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☆ Cash, drugs and booze among record election bribes seized by India
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Dhruv Tikekar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A record quantity of bribes, including cash, booze, drugs and precious metals, has been seized by Indian election authorities in the run-up to mammoth nationwide polls that begin on Friday. The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday revealed it had recovered inducements worth just over $550 million since March — the largest amount in the country’s 75-year electoral history. It marks a “sharp increase” on the more than $400 million in bribes seized by the ECI in the country’s last general election in 2019, the agency said. India’s political parties and leaders routinely preach against election corruption and inducements, but the level of monitoring and tackling of graft across such a vast nation varies widely. Anti-corruption groups had long complained that the system meant a lack of transparency in donations to political parties — allowing corporations to donate large sums without disclosure.

Persons: Narendra Modi, gratis, Modi, ” Organizations: CNN, of India, Bharatiya Janta Party, BJP, “, Indian National Congress, India, Kazakhstan, India’s, Bank of India Locations: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Lok, Maldives

☆ Indonesia election: Over 200 million will head to the polls across vast nation in world’s biggest election day
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —More than 200 million eligible voters will head to the polls in Indonesia on Wednesday, in what is billed as the world’s biggest single-day election. Mascots depicting presidential candidate and Indonesia's Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto (L) and vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka (R) in an election event on February 5, 2024. He has strong links with Islamic political groups, and his vice-presidential pick, Muhaimin Iskandar, is the leader of Indonesia’s largest Muslim political party, the National Awakening Party. A presidential candidate needs a simple majority of at least 50% of total votes and 20% of votes in more than half of the country’s 38 provinces to win. The use and abuse of AIWith more than 210 million Internet users, Indonesia boasts one of the world’s largest digital populations.

Persons: Suharto’s, Prabowo Subianto, he’s, Suharto, ” Kenneth Roth, Ganjar, Mahfud, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Adek Berry, Anies Baswedan, Muhaimin Iskandar, Anies, –, Basuki Tjahaja, Joko Widodo, Jokowi, Prabowo, Gibran, Jokowi’s, ”, Adrian Vickers, Vickers, “, Yusof, Maria Monica Wihardja, ” Wihardja, Sayyidatiihayaa, Satya Bumi, ” Sayyidatiihayaa, Ulet Ifansasti Organizations: CNN, Human Rights Watch, Princeton University, Indonesian Democratic Party of, Indonesia's Defence, Getty, Former Jakarta, Islamic, National Awakening Party, University of Sydney, Prabowo, Lembaga, Transparency International, Indonesia Locations: Indonesia, United States, Central Java, Jakarta, Indonesia’s, AFP, Chinese, Indonesian, Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, Nusantara, Borneo

BERLIN (AP) — Efforts to fight public sector corruption are faltering around the world, in part because a “global decline in justice and the rule of law since 2016," according to a corruption index released Tuesday. Transparency International, which compiles the annual Corruption Perceptions Index, found 23 countries at their worst level since the global ranking began almost three decades ago, including both high-ranking democracies and authoritarian states. The global average was unchanged at 43 for the 12th consecutive year, and more than two-thirds of countries scored below 50. Arab countries’ average score on the index hit an all-time low of 34, and sub-Saharan Africa remained stagnant at 33. Transparency International said that the government's “pervasive control of public institutions facilitates the widespread abuse of power without accountability" while judicial independence is eroding.

Persons: ”, François Valérian, party's Organizations: BERLIN, Transparency, World Bank, Economic, European Union Locations: Iceland, Netherlands, Sweden, Britain, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, United States, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, North Korea, Nicaragua, Asia, Pacific, Latin America, Caribbean, Saharan Africa, Europe, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine

☆ Singapore transport minister resigns after being charged with corruption in a first for the city state
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Singapore’s Transport Minister S. Iswaran has resigned after being charged with corruption on Thursday, the prime minister’s office said, confirming a historic development for a city state that prides itself on having a squeaky-clean government. The charges against Iswaran are part of the biggest corruption probe to engulf Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in decades. Singapore’s anti-graft agency, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), which reports directly to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has been leading investigations into Iswaran’s case. Lee is the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister and founding father. The corruption probe into Ong and Iswaran comes at a sensitive time for Lee as he plans to step aside after nearly 20 years leading the country.

