UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia and China vetoed on Saturday a U.N. resolution that backed an Arab plan calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to quit, stalling global efforts to end his bloody crackdown on unrest after hundreds were reported killed in the city of Homs. The high-level diplomatic setback came after …
February 4, 2012
Russia, China have let Syrians down: Britain
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia and China vetoed on Saturday a U.N. resolution that backed an Arab plan calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to quit, stalling global efforts to end his bloody crackdown on unrest after hundreds were reported killed in the city of Homs. The high-level diplomatic setback came after …
US ‘Disgusted’ by Russia, China Veto of Syria Resolution
The United States is “disgusted” by Russia and China’s decision to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution today that called for an immediate end to the violence in Syria, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice said today.
The Security Council vote today came on one of the bloodiest days of the popular uprising in Syray, as President Bashar al Assad’s security forces launched a withering artillery assault on the city of Homs that has reportedly left 200 to 400 dead.
Though they were the only negative votes in a 13 to 2 vote, Russia and China’s veto power as permanent members of the Security Council killed the resolution drafted by Arab and European countries.
The vetoes came after a week of intense negotiations to gain Russian support for a resolution it had opposed from the start. The resolution supported an Arab League plan that called for an immediate end to the violence in Syria and a political solution to the crisis. Russia was opposed to the resolution because of concerns that it could leave an opening for a foreign intervention against one of its loyal client states.
The vetoes drew harsh criticism from Security Council members that supported the resolution and who had amended it several times to ease those concerns, rewording language about the transition of power and watering down the possibility of future sanctions against the Assad regime.
“The United States is disgusted that a couple of members of this Council continue to prevent us from fulfilling our sole purpose,” U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said. “For months this Council has been held hostage by a couple of members,” she said, referring to Russia and China, who she said had been “delaying and stripping bare any text to force Assad to stop his actions.”
Without referring to Russia by name, she said the vetoes were “even more shameful” given that Russia has continued to sell weapons to to Syria. She called the vetoes “unforgivable” and said “any further blood that flows will be on their hands.”
In brief remarks to the Council, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Russia actively supports an end to the violence in Syria, but that the resolution did not “accurately reflect the real state of affairs” in Syria and “sent an unbalanced signal to the parties.” Churkin was speaking about armed opposition groups that have also been conducting violent attacks against the Assad regime in Syria.
He once again cited Russian concerns about “regime change” by “influential members of the international community who have been undermining the possibility of a settlement in Syria.”
French Ambassador Gerard Araud said the vetoes were a “sad day for the UN Security Council … a sad day for democracy and a sad day for Syrians. … Hundreds of Syrians are dying and it is no longer possible to wait. ”
Peter Wittig, the German ambassador to the United Nations criticized the vetoes particularly for having come on “one of bloodiest days of the Arab spring” and the 30th anniversary of the massacre in Hama, Syria ordered by Assad’s father that resulted in 20,000 dead.
“This is the real scandal,” Wittig said. “Afraid this will spur further violence and make it difficult to reach a political solution.”
British Ambassador to the U.N. Mark Lyall said Russia and China should “ask themselves how many more deaths they are prepared to tolerate.”
He said the negotiations had “removed every possible excuse” for voting against the resolution. He also said that the United Kingdom and other countries would continue their efforts to stop the violence in Syria.
Li Baodong, China’s Ambassador to the UN told Council members that China voted against the resolution because it would “further complicate the situation” in Syria.
He also said that China supported the Russian delegation’s last minute calls for a delay on the vote as well as amendments proposed by Russia that were not taken up by the Council.
India Seeks to Ban Sex Workers from Former Soviet States
The Times of India, quoting a government source, reported: “Indian missions in the region have been in touch with [government headquarters in New Delhi]…and it has been conveyed to them to thoroughly screen applications of women who are 15-40 years of age.”
Women visa applicants of that age from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Ukrainian will come under particular attention under the new policy, the report noted.
