Category: Corruption

A sweeping anti-corruption campaign led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has resulted in the arrest of dozens of senior officials and lawmakers, drawing praise from parliamentary watchdogs who also warn that the drive must cut deeper to dismantle the country’s entrenched patronage networks. Taha Difai, the head of Iraq’s parliamentary Committee for Integrity, cautioned that the high-profile arrests and asset seizures would ultimately yield little long-term impact unless investigations targeted the powerful political factions that have dominated public spending for more than two decades. “We support the government’s measures to combat corruption, pursue corrupt officials and recover public funds. These…

A Tunisian court has handed prison sentences to former Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, businessman Marouan Mabrouk—the son-in-law of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali—and several other former ministers on corruption charges. Chahed, who served as prime minister between 2016 and 2020, was sentenced Monday to six years in prison, along with former ministers including the foreign minister, finance minister, state property minister, human rights minister, and information and communications technology minister, the state-run TAP news agency reported Tuesday, citing a judicial source. The court also ordered each defendant to pay a fine of 800 million dinars (about $276 million).…

The imprisoned former mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, appeared in court on Monday to face sweeping corruption and organized crime charges in a mass trial that rights groups say is politically motivated and could result in a prison sentence of more than 2,000 years. İmamoğlu, a leading rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is being tried alongside more than 400 co-defendants, most of them officials or associates tied to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, which he has led since 2019. Prosecutors accuse him of heading a criminal organization that allegedly used municipal contracts, bribery and rigged tenders to generate money and…

Anti-corruption watchdogs are closely monitoring the historic appeals trial of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy this week, pointing to his conviction for soliciting illegal campaign cash from the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi as a stark reminder that top-level political graft is never a victimless crime. The 71-year-old former president is challenging a September ruling that sentenced him to five years in prison, a 100,000-euro (about $117,000) fine and a five-year ban from public office. He was acquitted on several other counts due to insufficient evidence, and ultimately spent only 20 days behind bars before an appeals court ordered his release.…

Philippine lawmakers on Wednesday opened formal impeachment hearings against Vice President Sara Duterte, initiating a high-stakes political showdown fueled by accusations of massive corruption and extraordinary threats to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The proceedings represent a stunning rupture between the country’s two top leaders. Duterte, 47, faces a litany of severe charges, most notably the alleged embezzlement of 612.5 million pesos (about $10.19 million) in confidential government funds during her first 18 months in power. According to reporting by OCCRP’s media partner in the Philippines, Rappler, the sweeping complaints transmitted to the House of Representatives include financial fraud, corruption…

Former Peruvian president Martín Vizcarra was transferred to Lima’s Barbadillo prison on Wednesday evening to begin serving a 14-year sentence, a day after a Peruvian court found him guilty of corruption, state news agency Andina reported Thursday. The court ruled that Vizcarra accepted more than $600,000 in bribes in exchange for granting public works contracts to companies during his tenure as governor of the southern Moquegua region between 2011 and 2014. “It is noted that Martin Vizcarra committed illegal acts by taking advantage of his position as Moquegua region governor, conditioning the bidders to award them the contract in exchange…

A Gabonese court on Wednesday sentenced former First Lady Sylvia Bongo and her son Noureddin Bongo Valentin to 20 years in prison for embezzlement, bribery, money laundering, and other corruption-related offenses. Both were tried and sentenced in absentia while living in exile in London. The court also ordered each to pay a fine of 100 million CFA francs (about $177,000). In addition, Noureddin Bongo must pay 1.2 trillion CFA francs (nearly $2.1 billion) in damages, while the two were jointly ordered to pay another 1 trillion CFA francs (more than $1.7 billion) for “moral harm” against the state. The verdict…

A Ukrainian anti-corruption court has ordered former Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai into pre-trial detention over a suspected corruption scheme in military procurement. He may be released on bail of 10 million UAH (about $250,000). The case centers on alleged kickbacks and inflated contracts for drones and electronic warfare systems purchased in 2024 and 2025. Investigators say Haidai conspired with political and business allies to rig the tender process and manipulate forensic reports. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) are leading the investigation. Prosecutors may appeal the court’s ruling. Article Credit: https://www.occrp.org/en/news/luhansk-ex-governor-detained-in-ukrainian-graft-probe

Singaporean billionaire Ong Beng Seng pleaded guilty Monday to abetting obstruction of justice in a corruption case involving former Transport Minister S. Iswaran. Prosecutors said Ong instructed the Singapore Grand Prix director in May 2023 to retroactively bill Iswaran for a business-class flight from Doha amid an investigation into illicit gifts. The charge is part of a broader probe into Ong’s alleged offer of private jet travel and luxury accommodation to the minister during his time in office. Ong, 79, founder of Hotel Properties Ltd. and a key figure behind Singapore’s Formula 1 night race, was also charged with offering…

Testimony began Monday in three separate corruption trials against Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and daughter Saima Wazed Putul, proceedings that prosecutors say could permanently bar the once-dominant political family from public office. The cases, heard at Dhaka’s Special Judge’s Court-5 under Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun, accuse the defendants of unlawfully allocating government land and other abuses of power. Bangladesh’s state news agency, BSS, reported that the trials are proceeding in absentia, with all 48 defendants—including Hasina and her children—considered fugitives after failing to appear in court. The Anti-Corruption Commission alleges Hasina illegally…

Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested and remanded on corruption charges, becoming the first head of state in the country’s history to face such a trial. The 76-year-old leader was taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Department over allegations of misusing public funds during a 2023 trip to the U.K. Authorities say state money covered his travel and security expenses for what they describe as a private visit. Wickremesinghe, who maintains that his wife paid her own way and no public funds were misused, was initially admitted to the Prison Hospital and later transferred to the…