Italy's privacy watchdog, scourge of US big tech, hit by corruption probe
Last week, Italian finance police conducted a search of the headquarters of the nation’s data protection agency as part of an investigation into potential corruption and embezzlement, according to a judicial source.
Prosecutors in Rome are looking into the agency's president, Pasquale Stanzione, along with three other board members, over allegations of excessive spending and possible corruption linked to the agency’s decisions, as reported by Italian news outlets, including ANSA, and an unnamed judicial source.
The Garante, Italy’s data privacy authority, is among the European Union's most active regulators in evaluating AI platform compliance with data privacy regulations. It regularly takes initiatives, such as requesting data or imposing fines and bans, on issues that affect high-tech multinationals operating in the country.
Former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko charged amid anti-corruption investigation
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has been charged with attempting to bribe lawmakers, according to revelations from authorities last week after an investigation and a raid conducted by the nation's anti-corruption agencies.
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), along with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), executed a raid at a political party's offices last Tuesday evening. Reports later indicated that the searches targeted the Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party headquarters, which Tymoshenko leads. In response, Tymoshenko confirmed the raid, vehemently denying all accusations against her and labeling them as "absurd."
Former Panama leader on trial over mega Latin America corruption scandal
Former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli began his trial last week, facing charges of money laundering within a vast corruption scandal that has implicated numerous South American leaders.
The Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, now known as Novonor, has confessed to distributing hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes across Latin America to secure substantial public works contracts from 2001 to 2016. The infamous "Car Wash" scandal, which surfaced in 2014, has resulted in the incarceration of numerous influential politicians and business figures.
Former Peruvian presidents Alejandro Toledo and Ollanta Humala are currently serving long sentences after being convicted of accepting bribes from Odebrecht. Politicians from Argentina, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela have also been found guilty in connection with this scandal.
If convicted in absentia, Martinelli could face a 12-year prison sentence; he participated in the Panama City court proceedings via video link from Colombia, where he sought asylum last year.