Persons: Iswaran, Tan Kiat Pheng, Ong Beng Seng, Ong, Lee Hsien Loong, Lee, ” Lee, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s, ” Eugene Tan, ” Organizations: CNN, Singapore’s, Iswaran, Action Party, Singapore, Prix, Practices, Party, Government, Ong, Singapore Management University Locations: Singapore

☆ Indonesia Presidential Hopefuls Pledge to Boost Troubled Anti-Graft Agency
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's presidential candidates have pledged to strengthen the government's anti-corruption agency, laying out their plans ahead of the country's Feb. 14 election, to counter pervasive graft in Southeast Asia's largest economy. Anies, the former governor of the capital Jakarta, said he would bring Indonesia's battle against graft back on track by strengthening the KPK and revising the law governing the agency. The revision, made under current President Joko Widodo, who is known as Jokowi, triggered mass protests at the time. We have the capability, we are not poor," he added, without elaborating on the budget plan for the wage increase. In 2022, Indonesia dropped four places on global graft watchdog Transparency International's corruption perception index to 110 out of 180 countries.

Persons: Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Pranowo, Joko Widodo, Prabowo, Jokowi, Jokowi's, Firli Bahuri, Stanley Widianto, Ananda Teresia, Christian Schmollinger Locations: JAKARTA, Asia's, Jakarta, Central Java, Indonesia

He lost in a run-off vote to Weah in 2017. "Boakai strikes me as a grandfather figure – someone you would trust with your life. Official results on Friday showed Boakai had 50.9% of the vote over Weah's 49.1%, with more than 99% of votes counted, prompting Weah's concession. In an interview shortly after the results, a softly-spoken Boakai told Reuters that his primary focus would be to bring the country together after a divisive election. Boakai, meanwhile, lives in a relatively modest bungalow that has barely changed since he moved in 50 years ago.

Persons: George Weah, Joseph Boakai, Amara Konneh, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Robtel Neajai, Boakai, Konneh, Unity Party Joseph Boakai, Carielle, Sirleaf's, Weah, Prince Jaygbah, Joe, Edward McAllister, Clelia Organizations: Liberia's, College of West, Reuters, African, Bank, Unity Party, Toyota, Thomson Locations: MONROVIA, DAKAR, College of West Africa, Tuesday's, Monrovia, Africa's, Americas, Liberia, Warsonga, Sierra Leone, Milan, London, Paris

☆ Russians, Iranians, and Chinese spark security fears after taking $100,000 shortcut for citizenship in a Caribbean paradise
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The European Union may crack down on visa-free travel after revealing the scale of the passport trade. AdvertisementAdvertisementTens of thousands of passports have been obtained by Russians, Iranians, Chinese and others from Caribbean nations, granting them visa-free travel to European countries, according to a report by the European Commission. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe scale of the "golden passport" trade has sparked security concerns from the European Commission, which is proposing a crackdown on visa-free travel for people using them. Some 150,000 people have used the visa-free travel arrangements to claim asylum once in a European country, according to the EU home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson. Such passports became more popular after citizens of the Caribbean countries were granted visa-free travel in 2015, The Guardian reported.

Persons: —, Dominica –, Muammar Gaddafi, Ylva Johansson, Gary Kalman Organizations: European, Service, European Commission, The, St, The Guardian, Guardian, Transparency International US Locations: Caribbean, Antigua, Barbuda, Grenada, St Kitts, Nevis, St Lucia, Dominica, Afghan

☆ Liberia: Citizens vote in crucial polls amid flaring tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

‘Correcting a mistake’Boakai told CNN that his young supporters are now desperate for change. Weah’s campaign manager told CNN no Liberian law prevents them from running from office, adding that the government was awaiting evidence from US to enable prosecutions. A unique electionOscar Bloh, head of ECC, Liberia’s largest election observation group, told CNN this election is different from previous polls in the country. A spokesman for the electoral commission, Henry Flomo, told CNN, “Everything is in schedule,” as dictated by law. “It’s unlikely that any of the candidates will win outright during the first round,” he told CNN.