Demonstrating outside the home of the Indian envoy in Kiev, the Femen protesters held up placards which read: “I am not a prostitute,” “Ukraine is not a brothel,” “Delhi, close your brothels,” and “We demand apologies!”
Femen also released the following statement: “The problem of prostitution in India is not dependent on women from Ukraine, Russia or Kazakhstan. Indian prostitution is directly conducted with impunity [by] the country’s criminal business. Blaming it on women is a shame for the heirs of such a rich and old culture,”
Femen charged the Indian government with seeking to humiliate and insult all women.
However, the Indian mission in Ukraine has denied that women visa applicants will come under heavy scrutiny.
“The embassy has noticed reports in local media, according to which applications for visas from women undergo additional checks,” read an Indian embassy statement.
“All visas are issued after undergoing standard procedures, which are common for most diplomatic missions.”
In fact, the Indian Embassy cited that from 2010 to 2011 the number of visas issued to Ukrainians rose from 13,000 to 20,000.
Still, foreign sex workers are enjoying a booming business in India.
According to Indian officials, there are up to 3,500 sex workers from the former Soviet Union plying their trade in New Delhi alone. Every year, Indian receives about 45,000 tourists from Central Asia and 70,000 from Russia.
The Indian government apparently has no desire to cut down on normal tourists.
“There is no question of it being a deterrent, though, for visitors as all care will be taken to ensure that no genuine tourist is denied a visa,” the New Delhi source told Times of India.
An official at the Russian embassy in India told the RIA Novosti state news agency that detentions of Russian sex workers in Indian is actually is very rare. He also noted that all women from the former Soviet states are called ”Russians” in India, regardless of nationality.
Indian media noted that the alleged clampdown on foreign sex workers comes just ahead of parliamentary elections in five Indian states.
Ironically, India and Ukraine have very strong diplomatic and economic ties and are seeking to develop energy projects, including civilian nuclear power.
Ukrainian foreign minister Kostyantyn Gryshchenko told The Hindu newspaper: “India is a very important part of what we need to understand and it is part of our future destiny. Today the world is changing and being simply Europe-centered is not the answer to the future of [Ukraine's] survival and progress.”
India show up at MCG to play
10.49pm: INDIA has beaten Australia in the second T20 match at the MCG with two balls remaining.
Gautam Gambhir (52) was the star of the Indian team, racking up a half-century off 56 balls. India captain MS Dohi finished on 22 not out.
Australia and India will next play on Sunday in an ODI.
10.37pm: INDIA needs just 12 runs to win the second T20 against Australia at the MCG.
10.32pm: INDIA is moving slowly, but steadily, needing just 21 runs off 26 balls to win.
10.24pm: INDIA has lost Virat Kohli as it edges closer to winning the second T20 against Australia at the MCG.
Kohli swiped at a delivery from Mitchell Marsh, but got an edge which Matty Wade dived for.
He made 31.
10.18pm: GAUTAM Gambhir is edging closer to a half-century as India looks set to win the second T20 against Australia at the MCG.
The away team is now 1/93 and needs just 39 runs to win with more the seven overs remaining in the innings.
10.12pm: INDIA is just cruising at the MCG. The away team is now 1/83 and needs 49 runs off 50 balls to win.
10.06pm: NOT much has changed since the last over. India is now 1/72.
10.03pm: INDIA now needs 65 runs off 64 balls.
9.56pm: INDIA needs 78 runs from 72 balls to beat Australia in the second T20 at the MCG.
9.49pm: VIRENDER Sehwag has been dazzled by a Brad Hogg full toss and is the first Indian wicket to fall at the MCG tonight.
India is now 1/43. Gambhir is on 18 and is now joined by Virat Kohli.
9.45pm: A HUGE 104-metre six from Virender Sehwag has pumped up the Indian team and crowd at the MCG.
India is now 0/42 after six overs.
