A daily scrapbook of stories from major news media on corruption, bribery and financial crimes
DEAUVILLE, France - Leymah Gbowee, the Liberian activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, said she is disappointed with fellow winner Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Gbowee resigned from Johnson Sirleaf’s government this week, saying the president has not done enough to fight corruption. In a CNN interview, Gbowee said she believes laureates need to actively spread the message of peace and asked why the Liberian president's three sons all have lucrative government posts.
BRASILIA - It’s a landmark decision that could help reform the perniciously entrenched culture of graft in Brazilian politics, according to Time Magazine. Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that José Dirceu, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s first chief of staff, was guilty of overseeing a cash-for-votes scheme that paid millions of dollars to members of Congress to support Lula’s political programme. Brazilians are accustomed to graft, yet the idea that several of the nation’s best-known political figures could go to jail for corruption was until recently unthinkable.
CHENNAI, India - The chief justice of the Madras high court has warned subordinate judicial officers in Tamil Nadu that corruption allegations will be viewed seriously, pointing out there are about 500 petitions against the 900-odd judicial officers in the state, the Times of India reports. "If we consider that some complaints are frivolous, or even if some complaints are made about procedural irregularities, we may take a lenient view. But in serious matters like corruption allegations, the high court will not compromise," the chief justice said.
COLOMBO - Cricket authorities have suspended six umpires at the centre of claims by an Indian television programme that they could be bribed to make favourable decisions during games, the Pakistan News Service reports. An undercover investigation by the India TV channel allegedly found that the umpires, including one on the international circuit, were willing to give biased decisions or provide inside information in return for payment. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the suspensions after a meeting in Colombo.
BEIJING - Chinese officials have launched a probe after micro-bloggers said they had uncovered another allegedly corrupt leader who owns millions of dollars worth of property, state press said on Thursday, according to Agence France Press. The southern city of Guangzhou will investigate urban management official Cai Bin who has 21 homes valued at 40 million yuan ($6.4 million), Xinhua news agency reported. Cai, who earns about 10,000 yuan a month, failed to report all his holdings as required by the state, the report said.
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