Persons: CNN —, George Weah, Weah, Joseph Boakai, Seif Magango, Ballon, Boakai, ’ Boakai, ’ ”, ” Boakai, Ahmed Jallanzo, Liberians, ”, Joel Cholo Brooks, Shutterstock, ” Weah, Samuel Tweah, –, they’ve, Eugene Nagbe, ” “, Nagbe, “, Brooks, Nathaniel McGill, ” McGill, Sayma Syrenius, Bill Twehway, Twehway, I’m, ” Nagbe, Oscar Bloh, Bloh, Henry Flomo, ” Flomo Organizations: CNN, UN, Bank, Coalition for Democratic, Unity Party, Facebook, UN Human Rights, Boakai, Soul Clinic, Global News Network Liberia, Coalition, Democratic, FIFA, Liberian, Liberia Anti, Corruption, Washington, Port Authority, US Treasury Department, McGill, Weah’s CDC, Transparency International, TI Locations: Liberia, Monrovia, Pipeline, “, Qatar, American, United States

"Unless Zelenskiy gets rid of Tatarov, he won't be seen as serious in purging the country of corruption," she told Reuters. "He knew about law enforcement and warned us to be careful about saying almost anything on the phone," Maiboroda told Reuters. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said experts would need to study the material to verify it. "The main thing is that a person is honest," Zelenskiy told reporters several days after Tatarov's appointment. Zelenskiy told Ukrainian television network ICTV in October 2021 that the offshore arrangement was to protect his TV production business from political pressure by the Yanukovych government.

Persons: Oleh Maiboroda, Maiboroda, Oleh Tatarov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Tatarov, Maiboroda's, Ukraine's, Zelenskiy, Kyiv pollsters, Oleksii Reznikov, Reznikov, Daria Kaleniuk, Nicola Mirto, Mirto, Viktor Yanukovych, Yanukovich's, Maxym Mykytas, Mykytas, Maiborada, NABU, Yanukovych, –, General Iryna Venediktova, Artem Sytnyk, Sytnyk, didn't, Oleksiy Symonenko, Symonenko, Andriy Yermak, Yermak, Denys, Dmytro Shtanko, Liudmyla, Sergey Shefir, Shefir, Vyacheslav Shapovalov, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, Zheleznyak, Zelensky, Ihor, Kolomoisky, Semen Kryvonos, Kaleniuk, ”, Stephen Grey, Dan Peleschuk, Janet McBride Organizations: Reuters, Ukrbud, Prosecutors, Ukraine's, European Union, International Monetary Fund, Kyiv, Kyiv Independent, Tatarov, Ministry, Interior Ministry, Virgin Islands, ICTV, National Agency for, Ministry of Defence, Kiel Institute, NATO, Thomson Locations: VIENNA, KYIV, Vienna, Ukraine, Tatarov, Russia, Europe, European, Kyiv, Italian, Ukrainian, Soviet Ukraine, Zelenskiy's, Switzerland, Spain, Soviet, United States, Irpin

According to Maiboroda, Mykytas used Tatarov for difficult tasks, including bribe payments on behalf of Ukrbud Development. "He knew about law enforcement and warned us to be careful about saying almost anything on the phone," Maiboroda told Reuters. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said experts would need to study the material to verify it. "The main thing is that a person is honest," Zelenskiy told reporters several days after Tatarov's appointment. Zelenskiy told Ukrainian television network ICTV in October 2021 that the offshore arrangement was to protect his TV production business from political pressure by the Yanukovych government.

☆ Opinion | Can Samantha Power Win the Battle for Ukraine’s Future?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Years ago, during the George W. Bush administration, I shadowed another U.S.A.I.D. Despite some notable gains, especially in areas such as girls’ education, it was clear the agency was struggling. In the end, approximately $145 billion in assistance — about $20 billion of which was administered by U.S.A.I.D. Would the story turn out similarly in Ukraine, a state that last year ranked alongside Angola in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index? That’s what I went to Ukraine to see for myself.

Persons: I’ve, George W, Bush, Henrietta Fore, ” —, Sam’s, — Organizations: American Embassy, U.S.A.I.D, Angola Locations: Afghanistan, Ukraine

☆ Opinion | Corruption Is an Existential Threat to Ukraine, and Ukrainians Know It
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Farah Stockman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

No one knows better what an existential threat corruption can be, sapping the public trust and the legitimacy of the state. Ukrainians consider corruption the country’s second-most-serious problem, behind only the Russian invasion, according to a poll conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology this year. That raises hopes that Ukrainians are starting to resist corruption with the same can-do spirit that repelled the Russian invasion. Ukrainian lawmakers are pushing back against the scrutiny. “Many Ukrainians are unhappy with this decision of the Parliament,” Andrii Borovyk, the executive director of Transparency International Ukraine, told me.