9.41pm: VIRENDER Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are establishing a strong partnership as India chases Australia’s 131-run total at the MCG.
India is now 0/27 after five overs. Gambhir and Sehwag are both on 13.
9.30pm: INDIA has moved to 0/18 by playing safe cricket against Australia.
9.25pm: VIRENDER Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have gotten India’s 132-run quest against Australia at the MCG off to a slow start.
Gambhir is on nine and Sehwag 0 as India move to 0/11.
9.19pm: VIRENDER Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir will start India’s 132-run quest against Australia at the MCG.
8.59pm: A SUPERCHARGED Indian team has bowled out Australia with two deliveries to spare in the second T20 match at the MCG.
India will need 132 runs to win the game.
8.57pm: XAVIER Doherty has been run out.
8.56pm: BRAD Hogg, in the last over of Australia’s innings, was trapped LBW.
He made 4. Australia is now 8/129. Xavier Doherty is now in with three balls to go.
8.52pm: ONE ball after Matty Wade was sensationally run out, Clint McKay was sent back to the bench with a golden duck at the MCG.
McKay was caught behind by Dhoni.
Australia is now 8/121.
8.50pm: MATTY Wade became the third Aussie batsman to be run out at the MCG tonight.
He departed the crease on 32.
8.44pm: MITCHELL Marsh has been stumped by Indian captain MS Dhoni at the MCG.
It was a slick delivery from Rahul Sharma, which was too quick for Marsh to handle. He made 13. Australia is 6/121.
Brett Lee joins Wade who is on 32.
8.40pm: AUSTRALIA is now 5/114.
8.37pm: AUSTRALIA has added six runs to its total after the last over.
8.36pm: AUSTRALIA has reached 5/100 with five overs left in the innings.
8.30pm: AFTER finally getting his eye in, David Hussey is out, caught by Ravindra Jadeja off his own delivery at the MCG.
Hussey made 24 off 29 balls. he tried to flick the ball to the on side but flicked the ball straight back to Jadeja.
Mitchell Marsh is now in with Matty Wade who is on 18. Australia is now 5/95.
8.25pm: AUSTRALIA has recovered after losing two quick wickets at the MCG.
The home team is now 4/87.
8.14pm: DAVID Hussey, after arguably running out Aaron Finch, has done the same thing to Aussie skipper George Bailey at the MCG.
Bailey had no hope of making it home for the double. He made three. But there is hope, with Matty Wade now at the crease.
Australia is now 4/54.
8.08pm: AUSTRALIA’S new dangerman Aaron Finch is a threat no more after being caught metres out of his crease at the MCG.
Hussey played a shout out to point and went for the single, but the ball was tossed straight back in to MS Dhoni who stumped Finch with spare time for a drink.
Australia is now 3/49 and skipper George Bailey is in.
8.04pm: AFTER a few close calls David Hussey got off the mark at the MCG moving Australia to 2/42.
7.59pm: AARON Finch is leading the way for Australia as the home side moves to 2/38 at the MCG.
7.55pm: AUSTRALIA has steadied after losing two quick wickets at the MCG. The Aussies are now 2/27.
7.49pm: SHAUN Marsh was caught out behind for a duck just three balls after David Warner was dismissed for eight runs.
Australia is now 2/20. Aaron Finch is now on 11 while David Hussey comes in on 0.
7.47pm: DAVID Warner tried to live up to his reputation as the biggest hitter on the Australian team but instead crumbled for just eight runs.
Australia is now 1/20 and Shaun Marsh is at the crease.
7.44pm: AUSTRALIAN’S David Warner and Aaron Finch are cruising at the crease against India at the MCG.
Australia is 0/18.
7.39pm: AUSTRALIA is 0/7 after the first over against India at the MCG.
7.34pm: BIG hitter David Warner will open Australia’s batting alongside Aaron Finch against India at the MCG.
