Former Spanish PM Zapatero investigated in kickback scheme
May 20 (UPI) -- Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been placed under criminal investigation on accusations he was improperly involved in the bailout of a Venezuelan airline during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Spanish National High Court announced the investigation Tuesday, accusing Zapatero of receiving kickbacks of up to $2.4 million for influencing Spanish leaders to award the bailout to the airline, The New York Times reported. Zapatero served as prime minister from 2004 until 2011 and his alleged wrongdoing took place about a decade after he left office.
While multiple former prime ministers have been questioned in corruption cases in the past, this is the first time one has been named in a criminal investigation, The Guardian reported.
Zapatero issued a video statement denying the allegations.
"All my public and private actions have always been carried out in full compliance with the law," he said.
The airline in question, Plus Ultra, had not released a comment as of Wednesday afternoon, the Times reported.
Conservative leaders hit out at Zapatero, a liberal, in response to the investigation. It's brought negative attention to current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, an ally of Zapatero.
"The racket is collapsing, and the kingpins of the plot are starting to fall," said Miguel Ángel Tellado, the parliamentary spokesman for the Popular Party. "We are not just talking about the former prime minister, but about Sánchez's main adviser."
Chile calls regional summit to fight organized crime
Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna said foreign ministers and security officials from the participating countries are expected to attend the meeting.
"I believe governments in the region understand that to confront the scourge of organized crime we must work together, share information and coordinate efforts. All invited countries quickly agreed to join this summit," Pérez Mackenna told UPI.
He said it was especially significant that Bolivia and Peru rapidly joined the initiative because it reflects a shared interest in addressing common security challenges.
"We face similar problems and want to fight them together. This summit is the first step in a joint regional effort against transnational crime," he said.
Officials hope the meeting will produce agreements for coordinated action against organized criminal networks.
The summit comes amid closer political alignment among several South American governments and growing pressure to contain rising crime rates across the region.
"The political affinity and strong diplomatic relations certainly facilitate these types of agreements because they create conditions of trust and strategic alignment between governments and their institutions," Patricio Santos, a retired general from Chile's national police force, Carabineros, and deputy director of the Comprehensive Security Center at Universidad Finis Terrae, told UPI.
Santos said trust between countries is especially important in security matters because cooperation often requires intelligence sharing, police coordination and joint efforts in border areas.
Although Latin America has historically maintained bilateral and multilateral security cooperation mechanisms, Santos said these meetings have become increasingly important due to the continued rise of transnational organized crime, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling, arms trafficking and irregular migration facilitated by criminal groups.
International indicators such as the Global Organized Crime Index show that between 2021 and 2025, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru experienced rising levels of organized criminal activity, while also showing declines in institutional resilience.
"That is especially relevant because resilience measures the ability of states to contain corruption, strengthen institutions and effectively confront criminal threats," Santos said.
Alfonso Kaiser, a professor of military strategy at Universidad de los Andes, told UPI that transnational criminal organizations exploit legal loopholes across different countries.
"There is a lot of imitation in all of this. It is not necessarily coordinated between criminal organizations, but countries face common challenges such as identifying money routes, which requires prior intelligence work," Kaiser said.
Santos said criminal organizations' ability to adapt requires increasing levels of international cooperation, intelligence sharing and permanent operational coordination.
"The real challenge is not only signing agreements, but sustaining real coordination capacities, institutional trust and permanent evaluation of results over time," he said.
He added that while summits are important as a starting point, their practical legitimacy will depend on whether they lead to concrete and measurable actions on the ground.
Kaiser said achieving results and advancing joint protocols will be essential, including measures such as mechanisms to return migrants to their countries of origin.
"It is a first step, but there is still a long road ahead," he said.
Read More
- Venezuelans' presence in Chile's labor market declines
- Economists warn of fiscal risks in Chile reform plan
- Chile, Argentina report rise in deadly hantavirus cases
Nigeria arrests ‘fleeing’ ex-minister sentenced for fraud
Nigerian anti-graft authorities have arrested former Power Minister Saleh Mamman, days after he was sentenced in absentia to 75 years in prison for fraud and money laundering linked to major state-backed electricity projects.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Mamman was arrested early Tuesday in the Rigasa area of Kaduna State after “weeks of intensive surveillance and intelligence gathering.”
“For us, getting the convict to serve his jail terms is extremely important in view of the seriousness with which we are tackling corrupt practices,” EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede told reporters, adding that Mamman would be transferred to the correctional authorities.
Mamman was found guilty on May 7 on all 12 counts related to the diversion of funds meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects meant to boost Nigeria’s chronically unreliable electricity supply, with planned capacities of 3,050MW and 700MW, respectively.
The Federal High Court in Abuja held that Mamman and his associates diverted at least 22 billion naira (about $16 million) from funds allocated to the projects. Mamman was absent from court during the ruling, prompting Judge James Omotosho to order national and international security agencies to arrest him and hand him over to the authorities. The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the former minister’s Abuja properties and foreign currencies recovered from him. The EFCC said the former minister went “underground” after he was sentenced.
Mamman served as minister of power between 2019 and 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari. His arrest follows a separate bench warrant issued by the court over another alleged 31 billion naira fraud case involving him and seven others, according to the West African nation’s anti-graft agency.
Mamman’s case adds to a series of high-profile corruption proceedings involving Nigerian officials. Former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq has been declared wanted by the EFCC over allegations that she failed to account for 746.7 million naira, about $543,000, paid to contractors.
Former Accountant-General Ahmed Idris is also facing trial over an alleged 109 billion naira fraud, while former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke is on trial in London on bribery charges linked to her tenure from 2010 to 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment