmed that they had arrested Suresh Kalmadi (pictured here), who was in charge of organizing last year’s Commonwealth Games, which were plagued by scandal. Mr. Kalmadi has been accused of conspiring to favor a Swiss company that provided equipment for the scoring and timing of the events. Two other […]
24 May 2011
Run-Off Elections’ Results in HaiTI Delayed Due to Fraud
Haitian officials, hours before the winners of Haiti’s run-off elections that brought Michel Martelly (pictured here) to power were supposed to take office, delayed the publication of final results amid accusations that at least 18 seats, possibly 19, were tainted by fraud. The United Nations and other major international donors had expressed concern over 18 […]
24 May 2011
Corruption Still a Problem in Funding Spanish Political Parties
GRECO (the
24 May 2011
Six Romanians in Airport Management Indicted for Fraud
Six employees of Bucharest’s Baneasa Airport, including four managers, were indicted last Friday by Romanian prosecutors for fraud in dealing with a contract to repair the airport’s runways, inducing losses of approximately 5.8 million euros. The contract for the repairs dates back to 2007 but was amended with a new formula to calculate compensation – […]
24 May 2011
Zurich Banker Acquitted of Money Laundering, Bribery, and Falsifying Documents
Eight years after Oskar Holenweger (pictured here, left) was accused of laundering money for South American drug cartels, a Swiss Federal Court cleared him of all charges last Thursday (the 21st). Mr. Holenweger, who was also accused of bribery, falsifying documents, and mismanaging clients’ assets, was also awarded the equivalent of $476,730 in compensation. According […]
24 May 2011
Haitian Electoral Council Official Questions Results, Resigns
Ginette Cherubin (pictured here) sent her letter of resignation to the Haitian Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) on April 24th, which was published by local media this Tuesday, after disagreeing with the Council’s decision after releasing the final results of last month’s legislative election. Ms. Cherubin said that the decisions made by the CEP were not […]
04 May 2011
an Interview With Antanas Mockus
THE THREE Ms: MOCKUS, MANAGEMENT, AND MIRACLES Septimius Parvu How should a Mayor tackle corruption, mobilize the citizenry and fight the drug cartels? Is the rehabilitation of Bogotá a miracle or is it pure management and honesty? These questions have been answered by Antanas Mockus, a two-term mayor of Bogotá, between 1995 – 1997 and […]
04 May 2011
Ukrainian Government Ministers Richest in the World
Sonia Koshkina, considered to be one of Ukraine’s leading journalists, has accused the Ukrainian government of being a de facto plutocracy, with the 16-member cabinet claiming at least 5 multi-millionaires and one billionaire. While this is common knowledge in Ukraine, government officials still find ways to avoid publicly reporting all of their financial assets. Ms. […]
04 May 2011
European Parliament Opens Its Doors (Somewhat) to Olaf
The European Parliament admitted yesterday that it is within the purview of the Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) to investigate the matter of corruption among MEPs that was brought to light by 04 May 2011
Timeline of Mep Corruption Scandal
A timeline of the recent MEP scandal, first disclosed by The Sunday Times, can be found below. For more information on individual events, stories can be found on this site as well as
26 Apr 2011
Hungarian Mp Suspects Shady Deal in Off-Shore Procurement Deal
Hungarian MP Gábor Schering (Politics Can Be Different – LMP) is calling for the government to impose restrictions on offshore companies participating in public tenders after a company register in Cyprus won an Ft 2 billion ($10.6 million) contract with the Hungarian Postal Service (Magyar Posta). MP Schering, via the LMP, opined that the Cypriot […]
26 Apr 2011
Upcoming Kazakh Elections Marred by Bad Laws
The upcoming Kazakh national elections (Apr. 3rd) are not very likely to be rated free or fair due to a number of laws restricting press freedom and ability to run for office. This should not come as a surprise, however, as the Central Asian country has never held an election deemed to be free and […]
26 Apr 2011
Corruption Rose Last Year Says Kosovo’s Anti-Corruption Agency
Corruption rose last year says Kovoso’s
26 Apr 2011