Persons: Yuriy Nikolov, Volodymyr Zelensky, Oleksii Reznikov, Bohdan Torokhtiy, Alina Levchenko, Mr, Zelensky, ” Andrii Borovyk, Vitalii Shabunin, ” Organizations: Kyiv International Institute of, European Union, Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Transparency International, Ukrainian Pravda Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Europe, Instagram, Kyiv, Transparency International Ukraine

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired his defense minister, citing the need for “new approaches” as the war with Russia enters its 19th month. “This week, parliament will be asked to make a personnel decision … I have decided to replace the minister of defense of Ukraine. The president nominated Rustem Umerov, the former people’s deputy of Ukraine, to become the new defense minister. “The Verkhovna Rada (legislature) of Ukraine knows this person well, and Mr. Umerov does not need any additional introductions,” Zelensky said. Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov at Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 10, 2023.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, …, Oleksii Reznikov, ” Zelensky, Rustem Umerov, Umerov, “, ” Reznikov, Zelensky, Yurii, Reznikov, Ihor Kolomoisky Organizations: CNN, Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian Defense, NATO, European Union, Transparency International Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Europe, Brussels

CNN —One of Ukraine’s most powerful oligarchs has been arrested in a fraud investigation, state media in the country are reporting. A Kyiv court on Saturday ordered Ihor Kolomoisky, a key supporter of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 2019 presidential campaign, to 60 days in pre-trial detention while authorities investigate fraud charges against him, reported Ukrinform. Kolomoisky’s media and banking businesses have made him one of the richest men in Ukraine. Video and photos showed Kolomoisky being led away from the district court in Kyiv. Earlier this year Zelensky fired a slew of senior Ukrainian officials over a corruption scandal linked to the procurement of war-time supplies.

Persons: Ihor Kolomoisky, Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Kolomoisky, Ukrinform, –, ”, Vasyl Maliuk, Zelensky, Arsen Avakov, Avakov Organizations: CNN, US State Department, State Department, Security Service of Ukraine, of Economic Security, General’s, Kolomoisky, “ Locations: Ukraine, Shevchenkivskyi, Kyiv, Europe, Russia

☆ Ukraine arrested the oligarch who owns the TV station that aired Volodymyr Zelenskyy's show before he became president
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine has detained Ihor Kolomoisky, a prominent oligarch, as part of an anti-corruption drive. Kolomoisky owns the TV station that showed Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "Servant of the People." The country's security service said on its Telegram channel that oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky would be held in custody for two months on fraud and money laundering charges. AdvertisementAdvertisementUkrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky appeared in court on Saturday. Kolomoisky owns the TV station 1+1 that broadcast "Servant of the People," in which Zelenskyy played a comedian who becomes president.

Persons: Ihor Kolomoisky, Kolomoisky, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Forbes, Vladyslav Musiienko, Reuters Zelensky, Zelenskyy, they'd, oligarch, Petro Poroshenko Organizations: Reuters, BBC News, Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kolomoisky

☆ Zelenskiy says he will propose tougher corruption measures this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a joint press statement with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as they meet at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, August 21, 2023. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a television interview shared on his Telegram channel on Sunday that he would ask parliament in the coming week to increase penalties for those found guilty of corruption during wartime. "I think the parliament will get it in the next week and then the ball is in the parliament's court," he added. A series of government shake-ups over corruption included Zelenskiy's dismissal this month of all the regional military recruitment chiefs after a nationwide audit. "We are fast approaching the point where it will be us or them," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on the Telegram app on Sunday.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Stelios Misinas, Zelenskiy, Iryna Vereshchuk, Nick Starkov, Elaine Monaghan, Chris Reese Organizations: Greek, REUTERS, Rights, Russia, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Washington

☆ Ukraine's anti-graft police zero in on major wartime corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) speaks with Reuters, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 18, 2023. But now, according to Kyiv's top anti-graft cop, it's a matter of sheer survival as the country battles against Russia's invasion. "Corruption is no longer seen as a just a crime, but as a crime against national security," said Semen Kryvonos, head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). A bigger staff of 300 detectives, compared to the current level of nearly 250, would allow for a new unit dedicated solely to reconstruction-related crimes and to strengthen an existing one probing defence-related corruption, Kryvonos added. A Transparency-commissioned opinion poll in June found that at least 77% of Ukrainians believe corruption is currently among Ukraine's main problems.

Persons: Semen Kryvonos, NABU, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kryvonos, Zelenskiy, Dan Peleschuk, Tom Balmforth, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Reuters, Bureau Press Service, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Russia, Supreme, Ukraine, European Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russian, Brussels

☆ Ukraine sacks army recruitment chiefs in anti-graft shakeup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Zelenskiy said that any sacked army recruitment officers who are not being investigated should head to the front to fight for Ukraine "if they want to keep their epaulettes and prove their dignity". Ukraine has increasingly faced recruitment challenges as the war, now in an brutally attritional phase, nears the 18-month mark. Last month, the head of the Odesa region's recruitment centre was ordered into pre-trial detention on suspicion of illegal enrichment. Despite recent moves against graft, Ukraine still ranks 116th out of 180 countries in Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index. A Transparency-commissioned opinion poll in June found that 77% of Ukrainians believe corruption is among Ukraine's most serious problems.

