Latest news with #politicalfunds
Japan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Secretary of LDP's Hagiuda fined over funds scandal
The Tokyo Summary Court on Friday fined a policy secretary of Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Koichi Hagiuda for violating the political funds control law, amid fallout from the ruling party's political funds scandal. The 46-year-old secretary, Toshifumi Ushikubo, was ordered to pay ¥300,000. The court order came after the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office filed a summary indictment against Ushikubo earlier in the day. The prosecutors had decided not to indict Ushikubo last December, but a prosecution inquest panel determined in June that he should be indicted. According to the summary indictment, Ushikubo failed to report a total of ¥19.52 million between 2020 and 2022. The money was transferred from the LDP's largest faction, once led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The faction disbanded after the scandal. In a post on X on Friday afternoon, Hagiuda apologized and said he takes the court decision seriously. He added that he had accepted the secretary's resignation. Hagiuda himself faced a criminal complaint, but prosecutors decided not to indict the lawmaker and the inquest panel backed the decision. Accounting officials of the Abe faction and a faction led by former Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai have also received suspended sentences amid the scandal.
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge prevents Beto group from using funds to support quorum breakers
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — In the first court victory against the Democratic quorum break, the Tarrant County District Court placed a temporary restraining order against Beto O'Rourke and his organization Powered by People. 'The Court issues this Temporary Restraining Order, immediately restraining Defendants from the following: Using political funds for the improper, unlawful, and non-political purposes of (1)funding out-of-state travel, hotel, or dining accommodations or services tounexcused Texas legislators during any special legislative session called by theTexas Governor, or (2) funding payments of fines provided by Texas House rulesfor unexcused legislative absences,' the decision, signed by Judge Megan Fahey, said. It also prevents Powered by People and O'Rourke from raising more funds for the quorum-breaking efforts and from moving any funds outside of the state. 'The Beto Bribe buyouts that were bankrolling the runaway Democrats have been officially stopped,' said Attorney General Ken Paxton. 'People like [O'Rourke] believe Texas can be bought. Today, I stopped his deceptive financial influence scheme that attempted to deceive donors and subvert our constitutional process. They told me to 'come and take it,' so I did.' Beto-Bribes-TRODownload 'They want to make examples out of those who fight so that others won't,' Beto said in a statement. 'Paxton is trying to shut down Powered by People, one of the largest voter registration organizations in the country, because our volunteers fight for voting rights and free elections… the kind of work that threatens the hold that Paxton, Trump, and Abbott have on power in Texas.' A source familiar with the quorum breakers aren't especially worried about the temporary restraining order against O'Rourke and his team. They say money coming in small amounts from individual donors is helping in the interim. Fahey ordered a hearing for 10 a.m. on Tuesday to discuss the issue further. Wu responds to Abbott; other lawmakers weigh in On Friday, State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, filed his official response to Gov. Greg Abbott's attempt to have the Texas Supreme Court remove him from office. Gene-Wu-Response-to-Governors-Quo-Warranto-Petition-FINALDownload 'The Governor petitions this court to have five justices do what our Constitution grants only two-thirds of the House of Representatives the power to do: expel Representative Wu,' the filing opens. On Friday, Wu talked to Nexstar about his initial reactions to the lawsuit. 'I laughed out loud when I saw the suit, because this is, it's, frankly, it's embarrassing,' Wu said. 'I get maybe he's just putting on a political show, trying to scare us, try to show his primary voters what a bad a** he is. But to anybody who's an attorney, who knows what the law is, people are falling out of their chairs laughing.' In addition to Wu's response, State Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, and State Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-El Paso, filed a letter with the Supreme Court arguing in Wu's favor. 'What would be a constitutional crisis is this Court un-electing nearly everymember of the minority party over lawfully resisting the majority,' the pair wrote. 'This legislative battle began because legislators wanted to pick their voters. This legal battlewould cut voters out entirely and allow a partisan governor to pick his legislators. That puts us on the brink of naked authoritarianism. This Court should take no part in hurtling us over that edge into the endless darkness below.' Moody-Gonzalez-AmiciDownload On the opposing side, State Rep. Mitch Little, R-Carrollton, and State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, filed a letter with the court to support Abbott's argument. 'This is an area of law that can be very confusing. It's confusing even lawyers,' Little said. 