Three news to start your week: September 16
South Africa's Justice Minister Denies Corruption Allegations Against Her
(AP)
South Africa's Justice Minister, Thembi Simelane, firmly rejected corruption allegations related to a scandal involving VBS Mutual Bank, in which thousands of retirees lost their life savings.
The bank, primarily serving retirees from the northern Limpopo province, unlawfully attracted investments from local municipalities. It was declared insolvent in 2018 when it was revealed that over 2 billion rand (approximately $112 million) was misappropriated.
Investigations revealed that the stolen funds were used to acquire luxury homes and vehicles, among other expenses. They were also distributed as financial gifts to various individuals and organizations, including political parties.
Simelane, who was appointed in June to the newly formed government of national unity after the previous ruling African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority in the May 29 elections, is determined to clear her name amidst the allegations.
Google and Apple Face Billions in Penalties After Losing EU Appeals
(The New York Times)
The highest court of the European Union has handed the 27-nation bloc a significant triumph by ruling against Apple and Google in two groundbreaking legal cases. These verdicts, delivered by the Court of Justice of the European Union, serve as a crucial test of Europe's efforts to rein in the dominance of the world's largest technology companies. Both Apple and Google have been frequent targets of European Union regulators, and they have fiercely contested these cases through appeals.
In the Apple case, the court upheld a 2016 European Union directive that ordered Ireland to recover 13 billion euros in unpaid taxes from the tech giant, equivalent to approximately $14.4 billion today. Regulators had discovered that Apple had engaged in illicit agreements with the Irish government, enabling the company to avoid paying virtually any taxes for its European operations in certain years.
Regarding the Google case, the court supported the commission's 2017 decision to impose a 2.4 billion euro fine on the company, ruling that it had given preferential treatment to its own price-comparison shopping service in Google search results, thereby disadvantaging rival offerings. Google's appeal in 2021 did not succeed, cementing the court's decision.
Prosecutors indict Albania's ex-PM on corruption charges
(Reuters)
Albania's opposition leader, Sali Berisha, has officially announced that he is facing corruption charges dating back to his time as prime minister.
According to Berisha, these charges are nothing more than a political vendetta. Prosecutors claim that Berisha used his position of power between 2005 and 2009 to unfairly influence a privatization process, benefiting individuals close to him, including his daughter's husband.
However, Berisha firmly denies any wrongdoing. After being placed under house arrest in December, he accuses the current prime minister, Edi Rama, of orchestrating this prosecution against him. Rama, on the other hand, denies any involvement in the matter.
