Latest news with #graft
CNA
11-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Vietnam jails 30 people for graft worth US$45 million
HANOI: A court in Vietnam on Friday (Jul 11) jailed 30 people including several former senior officials over graft that cost the state US$45 million, with one ex-official convicted of taking suitcases stuffed with cash bribes. The communist nation's crackdown on corruption in recent years has seen two presidents and three deputy prime ministers deposed and top business leaders taken down. On Friday, state media said a Hanoi court announced verdicts for 30 former officials and 11 businesspeople charged with bribery, abuse of power and violating bidding and contracting laws. Thirty of the 41 were convicted of corruption that prosecutors say caused damages worth more than 1.16 trillion dong (US$44.6 million) to the state, Public Security News said. The bribes themselves totalled far less. Prosecutors said that between 2010 and 2024, chairman of the Phuc Son Group, Nguyen Van Hau, spent over US$5 million bribing officials to win contracts in over a dozen multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects in three provinces. Hau brought suitcases of cash to other defendants' offices or private residences for the bribes, prosecutors say. For that and other violations he was handed 30 years in prison. Former party chief of Vinh Phuc province Hoang Thi Thuy Lan was given 14 years behind bars for taking the biggest bribes - almost US$2 million in suitcases weighing up to 60kg. "I recognise my mistakes and my crime and fully accept the indictment," Lan told the court. "I would like to ask the court to reduce sentences for my comrades in the most humanitarian manner," she said. According to lawyers, Hau and his group paid over US$45 million as compensation for the damages in the case. In April, Vietnam jailed former deputy minister of industry and trade Hoang Quoc Vuong for six years after finding him guilty of "power abuse" in a solar energy development plan.
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
MACC knew of graft claims against Lim since 2018, court told
DAP's Lim Guan Eng is charged with using his position as then Penang chief minister to ask a businessman for a 10% cut of the profits from the undersea tunnel project and accepting RM3.3 million in kickbacks. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) knew that former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng had been implicated in graft since 2018, the sessions court was told today. MACC investigating officer Eng Heng Jun told Lim's undersea tunnel trial that he had taken statements from witness and businessman Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli in his investigation into a cheating case. Eng said Zarul claimed that money had been paid to Lim for the project. 'I told Datuk (Zarul) to give his statement later to another (investigating officer) who would handle this case. 'I also told this to my supervisors, and they said a special investigation (against Lim) would commence,' he told the court. The witness also said that he doubted neither Zarul's credibility nor the businessman's statement to MACC in the cheating case. Eng said his investigations — which were corroborated by evidence — showed that Zarul had passed RM19 million to another businessman, G Gnanaraja, in 2017. Lim is charged with using his position as then Penang chief minister to ask Zarul for a 10% cut of the profits from the undersea tunnel project and accepting RM3.3 million in kickbacks from the businessman. He is also accused of two counts of dishonestly misappropriating RM208.7 million worth of state land. The hearing before judge Azura Alwi continues on July 22.
Free Malaysia Today
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Huawei probe blunder sparks EU parliament rules change
EU parliament president Roberta Metsola named Giusi Princi among the lawmakers targeted by authorities. (EPA Images pic) STRASBOURG : When European lawmaker Giusi Princi learnt she was sought by Belgian authorities over a graft investigation linked to Chinese tech giant Huawei in May, she was 'dumbfounded'. It soon turned out she had nothing to do with it – in a mix-up that has undermined confidence in the probe and pushed the European parliament to review its rules to better shield lawmakers from unfounded accusations. 'To this day, I cannot understand how they could have made such a blatant mistake,' Princi told AFP of Belgian prosecutors. The Brussels prosecutor office did not reply to a request for comment. Princi, 52, a member of late Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, was targeted by a request to lift her parliamentary immunity in mid-May, along with four other lawmakers. Prosecutors alleged she attended a Brussels dinner with Huawei representatives seeking to curry favour among parliamentarians in June last year. However, on the day in question the Italian politician was yet to be formally appointed to the 27-nation bloc's assembly following European elections that month. She secured a seat only after another lawmaker renounced his. Also, she was not in Belgium but in her native southern Calabria region, attending her daughter's Alice-in-Wonderland-themed end-of-year school play. No more 'tarnishing' Describing herself as 'stubborn and pig-headed', Princi lawyered up, compiled an 'almost 100-page long' dossier including geo-tagged photos of her daughter in a princess dress, and sent it to prosecutors. Yet, her bid to get exonerated before things became public failed. On May 21 EU parliament president Roberta Metsola named Princi among lawmakers targeted by authorities before a plenary sitting. That was a step required by parliamentary procedure before the case could be passed to the committee on legal affairs, which is tasked to assess immunity waivers. However, the rules have since been revised, for, in an embarrassing about-face, prosecutors withdrew the request targeting Princi a day after she was publicly named. 