'There's some questions still about who has the authority and jurisdiction to bring these vacature petitions, and our hope is to contribute to that discussion with the Texas Supreme Court.' 2025.08.08-Abbott-Wu-Amicus-Letter-jml-bc-080825Download Cain admitted the court has a difficult decision. 'I don't expect them to declare the seat vacant today,' Cain said. 'After all, essentially it does still kind of challenge what the sovereign people have elected, so there's gotta be some kind of balance. But certainly, I think at some point the goal is to question whether that person's planning to come back. Is this going to be too prolonged? Have they essentially abandoned their district or abandoned the state?' Paxton decides to up the ante While Abbott only filed to declare Wu's seat vacant, Paxton filed a new petition with the Texas Supreme Court on Friday to vacate 13 Democratic seats. Paxton targeted Wu along with: State Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin State Rep. Lulu Flores, D-Austin State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin State Rep. Mihaela Plesa, D-Plano State Rep. Suleman Lalani, D-Sugar Land State Rep. John Bucy III, D-Austin State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Arlington State Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos, D-Richardson State Rep. Christina Morales, D-Houston State Rep. Jessica Gonzalez, D-Dallas 'The rogue Democrat legislators who fled the state have abandoned their duties, leaving their seats vacant,' said Paxton. 'These cowards deliberately sabotaged the constitutional process and violated the oath they swore to uphold. Their out-of-state rebellion cannot go unchecked, and the business of Texas must go on. I have asked the Texas Supreme Court to declare what has been clear from the beginning: that the runaway members have officially vacated their offices in the Texas House.' Quo-Warranto-SCOTX-FiledDownload Bucy responded quickly. 'It's now more clear than ever that Republicans are scared. They're scared of the voters. They're scared of being held accountable. And they're scared that Texas Democrats are united in our resolve to defeat Trump's power grab and protect our democracy, our constitution, and our country,' he said. 'If defending democracy is a crime, I'm proud to be an outlaw.' While Wu said he's confident the facts of the case are on his side, he has some reservations about the makeup of the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court, with six of the nine justices having been appointed by Abbott. 'The only real fear in this [is] that the level of corruption has not only spread from the White House into the state house, but is now spread into our courthouses as well,' Wu said. 'I'm afraid that [Abbott] might be calling them at night and saying, 'Hey, remember who gave you your your job, right?' You need to take care of this.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
The National
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Iraqis 'losing faith' in elections amid political boycotts and vote-buying allegations
As Iraq gears up for the national elections later this year, the electoral process is becoming mired in controversy over allegations of vote buying and the use of illegally acquired political funds, as well as boycotts by some political parties. These developments are raising doubts whether the November 11 vote, Iraq's sixth parliamentary election since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein 's regime, will be free, fair and truly representative or just another step towards reinforcing the grip of dominant parties. The most recent blow came from former prime minister Haider Al Abadi 's Victory Coalition, which announced this week that it would not field any candidates in the election. It cited concerns over political spending, the use of state resources to influence voters and a lack of legal safeguards against fraud. 'The Victory Coalition refuses to take part in an election that is based on political money and lacking firm enforcement of legal regulations to prevent manipulation, vote-buying, misuse of public and foreign funds and the exploitation of state resources,' it said. It said there was an 'urgent need to reform the electoral process, as it is the pillar of democracy and the key to increasing voter participation and enabling the election of the most competent candidates away from any illegitimate or unethical influences that could harm the integrity of the results'. The coalition, however, says it will remain part of the National State Forces Alliance which is led by Shiite cleric Ammar Al Hakim and presents itself as a moderate and a reformist political group that seeks to move beyond the sectarian divisions. It will support those 'we believe are competent' within that alliance, it added. Although the Victory Coalition is not an influential political group, it is considered one of the few moderate voices inside the Co-ordination Framework, the largest parliamentary group dominated by Iran-backed political factions and militias. Mr Al Abadi served a four-year term as prime minister from September 2014, a tenure that was marked by the US-led war to end the ISIS invasion of Iraq. He joins a growing list of political figures who are opting out of the November election. A number of independent candidates and smaller reformist movements have also said they will not participate this year, citing similar concerns over fraud, violence and the erosion