7.20pm: AUSTRALIAN captain George Bailey has won the toss and the home team will bat first against India at the MCG.
7pm: The teams for tonight’s clash at the MCG are as follows.
Australia - GJ Bailey*, DA Warner, TR Birt, DT Christian, XJ Doherty, JP Faulkner, AJ Finch, GB Hogg, DJ Hussey, B Lee, CJ McKay, MR Marsh, SE Marsh, MS Wade.
India - MS Dhoni*†, R Ashwin, G Gambhir, RA Jadeja, Z Khan, V Kohli, P Kumar, PA Patel†, IK Pathan, SK Raina, V Sehwag, R Sharma, RG Sharma, SR Tendulkar, MK Tiwary, R Vinay Kumar, U Yadav.
6.30pm: AUSTRALIAN Twenty20 allrounder David Hussey concedes switch-hitting frustrates him as a bowler.
But Hussey says he doesn’t want it outlawed as it’s the type of innovation that is attracting huge audiences to the new format.
Hussey’s team-mate David Warner switched to batting right-handed mid-delivery on Wednesday night during Australia’s comfortable win over India at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium and hit a huge six to the delight of a crowd of almost 60,000.
“It’s phenomenal. He’s a fantastic talent and hopefully he continues doing it,” Hussey said on Thursday.
“A 100-metre six, batting right-handed, it’s great for the crowd to watch.
“He can bat right-handed, left-handed. It’s just a new invention of T20 cricket.
“It definitely should be allowed.”
Australia host the second and final game of the series at the MCG on Friday, with officials hoping for a crowd of more than 70,000.
Hussey compared Warner’s switch-hitting to baseball, in another sign that T20 is quickly becoming the American version of cricket.
“You see it in baseball, there’s people who bat both sides of the plate,” Hussey said.
“So there’s no reason why you can’t do it in cricket.
“Hopefully a few of the younger kids coming through can work at those skills.”
Hussey admits he gets irritated during training sessions when Warner tries the stunt.
“Dave does it to me in the nets all the time it frustrated me so I beamed him, I tried to hit him in the head,” Hussey said.
“It didn’t go down very well so we had a bit of a falling out for a couple of moments.”
While Hussey hails Warner as a pioneer of the stroke, England right-hander Kevin Pietersen hit two sixes with left-handed swipes in a one-day game against New Zealand in 2008.
The Marylebone Cricket Club deemed the shot exciting for cricket and said it would not legislate against it.
Pietersen said in 2008 the switch-hit was an extremely high-risk shot and he didn’t agree that it was unfair for bowlers.
Hussey said however he couldn’t see how bowlers should be allowed to switch from right-arm to left-arm.
“You can’t change halfway through,” he said.
“It’s not in the rules. It’s too hard (for batsmen) as it is.”
Meanwhile Hussey said wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade, who smashed 72 off 43 balls on Wednesday, was doing everything right in his bid to win Test selection.
“He’s a couple of big innings away from hopefully cementing a Test spot perhaps,” Hussey said.
Hussey, who claimed 2-4 and scored 42, said he was impressed by India’s bowling and fielding efforts.
”(But) our bowling and fielding trumped theirs. We were lucky enough to get a few early wickets and took the game away from the Indians right from the start,” Hussey said.
“They’re a very very formidable line-up and I expect them to come out firing.”
Iran launches new military exercises
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran began ground military exercises Saturday and defiantly warned that it could cut off oil exports to “hostile” European nations as tensions rise over suggestions that military strikes are an increasing possibility if sanctions fail to rein in the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
Tehran has stepped up its rhetoric as international pressure mounts over allegations that it is seeking to develop atomic weapons, a charge it denies.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued stern warnings against any possible U.S. or Israeli attacks against Tehran’s nuclear facilities. Western forces also have boosted their naval presence in the Gulf led by the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.
