Broad Daylight Kidnapping of Tycoon's Wife Shows Malaysia's Dark Side
The 42-year-old was en route to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, known as the MACC, where investigators wanted to question her for at least the 10th time in a money-laundering probe. Two days earlier, on April 7, she had filed a lawsuit against the agency, accusing it of colluding with her estranged husband – a tycoon involved in everything from healthcare in Singapore to timber in Papua New Guinea – to pressure her into settling a messy divorce.
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Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US warns of corruption and reported bribery aimed at destabilizing Haiti as crisis deepens
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.S. officials announced Friday they are aware of 'reported bribery attempts' aimed at destabilizing Haiti, raising concerns that the troubled country could sink further into crisis. The announcements were made on X by the U.S. Embassy in Haiti and the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. Officials did not provide details except to say that they commended members of Haiti's transitional presidential council 'for their rejection of corruption' and for collaborating with the current prime minister to 'work together' to stabilize the country. 'We will hold accountable anyone who attempts to undermine this collaboration,' the embassy wrote on X. The announcement comes as infighting threatens the stability of the council while gangs that control up to 90% of Haiti's capital continue to seize more territory in Port-au-Prince and in Haiti's central region. The council's voting members did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did the U.S. Department of State nor the office of Haiti's prime minister. Some people on social media mocked the announcement as they accused some council members of being corrupt. In October last year, Haiti's anti-corruption unit accused three council members of bribery and corruption involving the government-owned National Bank of Credit. No one has been charged, and the council members remain in their positions. Haiti's political stability has been fragile ever since a powerful gang federation known as 'Viv Ansanm' launched attacks early last year on critical government infrastructure including police stations and the country's main international airport, forcing it to close for nearly three months. The attacks prevented then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry from returning to Haiti. He eventually resigned, unable to enter his homeland following an official visit to Kenya to talk about a U.N.-backed mission that police from the eastern African country are currently leading to try and quash gang violence. The council is under pressure to hold general elections by February 2026, with the previous ones held nearly a decade ago. No date has been set yet. The council was created in April 2024 as the international community scrambled to meet with Haitian officials to rebuild the country's government after Henry resigned. Political stability remains fragile, with three prime ministers having been appointed in the past year. Meanwhile, gang violence continues to surge in the aftermath of the July 2021 killing of President Jovenel Moïse. In a report released Friday, the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti noted that at least 1,520 people were killed and more than 600 injured from April to the end of June. Nearly 80% of those incidents happened in Port-au-Prince, with nearly 20% reported in Haiti's central region. More than 60% of the killings and injuries occurred during operations by security forces against gangs, with another 12% blamed on self-defense groups. The report noted that Johnson André, best known as 'Izo' and considered Haiti's most powerful gang leader, was injured in drone strikes earlier this year, as was gang leader Renel Destina, who goes by 'Ti Lapli' and leads the Grand Ravine gang. From April to June, more than 400 homes and other buildings including schools and health centers 'were ransacked, burned or destroyed by gangs,' the report stated. Gang violence also has displaced more than 1.3 million people in recent years. ___ Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Evens Sanon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti contributed. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
6 hours ago
- New York Times
Ukraine Announces Arrests Targeting Corruption in Military Procurement
The Ukrainian authorities have arrested a number of officials on suspicion of corruption in relation to what they called a 'large scale' bribery scheme involving military procurement. The announcement came days after President Volodymyr Zelensky, under intense domestic and international pressure, backtracked on a move to weaken two anticorruption agencies. His actions against the watchdogs prompted major street protests in Ukraine, the first antigovernment demonstrations since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. In a statement on Saturday night, Mr. Zelensky thanked the agencies for their work in the military procurement case, making a point to stress the importance of their independent status — only three days after it was restored in a vote by Parliament. Mr. Zelensky said that the agencies had informed him that they had uncovered a kickbacks scheme. He said that a member of Parliament, the heads of district and city military civil administrations, and several National Guard servicemen were involved. He did not provide further details. The agencies — the National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office — issued a separate statement saying that four people had been arrested as part of their investigation into 'large-scale corruption' in the procurement of drones and electronic jamming equipment. 'The essence of the scheme was to conclude state contracts with supplier companies at deliberately inflated prices — up to 30 percent of the contract amount was returned to the participants in the crime,' the statement added. Last month, Mr. Zelensky pushed through a law giving his administration control over the two anticorruption bodies, setting off the street demonstrations. The agencies had been investigating top ministers in Mr. Zelensky's government, and Mr. Zelensky's move to kneecap them drew accusations of cronyism. Amid the protests and strong criticism from Ukraine's European allies, the president made a rare U-turn and presented a new bill to Parliament to restore the bodies' independence. The law passed on Thursday. 'There can only be zero tolerance for corruption,' Mr. Zelensky said in his statement on Saturday.
Fox News
7 hours ago
- Fox News
Colorado deputy could face massive fine for sharing information with immigration authorities
An officer sued by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser for allegedly sharing information with federal immigration agents in violation of state law continues to be under investigation, but he could face a hefty fine. "The complaint filed against the deputy is a civil lawsuit (not criminal). Violations of these laws … can result in an injunction and civil penalties up to $50,000," Lawrence Pacheco, director of communications at the Colorado Attorney General's Office, said in an email to Fox News Digital Friday. Mesa County Sheriff's Deputy Alexander Zwinck and another deputy were disciplined by the sheriff's office for allegedly sharing information with federal immigration agents on a drug task force during a Brazilian college student's arrest for an expired visa, according to The Associated Press. Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell said Caroline Dias-Goncalves, a 19-year-old nursing student, was pulled over by Zwinck for a traffic stop June 5 after she was allegedly driving too close to a semi-truck. While Dias-Goncalves was released with a warning after about 20 minutes, federal immigration agents stopped her and arrested her shortly after. Zwinck was placed on three weeks of unpaid leave, and Erik Olson was placed on two weeks of unpaid leave, Rowell said in a statement. Both were removed from the task force. Two supervisors were also disciplined, with one suspended without pay for two days and another receiving a letter of reprimand. A third supervisor received counseling. "Based on our findings, the Mesa County Sheriff's Office should not have had any role in the chain of events leading to Miss Dias-Goncalves's detention, and I regret that this occurred. I apologize to Miss Dias-Goncalves," Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell said in a statement on Wednesday. "I have pushed for collaboration with state and federal partners to solve crime in our community. In the area of drug interdiction, HSI has been our primary federal law enforcement partner. Although discussions were had with HSI supervision in the months preceding this incident to ensure my deputies would not be involved in immigration enforcement, the administrative review showed that those lines of collaboration were crossed." Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed legislation earlier this year that prevents local governments from sharing immigration information with immigration officials at the federal level. "Basically, this new law gives a narrow exception for Colorado law enforcement to cooperate with the federal government if ICE or the Department of Homeland Security asks for assistance in a particular crime investigation," Kristi Burton Brown, executive vice president of Advance Colorado, wrote in an email to Fox News Digital. "However, there is an absolute ban on local law enforcement proactively notifying DHS if they discover that a violent criminal or repeat felon is here illegally. If they report to ICE anyway, they will face a $50,000 fine." The law preventing law enforcement from cooperating with the federal government in many circumstances was blasted by Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., a former police officer. "As a former cop, I know firsthand how Colorado's sanctuary laws have flipped the switch on crime, handcuffing cops instead of criminals. Let me be clear: our state's leftist laws don't prioritize public safety, they prioritize political games," Evans posted to X.