of electoral competitiveness. Their stance echoes the position taken by the influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, who announced a total withdrawal from the political process when he failed to form a majority government with only Sunni and Kurdish parties, after winning 73 of the 329 seats in parliament in the 2021 polls. Mr Al Sadr reiterated his decision to boycott the election in a handwritten message posted on his X account on Friday with the hashtag #We_Are_Boycotting. He said justice could only be upheld by 'bringing all weapons under state control, dismantling militias, strengthening Iraq's army and security forces, achieving complete independence and urgently seeking reforms and accountability'. A western diplomat described the decision by some political players − mainly moderates − to pull out of the elections as 'worrying'. He noted that the lack of participation and a trend towards low turnouts do not bode well for Iraq. 'It's not good for a democratic country,' he said. 'Lost faith' The boycotts come amid mounting allegations that biometric voter ID cards – intended to combat election fraud – are being sold. Activists have flagged instances of people, particularly in poorer communities, being approached with offers of money in exchange for their cards. In a voice note circulated on social media, a woman promised free minor plastic surgery for those who present voter cards. A delivery company threatened employees in a message on their private chat group that they would lose their jobs if they failed to bring their voter cards and those of their relatives. In a video posted on Facebook, a man identified as an aide to a politician in Salaheddin province says anyone seeking jobs or favours from him would have to give him their voter cards. Alarmed by the latest trends, Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission, has said it is 'taking the necessary measures to prevent any violations that threaten the integrity of the electoral process'. It said those responsible would face legal action and exclusion from the elections. 'The sale or purchase of biometric voter cards, or the attempt to do so, and the exploitation of state resources for electoral purposes are electoral crimes punishable by law,' it said. There have been reports in Iraqi media that government vehicles and buildings are being used in efforts to woo voters, including the use of a school that prompted the Education Minister to order an investigation. Despite technology introduced to reduce electoral violations, such as the introduction of biometric voter IDs and the immediate transmission of vote tallies from counting centres to the electoral authority's headquarters via satellite, the 2021 election saw a record low turnout of 41 per cent. It was followed by months of political deadlock over the formation of a new government until the Co-ordination Framework mustered enough backing to install Mohammed Shia Al Sudani as Prime Minister a year later. The 2021 election was held under a new electoral law adopted by parliament in response to pro-reform protests that began in October 2019. The law divided each province into electoral districts with the winner being the party with the highest number of votes, which gave new independent parties – many of which were supported by protesters – a better chance of winning seats. Under the previous system, each of the 18 provinces was a single electoral district, and seats were apportioned based on a complicated formula that favoured established parties. However, parliament reversed these changes in March 2023, once again making it more difficult for independent candidates and small parties to compete. Now, the sense of public disillusionment is even deeper. Many of the young protesters who filled Iraq's streets in 2019 have either exited the political scene or left the country altogether. 'People have lost faith,' Mustafa Majeed, 42, who took part in the 2019 protests in the southern city of Nasiriyah, told The National. 'They don't see elections as a means to improve their lives, they see them as a mechanism to maintain the same corrupt structure.'
Japan Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Ishiba faces a fresh money scandal
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba received funds totaling over ¥30 million from a supporter and did not disclose them in his political fund reports, the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine reported in its online edition Wednesday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, the prime minister's spokesperson, told a press conference the same day that Ishiba's office has explained to the magazine that it "has been properly handling political funds in accordance with laws and regulations and making income and expenditure reports" on them. According to the magazine article, the supporter said he annually paid millions of yen to buy fundraising party tickets between 2003 and 2014 and also gave the Ishiba campaign cash multiple times when he ran for the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The man also said the total amount of money he gave to the Ishiba side is estimated to top at least ¥30 million ($208,000). In the wake of the fresh money scandal hitting Ishiba, Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, expressed his willingness to seek the prime minister's explanation before the House of Representatives' political ethics council. "We need to clarify it thoroughly," Noda said.
