Split verdict for ex-Fox execs in soccer rights bribe case
March 10, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A former Fox executive was convicted Thursday of paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to nab broadcasting rights to the World Cup and other top soccer matches. A second ex-executive was acquitted.
Malaysia ex-PM Muhyiddin charged with corruption, laundering
March 10, 2023 GMTKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was charged Friday with corruption and money laundering, making him Malaysia's second ex-leader to be indicted after leaving office.
Ex-GOP Ohio speaker, lobbyist guilty in $60M bribery scheme
March 9, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and former state Republican Party Chair Matt Borges were convicted Thursday in a $60 million bribery scheme that federal prosecutors have called the largest corruption case in state history.
Malaysia ex-PM Muhyiddin faces graft charges, vows to fight
March 9, 2023 GMTPUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was arrested Thursday and will be brought to court to face corruption charges, the anti-graft agency said.
Muhyiddin, who led Malaysia from March 2020 until August 2021, will be the country's second leader to be indicted after leaving office.
Jurors hear final statements in Householder bribery trial
March 7, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Federal prosecutors told jurors as former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder 's corruption trial neared its close Tuesday that the Republican was “at the top” of a criminal conspiracy to pass nuclear bailout legislation in exchange for $60 million in bribes from Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. — benefiting politically and personally from a pay-to-play scheme that, before his arrest, he had intended to carry well into the future.
Accusations against relatives a blow to Colombian president
March 4, 2023 GMTBOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro has asked prosecutors to investigate accusations against his brother and one of his sons that could deal a blow to his presidency and undermine his plans for peace and to fight corruption.
Ericsson to pay $206M for breaking US deal in bribery case
March 3, 2023 GMTSTOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish telecom equipment maker Ericsson has agreed to plead guilty to U.S. foreign corruption violations and pay more than $206 million for breaking a deal with the Justice Department over charges of bribery and falsifying records in countries from China to Kuwait.
Jailed Malaysia ex-PM Najib acquitted in latest 1MDB trial
March 3, 2023 GMTKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian former Prime Minister Najib Razak was acquitted Friday in the latest trial in response to the multibillion-dollar looting of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad state fund.
Householder’s claims questioned as corruption testimony ends
March 3, 2023 GMTCINCINNATI (AP) — Government prosecutors used former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder 's own speeches, photographs and conversations against him on Thursday, as they sought to unravel the Republican's denials of key elements of the secretly funded $60 million racketeering scheme that they allege he carried out on behalf of Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp.
Ex-Ohio House speaker denies dinners with FirstEnergy execs
March 1, 2023 GMTCINCINNATI (AP) — Former Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder directly contradicted FBI testimony in his corruption trial Wednesday, taking the stand for the first time to deny attending a series of swanky dinners in Washington, D.C.
Ex-Philadelphia councilman gets 3.5 years in corruption case
March 1, 2023 GMTPHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former Philadelphia council member convicted along with a prominent labor leader in a federal public corruption case has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison.
Prosecutors say Bobby Henon, a former union electrician who was elected to the city council in 2011, got a no-show job from the union to ensure he did its bidding.
Prosecution rests in ex-Ohio House speaker’s bribery trial
February 27, 2023 GMTCINCINNATI (AP) — The federal government rested its case Monday in former Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder's racketeering trial after presenting jurors with reams of financial documents, emails, texts, wire-tap audio and firsthand accounts of what prosecutors allege was a $60 million bribery scheme to pass a $1 billion ratepayer-funded nuclear bailout.
Judge orders ex-jail union boss to be freed in bribery case
February 25, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A powerful New York jail union boss-turned-prison inmate is poised to go free less than halfway through his sentence in a corruption case, after a judge decided this week that the nearly five-year term should be reduced.
Former Atlanta official to go to prison for accepting bribes
February 24, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — A former Atlanta city official charged in a federal investigation into corruption at City Hall during the administration of then-Mayor Kasim Reed was sentenced Friday to four and a half years in prison for accepting bribes.
South Africa: Fallout over power utility CEO’s graft claims
February 24, 2023 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s troubled state-owned power utility Eskom appointed an interim chief executive Friday after a fallout with its outgoing head over a media interview he gave.
Andre de Ruyter alleged ongoing corruption at the company linked to the ruling party, and said there was a lack of will from government to stop the graft and solve the country's electricity crisis.
Ohio ex-speaker ill, corruption trial pauses after big week
February 19, 2023 GMTCINCINNATI (AP) — The racketeering trial of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges was cancelled due to illness again Friday, giving jurors a long holiday weekend to mull striking new details revealed this week by players directly involved in an alleged $60 million bribery scheme.
Tokyo Olympic bribery trial opens; accused accepts guilt
February 17, 2023 GMTTOKYO (AP) — A trial looking into widespread bribery at the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee began Friday with a former head of a major ad company admitting to the charges.
Shinichi Uneo, who formerly headed ADK Holdings, quietly told the Tokyo District Court the allegations were accurate.