'I will not accept the targeting and tarnishing of MEPs without a solid basis,' Metsola told a press conference in late June, announcing the changes. Her office said that going forward parliament will require requests to lift a lawmaker's immunity to include 'essential elements' such as a clear description of the facts and the crime the accused is alleged to have committed. 'If the requests do not meet the minimum elements, the requesting authority will be asked to complement it' before any announcement is made,' Metsola's office said. Although brief, Princi said her involvement in the affair caused her a fair amount of stress during a few 'days of hell' – and dirty looks from colleagues. 'Question marks' The fiasco has fuelled a debate on whether Belgian authorities are best placed to investigate EU corruption. Daniel Freund, a transparency campaigner turned lawmaker for Europe's Greens, is among those who would like the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which already probes the misuse of EU funds, to be tasked with such cases. 'I guess the Belgian taxpayer doesn't have a particular interest to dedicate a lot of resources to making sure that EU institutions are clean. 'But since EU institutions are located in Belgium, it somehow falls into their remit,' he told AFP. An earlier scandal over alleged bribery involving Qatar and Morocco, which erupted in 2022 when police raids in Brussels uncovered 1.5 million euros in cash at the homes of several lawmakers, is still weighed down in legal challenges with no trial in sight. Were that to collapse, it 'would seriously put into question the role of the Belgian judiciary,' Freund said, adding 'some question marks' also hung over the Huawei probe. The Huawei scandal burst into the public in March when police staged raids in Belgium and Portugal. Investigators suspect Huawei lobbyists of offering gifts, including meals and invitations to football matches to lawmakers who would defend its interests in Brussels. Eight people have been charged on counts including corruption, money laundering and participating in a criminal organisation. The four EU lawmakers named besides Princi have denied any wrongdoing.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Huawei probe blunder sparks EU parliament rules change
When European lawmaker Giusi Princi learnt she was sought by Belgian authorities over a graft investigation linked to Chinese tech giant Huawei in May, she was "dumbfounded". It soon turned out she had nothing to do with it -- in a mix-up that has undermined confidence in the probe and pushed the European Parliament to review its rules to better shield lawmakers from unfounded accusations. "To this day I cannot understand how they could have made such a blatant mistake," Princi told AFP of Belgian prosecutors. The Brussels prosecutor office did not reply to a request for comment. Princi, 52, a member of late Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, was targeted by a request to lift her parliamentary immunity in mid-May, along with four other lawmakers. Prosecutors alleged she attended a Brussels dinner with Huawei representatives seeking to curry favour among parliamentarians in June last year. But on the day in question the Italian politician was yet to be formally appointed to the 27-nation bloc's assembly following European elections that month. She secured a seat only after another lawmaker renounced his. Also, she was not in Belgium but in her native southern Calabria region, attending her daughter's Alice-in-Wonderland-themed end-of-year school play. - No more 'tarnishing' - Describing herself as "stubborn and pig-headed", Princi lawyered up, compiled an "almost 100-page long" dossier including geo-tagged photos of her daughter in a princess dress, and sent it to prosecutors. Yet, her bid to get exonerated before things became public failed. On May 21 EU parliament president Roberta Metsola named Princi among lawmakers targeted by authorities before a plenary sitting. That was a step required by parliamentary procedure before the case could be passed to the committee on legal affairs, which is tasked to assess immunity waivers. But the rules have since been revised, for, in an embarrassing about-face, prosecutors withdrew the request targeting Princi a day after she was publicly named. "I will not accept the targeting and tarnishing of MEPs without a solid basis," Metsola told a press conference in late June, announcing the changes. Her office said that going forward parliament will require requests to lift a lawmaker's immunity to include "essential elements" such as a clear description of the facts and the crime the accused is alleged to have committed. "If the requests do not meet the minimum elements, the requesting authority will be asked to complement it" before any announcement is made, Metsola's office said. Although brief, Princi said her involvement in the affair caused her a fair amount of stress during a few "days of hell" -- and dirty looks from colleagues. - 'Question marks' - The fiasco has fuelled a debate on whether Belgian authorities are best placed to investigate EU corruption. Daniel Freund, a transparency campaigner turned lawmaker for Europe's Greens, is among those