Persons: Zelenskiy, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Friday's, Valery Zaluzhny, Dan Peleschuk, Tom Balmforth, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: European Union, Thomson Locations: Western, Russia, Ukraine, Odesa, Spain

Mugabe’s successor, Emmerson Mnangagwa, had promised sweeping political, economic and social reforms. Several opposition activists, journalists and human rights activists have been arrested over the last year, including Job Sikhala, a Parliament member and senior official with the CCC. Obey Shava, a prominent Zimbabwean human rights lawyer who has represented various opposition party supporters facing questionable charges, was violently attacked earlier this month. Human rights group Amnesty International called it a “brutal assault on civic space.”At the same time, government corruption remains a problem in Zimbabwe. Mnangagwa has blamed Western sanctions for the current economic crisis in Zimbabwe, where the annual inflation rate reached 175% in June.

Persons: Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s, Mugabe’s, Emmerson Mnangagwa, “, ”, Joe Biden, ” Biden, Nelson Chamisa, Job Sikhala, Obey, Bill –, Bill, Al Jazee, Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai, Mnangagwa, Macky Sall, Felix Tshisekedi, Stephen Chan, ” Chan, Ruben Mbofana, –, Mbofana, Leonard Koni, Kudakwashe Regimond Tagwirei, Emmerson Mnangagwa Jr, ” Koni Organizations: U.S . Congress, “, ZANU, Citizens Coalition, Amnesty, Movement, Democratic, Mugabe, U.S, Congress, Zimbabwe Democracy, ., U.S . Treasury, Union, Reuters, SOAS University of London Locations: MUTARE, Zimbabwe, Mutare, Rhodesia, U.S, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Senegal

☆ Sri Lanka parliament passes anti-corruption bill without vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

COLOMBO, July 19 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's parliament approved an anti-corruption bill on Wednesday, aimed at improving governance in the crisis-hit country and meeting requirements linked to a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The legislation was passed without a vote in the 225-member parliament. "The bill is passed with amendments," Sri Lanka parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena told lawmakers after more than two dozen pages of amendments were included into the draft legislation during the morning session. The Anti-Corruption Bill increases the powers and resources allocated to Sri Lanka's Bribery and Corruption Commission, which is mandated with carrying out major investigations. "We welcome the law, but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating," said Sankhitha Gunaratne, Deputy Executive Director, Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL).

Persons: Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Sankhitha Gunaratne, Uditha Jayasinghe, Himani Sarkar, Christian Schmollinger, Emma Rumney Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, United Nations, Sri, Corruption Commission, Sri Lanka, Thomson Locations: COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Asia

☆ Singapore’s clean reputation gets a timely test
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SINGAPORE, July 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Singapore could turn a governance crisis into an opportunity. Its transport minister S. Iswaran and Ong Beng Seng, the property billionaire credited with bringing Formula One to the city, were arrested and released on bail last week. The rare high-profile probe involving a public official by the hub’s anti-graft agency is a timely test of the Asian centre’s willingness to act tough on corruption. It's been six days since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong revealed the investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau and the exact details remain unclear. S. Iswaran and businessman Ong Beng Seng were arrested on July 11 and subsequently released on bail, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau said.

Persons: Ong Beng Seng, It's, Lee Hsien Loong, Iswaran, Ong, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Formula, Practices, Beijing, DBS, Hotel Properties, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Singapore, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Asia, Hong Kong, COMO

☆ Singapore launches corruption probe involving transport minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said July 12 that he has instructed the country's transport minister S. Iswaran to go on leave after he was implicated in an anti-graft agency investigation. SINGAPORE — Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has asked the country's transport minister to go on leave after he was implicated in an anti-graft agency investigation. "I have instructed Minister Iswaran to take leave of absence until these investigations are completed," Lee said, without elaborating on the specifics of the case. Senior Minister of State Chee Hong Tat will be acting minister for transport, Lee added. The announcement comes weeks after a state review on allegations made against two other cabinet ministers regarding their rental of government-owned colonial bungalows.