The new military maneuvers came weeks after Iran rolled out its troops and arsenals in an unprecedented display of military readiness, with 10 days of naval maneuvers that included the first threats to block Gulf oil tankers in early January. Ground forces also were sent on winter war games — against what a Tehran military spokesman called a “hypothetical enemy” — with U.S. forces just over the border in Afghanistan.
Plans for new Iranian naval games in the Persian Gulf off the country’s southern coast have been in the works for weeks.
Iranian state media reported the ground maneuvers of the elite Revolutionary Guard started Saturday near Jiroft, 745 miles (1,200 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran. No more details were available, but it appeared that they were small-scale exercises and not linked to the planned major naval maneuvers near the Strait of Hormuz, the route for one-fifth of the world’s crude oil.
Iranian officials and lawmakers repeatedly have threatened to close the strait, which funnels down to a waterway no wider than 30 miles (50 kilometers) at the mouth of the Gulf, in retaliation for sanctions that affect Iran’s oil exports. But they have as yet made no attempts to disrupt shipping through the waterway, and the U.S. and other Western powers have warned they would respond swiftly to any attempts at a blockade.
Washington and its allies fear Iran could use its uranium enrichment labs — which make nuclear fuel — to eventually produce weapons-grade material. Tehran insists it only seeks reactors for energy and medical research.
So far, the West is relying primarily on the threat of economic sanctions to pressure Iran over its nuclear program.
Tehran has claimed that the most recent move — EU sanctions approved on Jan. 23, which include an oil embargo and the freezing of central bank assets — will be ineffective, while members of Iran’s parliament say they have drafted a bill which would cut off the flow to Europe early, before it can find alternative suppliers.
Iran’s Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi also said Saturday the Islamic Republic would “definitely” cut off oil to “hostile” European countries, without specifying which ones they were.
However, he said Iran is moving toward reducing reliance on oil revenues, a hint that Tehran is preparing for the worst. Oil sales account for about 80 percent of Iran’s foreign revenues.
Qassemi, the oil minister, reiterated Iran’s argument that the EU oil embargo will not cripple Iran’s economy, claiming that the country already has identified new customers to replace the loss in European sales that accounted for about 18 percent of Iran’s exports.
“We’ve made the necessary planning to deal with that. We have friends in the world and will assist each other,” he said. “We won’t back down a single step under political pressures and won’t give up our right position even if we can’t sell a single barrel of oil.”
In contrast, he said, the ban would rebound on oil consumers.
“If Iran’s oil is totally deleted from the market, then a terrible tension will be created. The costs will be intolerable. The option of imposing a total ban on Iran’s crude exports is unenforceable,” he said.
Qassemi also reinforced Iran’s warning to Saudi Arabia and other fellow OPEC members against boosting production to offset any potential drop in Tehran’s crude exports, saying the cartel should not be used as a political weapon against a member state.
Israel, for its part, has so far publicly backed the efforts by the U.S. and European Union for tougher sanctions that target Iran’s oil exports. But Israeli leaders have urged even harsher measures and warn that military action remains a clear option despite Western appeals to allow time for the economic pressures and isolation to bear down on Iran.
Khamenei, in a nationally broadcast speech on Friday, staked out a hard line after suggestions by Israel that military strikes are an increasing possibility if sanctions fail to rein in Iran’s nuclear program.
He pledged to aid any nation or group that challenges Israel and said any military strikes would damage U.S. interests in the Middle East “10 times” more than they would hurt Iran. The comments also may signal that Tehran’s proxy forces — led by Lebanon’s Islamic militant group Hezbollah — could be given the green light to revive attacks on Israel as the showdown between the rivals intensifies.
Vatican officials contest corruption charges
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - In the latest twist of a messy internal conflict shaking the Vatican, four clerics in the office that manages the tiny city-state Saturday rejected charges of corruption, mismanagement and greed levelled by a former deputy governor.
