All articles tagged with #corruption
A New York Times investigation claims the Trump administration stacked the CFTC with industry insiders to suppress oversight of online prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, sidelining regulators and prompting state and federal actions as Minnesota bans on these platforms face challenges.
The Daily Beast reports that the Trump family’s wealth is booming through crypto and prediction markets as the CFTC retreats from enforcement; Don Jr. sits on Polymarket and advises Kalshi, Polymarket’s value has surged, and GOP lawmakers are blasting an $1.8B Jan. 6 payouts fund while the White House seeks a multibillion underground bunker budget—highlighting moneyed influence and growing intra‑party division.
Democrats on both sides of Congress introduced bills to tax at a 100% rate any future payouts from a $1.8 billion Trump allies’ “slush fund,” with a 50% penalty for evasion, in an effort to block the fund and recover any disbursed money. The fund, described as restitution for allies who aided Trump and possibly used to pay January 6 rioters, has drawn bipartisan skepticism and calls for transparency and statutory authority from Republicans.
Beauchamp argues that Trump’s self-dealing signals a broader project to overturn the US’s rule-of-law, open-access order in favor of personal access and rent-seeking—evidenced by a $1.776B anti-weaponization fund, IRS-audit immunity, 3,700 stock trades before policy shifts, and a $1.55B Trump-family crypto windfall—threatening democracy and the economy by eroding impersonal governance.
Daily Show correspondent Ronny Chieng mocked President Donald Trump for using the Oval Office to boost his and his family’s finances, highlighting reported stock purchases (such as Dell and Palantir) and public endorsements that followed, and calling the move a clear, undeniable example of corruption.
U.S. officials say a suspected drug trafficker who survived a Florida-area plane crash is linked to a Bahamas politician, amid allegations of a plan to move 1,000 kilograms of cocaine and possible protection by local officials, prompting investigations by Bahamian and U.S. authorities into corruption.
Spain's former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been named as a suspect in a corruption probe linked to the 2021 state bailout of Plus Ultra, with a judge describing an 'influence-peddling structure' using shell companies and opaque channels to obtain benefits; his offices were searched, adding pressure to current PM Pedro Sánchez and his circle.
At the Cannes Film Festival, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur drew an eight-minute standing ovation as it delivers a dark, satirical portrait of corruption and infidelity in Putin-era Russia, following a prosperous businessman and his troubled marriage; the film was shot in Latvia to stand in for Russia and marks Zvyagintsev’s return to directing after a long illness.
Ukraine’s largest corruption probe centers on a luxury housing complex near Kyiv allegedly financed with laundered money linked to the Energoatom scandal and tied to top officials including Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov and ex-presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak, with four mansions built for elites and a fifth for spa amenities. Investigators say about $9 million was laundered through shell companies and kickbacks, much of it diverted from Energoatom-related contracts; the High Anti-Corruption Court has seized the land and unfinished houses as the investigation continues, while Zelensky remains immune from prosecution.
Democrats accuse Trump of orchestrating a $1.7 billion fraud to profit MAGA allies as ABC reports he may drop his $10 billion IRS lawsuit in exchange for a Treasury Judgment Fund payout, creating a controversial fund with little oversight that critics warn could turn taxpayer dollars into a political slush fund.
Leaked voice memos and messages show Flávio Bolsonaro asking jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro for about $26.8m to back a biopic of his father, Jair Bolsonaro. The banker, tied to Brazil’s largest banking fraud, is in prison as scrutiny and political backlash mount ahead of the election; Vorcaro denies wrongdoing and investigators probe where the money went.
Leaked audio messages link Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro to Daniel Vorcaro, the jailed ex‑CEO at the center of Banco Master’s multibillion-dollar fraud case. The messages allegedly show Bolsonaro seeking financial support for a film about his father, a development that could undermine his anti‑corruption positioning and threaten his campaign, though analysts say he remains a leading candidate and currently polls show him near Lula.
Andriy Yermak, once President Zelensky's closest aide, has been remanded in custody for two months amid a money-laundering investigation tied to a scheme around Energoatom and a lavish cottage project in Kozyn; prosecutors say 460 million hryvnias ($8.9m) were laundered 2021–2025 with 10–15% kickbacks to officials, and one of the houses was allegedly for Yermak. Bail was set at 140 million hryvnias ($3.1m); he faces up to 12 years if convicted. Yermak denies wrongdoing and critics see the case as part of his political fall from grace, with Zelensky remaining largely silent.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa faces a potential impeachment as a multi‑party inquiry probes allegations he concealed a 2020 cash theft at his Phala Phala game ranch and did not report it to police or tax authorities, in the Farmgate saga. Ramaphosa denies wrongdoing and has refused to resign; impeachment would require a two‑thirds vote in Parliament if the panel finds grounds, and could take months, while coalition politics and no‑confidence options also affect his fate. The affair has damaged his anticorruption mandate and the ANC's popularity, though analysts say his coalition strength may shield him in the near term.
Ukraine officials say Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff is a suspect in a money‑laundering probe. The authorities have not publicly named the person or announced charges, and the investigation appears ongoing. Zelenskyy's office emphasized due process and the presumption of innocence, as the case unfolds and draws attention to potential corruption at high levels.