Persons: Lee Hsien Loong, Iswaran, Lee, State Chee Hong, Shanmugam, Vivian Balakrishnan Organizations: Singapore's, SINGAPORE — Singapore's, State, Law, Home Affairs Minister, Singapore Locations: SINGAPORE

☆ Hydropower IPO tests appetite for weather risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Yawen Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, June 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A jumbo hydropower listing may define how investors assess extreme weather risks. Over the last decade, hydropower has been the largest source of clean energy, International Energy Agency data shows. At the top of the range it would raise up to 2 billion euros and be Europe’s largest IPO so far this year. Alarmingly, Hidroelectrica’s gross hydropower generation fell about 15% last year from its annual average of 15.9 terawatt-hours in the decade to 2022. The IPO carries a price range of between 94 Romanian lei and 112 lei (18.95 euros and 22.58 euros) per share, giving the company a potential market capitalisation of 42.3 billion lei to 50.4 billion lei (8.53 billion euros to 10.16 billion euros), Hidroelectrica said in its prospectus.

Persons: Romania’s, Austria’s Verbund, Bogdan Nicolae Badea, Hidroelectrica, Fondul Proprietatea, Franklin Templeton, Lisa Jucca, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, International Energy Agency, World Bank, Alarmingly, Investors, U.S, Thomson Locations: Europe, Romania, Ukraine, Romanian, China, France

☆ Special Report: US, Swedish prosecutors study graft complaint naming son of Turkey's Erdogan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( David Gauthier-Villars | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +16 min

The proposed plan was detailed in communications and business documents seen by Reuters, as well as by a person familiar with the matter. A screengrab shows information about the AL-100K dashboard breathalyzer on the website of Swedish company Dignita Systems. Reuters was unable to confirm independently whether President Erdogan and his son Bilal were aware of, or had involvement in Dignita's alleged kickback scheme. Ibn Haldun University was founded by Turgev, a charity organization President Erdogan helped create in the 1990s, when he was mayor of Istanbul. In 2016, Italian prosecutors conducted a money-laundering probe into Bilal Erdogan on suspicion he had brought cash into the country without declaring it.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Dignita, Bilal Erdogan, Anders Eriksson, Bilal, Dignita's, Scott Greytak, Ibn Haldun, Turgev, Erdogan's, Eriksson, Irfan Gunduz, Gunduz, Erdogan’s, " Eriksson, Bilal –, Bilal Erdogan –, – Dignita, Smart, Matthew Strausz, Anders, David Gauthier, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Reuters, Dignita Systems, Dignita's U.S, Turkish, U.S . Department of Justice, International U.S, DOJ, Smart, Apollo Global Management, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, Nordic, Swedish, Ibn Haldun University, Ibn, Dignita, Tugva, BMZ, Islamic, Smart Start, Thomson Locations: United States, Sweden, Swedish, U.S, Turkey, Washington, States, Texas, Ankara, Stockholm, Istanbul, Turkish, Tugva, Islamic State, Syria, Russia, American, Gunduz

☆ Analysis: Emergence of Guatemalan anti-graft champion shakes up election
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Sofia Menchu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Presidential candidate for the Semilla party Bernardo Arevalo holds a rally at the Parque Central a day after the first round of Guatemala's presidential election, in Guatemala City, Guatemala June 26, 2023. Underlining voter frustration with the status-quo, nearly a quarter of ballots counted were either spoiled or left blank. Arevalo, who has called corruption a "cancer eating away" at Guatemala, will face former first lady Sandra Torres in the run-off. Torres, running in her third presidential contest, won 15.8% of the first-round vote to Arevalo's 11.8%. Aldana later sought asylum in the U.S., while current President Alejandro Giammattei himself became embroiled in corruption allegations, which he denies.

Persons: Bernardo Arevalo, Juan Jose Arevalo, Arevalo, Thelma Aldana, Otto Perez, Semilla, Bernardo, Nicol Estrada, Carlos Pineda, Will Freeman, Hugo Novales, Sandra Torres, Torres, Freeman, Semilla's, Aldana, Alejandro Giammattei, Juan Jose, Giammattei, Ivan Velasquez, Julia Esquivel, Jimmy Morales, Sofia Menchu, Dave Graham, Stephen Eisenhammer, Rosalba O'Brien, Leslie Adler Organizations: Parque, REUTERS, GUATEMALA CITY, Council, Foreign Relations, of, Guatemala's, U.S, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Parque Central, Guatemala City, Guatemala, Josue, GUATEMALA, Arevalo, U.S, Guatemalan

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