Mexico finds yet more corruption in health regulatory agency
February 15, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Investigators in Mexico said Wednesday they have found evidence of more corruption in the country’s health regulatory agency.
The agency, the Federal Commission for the Prevention of Health Risks, said in a statement that 11 employees had been fired because of the allegations.
Corruption endangers world’s shrinking fisheries
February 10, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — As Indonesia’s fisheries minister, Edhy Prabowo was tasked with protecting one of his country’s most precious resources: baby lobsters so tiny one can fit on the tip of a finger.
The waters off the nation’s many islands and archipelagos had once teemed with lobster.
Mexico: Ex-security chief stole $745 million from contracts
February 9, 2023 GMTMexican authorities said Thursday that former top security official Genaro Garcia Luna embezzled as much as $745.9 million from government technology contracts.
Pablo Gómez, the head of Mexico's anti-money laundering unit, said Garcia Luna and associates set up companies that got 30 dubious government contracts while he was Mexico's top security official in 2006-2012 and for six years afterward.
Georgia prison warden charged with bribery, other counts
February 9, 2023 GMTGLENNVILLE, Ga (AP) — A Georgia prison warden has been jailed on charges stemming from a state investigation of corruption inside the penitentiary he supervised.
Brian Dennis Adams was arrested Wednesday and charged with bribery, conspiracy to violate Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, making false statements and violating his oath of office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.
Pakistan suspends cricketer Asif Afridi for 2 years
February 7, 2023 GMTISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan first-class cricketer Asif Afridi was banned for two years on Tuesday after pleading guilty to violating an anti-corruption code.
Former US Navy captain sentenced in massive bribery scandal
February 3, 2023 GMTSAN DIEGO (AP) — A former U.S. Navy captain who was caught up in a massive contracting scandal was sentenced Thursday to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for taking nearly $91,000 in bribes.
Ohio auditor backs anti-corruption training, quick reporting
February 2, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican Ohio Auditor Keith Faber wants more training for public employees to spot government fraud and corruption and requiring them to speedily report suspected crimes, as a way of improving the state's ability to root out and prosecute bad actors and recoup taxpayer money.
Pope urges Congo youth to reject corruption and they respond
February 2, 2023 GMTKINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Pope Francis led Congo’s young people in a rousing denunciation of political corruption on Thursday, turning an otherwise scripted meeting with church catechists into a rally that shook the capital’s sports stadium.
Russia said eyeing eastern Ukraine push; Kyiv targets graft
February 2, 2023 GMTKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia is mustering its military might in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, officials said Wednesday, in what Kyiv suspects is preparation for an offensive as the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion approaches.
The legal woes of former South African president Jacob Zuma
February 1, 2023 GMTCAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The judge presiding over former South African President Jacob Zuma's corruption trial recused himself from the case this week, saying he didn't want there to be any chance that the proceedings could be viewed as biased against Zuma.
Ex-Ohio speaker’s lawyer questions ‘vibes,’ judge’s fitness
January 31, 2023 GMTCINCINNATI (AP) — One of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder's lawyers questioned the fitness on Tuesday of U.S. District Judge Timothy Black to preside over the Republican's corruption trial.
Global report highlights link between corruption, violence
January 31, 2023 GMTBERLIN (AP) — Most of the world continues to fail to fight corruption with 95 % of countries having made little to no progress since 2017, a closely watched study by an anti-graft organization found Tuesday.
French rugby president Laporte resigns in corruption case
January 27, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — French Rugby Federation president Bernard Laporte resigned on Friday to avoid further embarrassing France's preparations for staging the Rugby World Cup this year.
A Paris court in December found Laporte guilty of passive corruption, influence peddling, illegal interest taking and misuse of corporate assets.
U.S. sanctions Paraguay VP, former president for corruption
January 26, 2023 GMTLIMA, Peru (AP) — The United States issued sanctions against Paraguay’s former President Horacio Cartes Jara and current Vice President Hugo Velázquez Moreno on Thursday, unveiling explosive accusations that they participated in widespread schemes of corruption and have ties to members of a terrorist organization.
Juror’s COVID halts ex-Ohio House speaker’s corruption trial
January 26, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The corruption trial of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was temporarily paused Wednesday after a juror tested positive for COVID-19.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Black ordered proceedings paused for the remainder of this week “in an effort to ensure everyone's safety.”
French rugby clubs vote against Buisson as interim president
January 26, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — French rugby clubs voted against accepting Patrick Buisson as the French Rugby Federation interim president on Thursday.
Buisson was nominated by the suspended FFR president Bernard Laporte to replace him on an interim basis while Laporte fights a suspended two-year sentence on corruption charges.
Panama ex-president, 2 sons barred from US for corruption
January 26, 2023 GMTPANAMA CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department banned former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli from ever traveling to the United States, saying Wednesday that he had participated in “significant corruption” in awarding government contracts.
Scandal hits another Olympic sport in France -- handball
January 25, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — The head of France's professional handball league resigned Wednesday after pleading guilty to child corruption and child pornography charges — the country's latest sports scandal before it hosts next year's Paris Olympics.
