Prosecutors in Peru have found $20,000 (£15,000) stashed in a bathroom inside the presidential palace. The prosecutors raided the palace on Friday as part of an investigation into allegations of influence peddling. Bruno Pacheco, who resigned from his post as President Pedro Castillo’s chief of staff on Friday, told investigators that the money was his but denied any wrongdoing. He said that the stash was a combination of his savings and salary. Mr Pacheco’s monthly salary amounts to 25,000 soles ($6,250; £4,600), an official document reveals. According to the document, he did not tell investigators why he kept such a … Continue reading Peru’s chief of staff stashed $20,000 in palace bathroom

Companies owned by family and friends of former Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila had millions of dollars of public funds funnelled through their bank accounts, according to Africa’s biggest data leak. The money was transferred to the companies’ accounts at the Congolese arm of the BGFI bank. Millions of dollars in cash were then taken out of the accounts. Mr Kabila was president at the time of the bank transfers. He has declined to respond to our questions over the transfers. The leak included more than three million documents and information on millions of transactions from the BGFI … Continue reading Millions transferred to Joseph Kabila allies in DR Congo data leak

Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, arrested in the US two years ago on corruption charges, has been cleared for extradition back to Peru. A US judge approved the move on Tuesday, saying sufficient evidence had been presented in a case against the former president to suggest wrongdoing. Mr Toledo is accused of taking $20m (£15m) in bribes from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, while in office between 2001 and 2006. He has denied all charges against him. The 75-year-old, who has been living in the US state of California and has been a visiting scholar at Stanford University, has previously … Continue reading Peru’s ex-President Alejandro Toledo cleared for extradition from US

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been released from prison on medical parole, prison authorities have confirmed. Zuma, 79, was sentenced to a 15-month prison sentence two months ago by the country’s Constitutional Court for contempt after he refused to appear before a judicial commission probing corruption during his nearly decade-long presidency. The former president began his sentence on July 8 at the Estcourt prison in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, about 180km (110 miles) northwest of Durban, before he was admitted to a hospital where he later underwent surgery. Two weeks later, he was allowed to leave prison to … Continue reading South African ex-president released on medical parole

The son of Mozambique’s ex-president and 18 others have gone on trial over the $2bn (£1.5bn) “tuna bonds” affair. Ndambi Guebuza, son of former President Armando Guebuza, and the others face charges of blackmail, embezzlement and money laundering. Mozambique’s biggest corruption scandal led donors including the IMF to cut funding for the country and the economy to collapse. The trial is being held in a large canvas tent in the grounds of a maximum-security prison in the outskirts of the capital, Maputo. The city’s courtrooms were deemed too small for the scores of lawyers, 70 witnesses and 250 media workers … Continue reading Ex- Mozambique President’s son on trial over ‘Tuna bonds’

Uganda handed nearly $30m to members of parliament (MPs) to buy new cars this week, sparking outrage in a poor country where the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc. Each of the 529 lawmakers received 200 million shillings ($56,500) to get new vehicles at a time when covid-19 cases are surging. On June 18, President Yoweri Museveni announced curbs on movement and shuttered schools, churches and bars for at least six weeks. “It is unacceptable for a government to buy luxuries to a small group in parliament, who continue to receive monthly pay of more than 30 million shillings (about $8,000) … Continue reading Shame Of A Nation: Outrage after Uganda MPs get $30m to buy cars amid

A gilded toilet and other luxuries were found in a mansion raided by Russian investigators, who say they busted a gang of corrupt police. The Investigative Committee (SK) website has a video showing extravagant interiors in a huge mansion, among many properties raided. Col Alexei Safonov, head of traffic police in the southern Stavropol region, was arrested with six others. Traffic police allegedly took bribes for issuing fake permits to businesses. The permits allegedly enabled drivers to pass through police checkpoints with unauthorised cargoes of grain and building materials. The accused have not yet commented on the charges. Police forces across … Continue reading Gold toilet found in Russian police bribery probe

Brazil’s environment minister has quit ahead of a criminal investigation into claims he obstructed a police inquiry into illegal logging in the Amazon. Ricardo Salles is accused of vouching for the legal origin of a vast haul of timber worth approximately $25m (£18m). This is despite police evidence that it had been illegally logged. Mr Salles is also facing a separate investigation into allegations that he was involved in the export of illegal timber to the US and Europe. “I understand that Brazil throughout this year and next, on the international stage and also nationally, needs to have a strong … Continue reading Brazil’s environment minister quits amid illegal logging investigation

Qatar’s prosecutor ordered the arrest of Finance Minister Ali Sharif Al-Emadi to question him over alleged abuse of power and misuse of public funds, a state-run news agency said. The country’s ruling emir said he’d relieved Al-Emadi of his office and entrusted his duties to the current Minister of Commerce and Industry, Ali Al Kuwari, according to an announcement released hours after arrest was made public. Al-Emadi was named finance minister a day after Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani took over leadership of the country in June 2013, and has held the role since. The prosecutor has launched an … Continue reading Qatar orders arrest of finance minister over misuse of funds

Police in Bolivia have arrested the minister for rural development and land, Edwin Characayo, for allegedly accepting a $20,000 (£14,500) bribe. Officers said he was caught on video taking a bag full of money in La Paz’s city centre, but his lawyer said Mr Characayo did not accept it. He said his client had been “set up”. Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo said Mr Characayo had used his position to “benefit certain people in the acquisition and clearing of land”. He alleged that Mr Characayo had promised to transfer ownership of a farm in the Santa Cruz region to a … Continue reading Bolivian minister took bag stuffed with $20,000

An MP from Angela Merkel’s party has stepped down from Germany’s parliament over a scandal about the purchase of face masks during the pandemic. Nikolas Löbel announced he would leave the CDU party after it emerged that his firm had earned around €250,000 ($300,000) from the sales. He initially planned to continue as an MP but said on Monday he was stepping down with immediate effect. Another lawmaker is facing pressure over a similar case. The news comes just a week before regional elections in two German states, including Mr Löbel’s constituency of Baden-Württemberg, where the sales took place. As … Continue reading German MP Nikolas Löbel resigns over face mask scandal

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed a new head of the country’s anti-corruption agency, after his predecessor was dismissed over allegations of fraud including misuse of seized assets. The presidency named Abdulrasheed Bawa as the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Buhari’s spokesman Femi Adesina said in a statement on Tuesday. Bawa, 40, is experienced in investigating and prosecuting fraud cases, official corruption, bank fraud, money laundering, and other economic crimes, the statement said. Buhari first took office in 2015 and won a second term at the helm of Africa’s largest economy and top oil producer in … Continue reading Nigeria’s President names new anti-corruption chief