who would like the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which already probes the misuse of EU funds, to be tasked with such cases. "I guess the Belgian taxpayer doesn't have a particular interest to dedicate a lot of resources to making sure that EU institutions are clean. But since EU institutions are located in Belgium, it somehow falls into their remit," he told AFP. An earlier scandal over alleged bribery involving Qatar and Morocco, which erupted in 2022 when police raids in Brussels uncovered 1.5 million euros in cash at the homes of several lawmakers, is still weighed down in legal challenges with no trial in sight. Were that to collapse, it "would seriously put into question the role of the Belgian judiciary," Freund said, adding "some question marks" also hung over the Huawei probe. The Huawei scandal burst into the public in March when police staged raids in Belgium and Portugal. Investigators suspect Huawei lobbyists of offering gifts, including meals and invitations to football matches to lawmakers who would defend its interests in Brussels. Eight people have been charged on counts including corruption, money laundering and participating in a criminal organisation. The four EU lawmakers named besides Princi have denied any wrongdoing. ub/del/giv
News.com.au
10-07-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Huawei probe blunder sparks EU parliament rules change
When European lawmaker Giusi Princi learnt she was sought by Belgian authorities over a graft investigation linked to Chinese tech giant Huawei in May, she was "dumbfounded". It soon turned out she had nothing to do with it -- in a mix-up that has undermined confidence in the probe and pushed the European Parliament to review its rules to better shield lawmakers from unfounded accusations. "To this day I cannot understand how they could have made such a blatant mistake," Princi told AFP of Belgian prosecutors. The Brussels prosecutor office did not reply to a request for comment. Princi, 52, a member of late Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, was targeted by a request to lift her parliamentary immunity in mid-May, along with four other lawmakers. Prosecutors alleged she attended a Brussels dinner with Huawei representatives seeking to curry favour among parliamentarians in June last year. But on the day in question the Italian politician was yet to be formally appointed to the 27-nation bloc's assembly following European elections that month. She secured a seat only after another lawmaker renounced his. Also, she was not in Belgium but in her native southern Calabria region, attending her daughter's Alice-in-Wonderland-themed end-of-year school play. - No more 'tarnishing' - Describing herself as "stubborn and pig-headed", Princi lawyered up, compiled an "almost 100-page long" dossier including geo-tagged photos of her daughter in a princess dress, and sent it to prosecutors. Yet, her bid to get exonerated before things became public failed. On May 21 EU parliament president Roberta Metsola named Princi among lawmakers targeted by authorities before a plenary sitting. That was a step required by parliamentary procedure before the case could be passed to the committee on legal affairs, which is tasked to assess immunity waivers. But the rules have since been revised, for, in an embarrassing about-face, prosecutors withdrew the request targeting Princi a day after she was publicly named. "I will not accept the targeting and tarnishing of MEPs without a solid basis," Metsola told a press conference in late June, announcing the changes. Her office said that going forward parliament will require requests to lift a lawmaker's immunity to include "essential elements" such as a clear description of the facts and the crime the accused is alleged to have committed. "If the requests do not meet the minimum elements, the requesting authority will be asked to complement it" before any announcement is made, Metsola's office said. Although brief, Princi said her involvement in the affair caused her a fair amount of stress during a few "days of hell" -- and dirty looks from colleagues. - 'Question marks' - The fiasco has fuelled a debate on whether Belgian authorities are best placed to investigate EU corruption. Daniel Freund, a transparency campaigner turned lawmaker for Europe's Greens, is among those who would like the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which already probes the misuse of EU funds, to be tasked with such cases. "I guess the Belgian taxpayer doesn't have a particular interest to dedicate a lot of resources to making sure that EU institutions are clean. But since EU institutions are located in Belgium, it somehow falls into their remit," he told AFP. An earlier scandal over alleged bribery involving Qatar and Morocco, which erupted in 2022 when police raids in Brussels uncovered 1.5 million euros in cash at the homes of several lawmakers, is still weighed down in legal challenges with no trial in sight. Were that to collapse, it "would seriously put into question the role of the Belgian judiciary," Freund said, adding "some question marks" also hung over the Huawei probe. The Huawei scandal burst into the public in March when police staged raids in Belgium and Portugal. Investigators suspect Huawei lobbyists of offering gifts, including meals and invitations to football matches to lawmakers who would defend its interests in Brussels. Eight people have been charged on counts including corruption, money laundering and participating in a criminal organisation. The four EU lawmakers named besides Princi have denied any wrongdoing.