Mexico wants $700 million from ex-official on trial in US
January 24, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Monday his country wants to recover a big chunk of money from former Mexican security official Genaro Garcia Luna, who is on trial in New York.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said his government wants to recover $700 million that García Luna allegedly accumulated as a result of corruption.
French rugby boss held for questioning over tax issues
January 24, 2023 GMTPARIS (AP) — French Rugby Federation president Bernard Laporte was detained for questioning Tuesday — the latest judicial twist in his battles over allegations of financial wrongdoing.
France's national prosecution office that focuses on financial crimes said police were questioning Laporte for suspected tax-related wrongdoing.
Ex-Ohio House speaker relieved for corruption trial’s start
January 23, 2023 GMTCINCINNATI (AP) — As his federal racketeering trial kicked off Monday, former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder said he is optimistic and looking forward to telling his side of the story.
Ex-LA councilman Huizar will plead guilty in corruption case
January 20, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar has agreed to plead guilty to taking $1.5 million in bribes from developers in a sweeping City Hall corruption case.
Huizar on Tuesday signed a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Ohio House ex-speaker’s trial in $60M bribery probe to begin
January 19, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder goes on trial next week in the highest-profile reckoning yet to arise from a $60 million federal bribery investigation that federal prosecutors call the largest corruption case in state history.
EU corruption case suspect takes aim at detention conditions
January 19, 2023 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — Lawyers for a former European Parliament vice president at the heart of the corruption scandal rocking the European Union's assembly complained Thursday about her detention conditions and sought her release.
EU lawmakers replace disgraced VP as suspect cuts plea deal
January 18, 2023 GMTSTRASBOURG, France (AP) — European Union lawmakers voted Wednesday to replace a disgraced former parliament vice president after a key suspect in a the cash-for-influence scandal rocking the EU assembly made a plea bargain with prosecutors, raising the prospect of more people getting named.
Ex-Fox execs go on trial in soccer TV rights bribery case
January 18, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Two former Fox executives went on trial Tuesday, accused of bribing South American soccer officials for TV rights to one of the continent’s biggest annual tournaments and using information gathered in the process to help the network’s winning World Cup broadcast bid.
Key EU corruption suspect makes deal to earn leniency
January 17, 2023 GMTSTRASBOURG, France (AP) — The alleged ringleader of a European Union cash-for-influence corruption scandal linked to Qatar and Morocco has decided to reveal information about the affair in exchange for a lighter sentence, Belgian prosecutors said Tuesday.
Top EU lawmakers say no party immune to potential corruption
January 17, 2023 GMTSTRASBOURG, France (AP) — Senior members of the European Union’s parliament conceded Tuesday that a corruption scandal ravaging the assembly’s reputation could have happened to any political group, as Belgian prosecutors focus on lawmakers and an assistant from the main center-left bloc.
Court in Myanmar again finds Suu Kyi guilty of corruption
December 30, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption Friday, sentencing her to seven years in prison in the last of a string of criminal cases against her, a legal official said.
North Macedonia: 9 police officers arrested for corruption
December 27, 2022 GMTSKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — The commander of the police station at one of North Macedonia's border crossings to Serbia, his deputy and seven other station staff have been arrested for allegedly taking bribes from motorists to ease their crossing, authorities said Tuesday.
Italy court OKs handover in EU Parliament corruption case
December 19, 2022 GMTBRESCIA, Italy (AP) — An Italian court ruled Monday that a suspect in a major corruption scandal linked to the European Union’s parliament could be handed over to Belgium, where prosecutors are investigating a plan to peddle influence on behalf of Qatar and Morocco.
EU parliament suspends work on files involving Qatar
December 15, 2022 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union's parliament voted Thursday to suspend work on all files involving Qatar, and called for security passes for representatives of the Gulf country's interests to be withdrawn until light can be shed on a corruption scandal rocking the assembly.
EU lawmaker at heart of corruption case to remain in custody
December 14, 2022 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — A Greek European lawmaker charged with corruption in an alleged plot by a Gulf country that's tarnishing EU institutions will stay in detention until at least next week after her hearing by a judge was postponed, judicial officials said on Wednesday.
US sanctions firms for rights abuses on Anti-Corruption Day
December 9, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department said Friday it is imposing sanctions on a broad array of people and companies around the world for corruption and human rights abuses — from illegal fishing operations in Chinese waters to kickbacks in Guatemala — in recognition of International Anti-Corruption Day.
UK sanctions 2 Moldovan oligarchs charged with corruption
December 9, 2022 GMTCHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Two Moldovan oligarchs who are allegedly implicated in a one-billion-dollar bank fraud and other illicit schemes have been added to a new U.K. sanctions list, Britain's foreign secretary said Friday.
Judge orders Guatemalan newspaper chief to stand trial
December 9, 2022 GMTGUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The director of a Guatemalan investigative newspaper will stand trial on charges of money laundering, influence peddling and blackmail, a judge ruled Thursday.
José Rubén Zamora of El Periodico has been held for four months amid criticism that his arrest was politically motivated by an administration interested in silencing critical journalists.