Ian Bunn | Political & Popular Culture Arts

Alexei Anatolievich Navalny the 36 year old Russian lawyer, political activist and critic of corruption in Russia, especially of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has been charged with theft accused of organising a scheme to steal assets from a state timber company. In an Aljazeera article Navalny dismisses the allegations as “weird” and baseless is said to have been “…charged with theft, and could be handed a 10-year prison sentence as the government continues its crackdown on dissent. …The State Investigative Committee said it suspects Navalny of organising a scheme to steal assets from a state timber company. The assets are estimated to be worth about $500,000. As the committee pursues an investigation against him, Navalny has been ordered not to leave Moscow. …the anti-corruption crusader has been instrumental in rallying Russia’s young internet generation against Putin’s rule. Navalny, a lawyer, led a series of rallies in Moscow that attracted up to 100,000 people after December’s parliamentary elections were alleged to have been rigged and ahead of the March election that handed Putin a third presidential term. …The government embarked on a major crackdown on the opposition after Putin’s re-election, which was also criticised as fraudulent, arresting some activists and using legislation to try to curb its activities. …The probe against Navalny focuses on events dating to 2009 when he served as an adviser to a provincial governor in the Kirov region. Investigators allege that he colluded with the head of a state timber company and a trader to rob it. A previous probe into similar allegations was closed earlier this year for lack of evidence.”

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Has the right to end my employment (June 24th 2012)

Piyasvasti Amranand the 58 year old Thai former Energy Minister and President of Thai Airways International until his dismissal from this post by the board, has been profiled by aviation expert Tom Ballantyne in Orient Aviation. Ballantyne states “After cleaning up a carrier noted for its corruption and cronyism, and returning it to profit, THAI president, Piyasvasti Amranand, was sacked last month. Now he may take his board to court to restore his reputation. …The sacking, he said, was “politically influenced”. He didn’t stop there. It was possible his firing resulted from investigations into graft at THAI, and his punishment of corrupt staff who might have sought help from some powerful figures, he claimed. The suggestion was they could have been from within government. …“The board has the right to end my employment, but it must explain [the reasons] why clearly to the public,” he said. “It is a pity. The management will suffer setbacks from now on. …The shock sacking has angered THAI staff and prompted a stinging attack on the chairman from the airline’s union. Jamsri Sukchotirat, president of the THAI labour union, said Piyasvasti had regularly talked to workers about various issues, especially financial performance and profitability.”

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Pope’s personal butler leaked to the press (June 5th 2012)

Paolo Gabriele the 46 year old personal butler to Pope Benedict XVI has been arrested and charged with the illegal possession of embarrassing secret documents he had leaked exposing to the world at large corruption from within the Vatican. Gabriele a layman who resides within the Vatican City with his wife and three children, is alleged to have leaked the press with documents that highlight the Vatican finances, operations and concerns with corruption. The scandal known as “Vatileaks”, continued to embarrass the Vatican seen as a scandal-plagued tax haven by the world financial community. Speculation continues that Gabriele was not working alone in the leaks, and investigations continue in efforts to identify any leadership from co-offenders potentially in any internal power struggle. Gabriele was being held in a “secure room” at the Vatican’s tiny police station inside the Vatican as there is no jail, until further investigation could be conducted in regard to any co-offenders. Pope Benedict XVI’s No 2, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone the Vatican secretary of state has been centre stage of the scandal with many of the leaked documents portraying him negatively, and for having “begged” to retain his position after exposing corrupt practices within the Vatican’s contracts for services.

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