The four said in a statement that charges made by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, currently Pope Benedict’s ambassador in Washington, were “either the fruit of erroneous evaluations or based on fears not backed up by proof.”
Vigano was transferred to the United States against his will last year after he denounced what he saw as a web of corruption in the management of Vatican City, a 108-acre (44-hectare) sovereign city-state surrounded by Rome and where the pope rules as a monarch.
In letters to Pope Benedict and his number two, the secretary of state, Vigano complained about what he said was nepotism and cronyism linked to the awarding of contracts to outside companies at inflated prices.
The letters, leaked to the media last month, read like a Renaissance drama of court intrigue, rivalry and petty bickering that has embarrassed the Vatican.
By issuing Saturday’s statement, the Vatican again confirmed the authenticity of the letters, saying they had been “published without authorization” and had caused “great sadness” among past and present administrators.
As deputy governor of Vatican City from 2009 to 2011, Vigano was the number two official in a department responsible for maintaining the city-state’s gardens, buildings, streets, museums and other infrastructure.
The statement was signed by Vigano’s former boss, Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, as well as the current governor and two other clerics in the department. All of them are Italian.
INFLATED PRICES
In their seven-point statement, the four attempted to dismantle one of Vigano’s charges - that contracts for building and maintenance were awarded under an established system of cronyism at inflated prices to Italian companies with Vatican connections.
They said contracts for “significant” works, such as the current restoration of the colonnade in St. Peter’s Square, were awarded by an ad hoc committee on the basis of bids, while smaller works were carried out by outside companies known to the Vatican and at prices applied in Italy.
Vigano, in one of his letters to the pope, said Vatican-employed maintenance workers were demoralized because “work was always given to the same companies at costs at least double compared to those charged outside the Vatican.”
The statement, however, did not mention one of Vigano’s most shocking accusations: That when he took the job he discovered that the cost of the Vatican’s nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square was an exorbitant 550,000 euros ($720,000)in 2009.
He chopped 200,000 euros off the cost for the following Christmas and, in the process, made enemies inside and outside the Vatican because of his insistence on transparency and cost-cutting.
The four officials also attempted to contest Vigano’s implicit assertion that his strict style of management helped turn Vatican City’s finances from a deficit to a surplus during his tenure.
They say the turnaround was mostly due to the management of investments and “excellent” results from the Vatican Museums.
Vigano has not made any public comment on the controversy but the unprecedented leaking of such high-level letters and the ensuing public spat among cardinals, bishops and monsignors has provoked much consternation in the Vatican.
In one letter, Vigano writes of a smear campaign against him by other Vatican officials who were upset that he had taken drastic steps to clean up the purchasing procedures.
In another, before he was transferred away from the Vatican,
he begged to be allowed to continue his crusade and denounced a “vulgar and insolent” cleric behind a plot to destroy him.
The four clerics said they had written the statement to contest the impression that Vatican City’s administration was “an untrustworthy entity in the hands of dark forces.”
(Editing by Alessandra Rizzo)
Brazil cabinet changes are tip of graft iceberg
The resignations of seven Brazilian cabinet ministers over corruption charges since President Dilma Rousseff took office are the tip of an endemic problem which experts say hobbles the country’s bid for great power status.
National media and cinema routinely portray graft as a multi-headed monster, rearing its head in the political arena through kickbacks and influence peddling, but also in the form of state inefficiency and police wrongdoing.
But while it is ingrained in Brazilian history, corruption is currently of particular concern because it potentially threatens the country’s huge investments to host the 2014 soccer World Cup and the 2016 summer Olympics.
“We are a rich country, but with habits of poor countries,” said Castello Branco, head of Open Accounts, a non-governmental organization fighting graft.
“The risk of corruption rises in proportion to the increase in the number of major (infrastructure) projects. The corrupt go where the money is.”
Corruption is a key concern for the upper and middle classes but the world’s sixth largest economy ranks only 73rd on Transparency International’s latest annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), barely ahead of China.
The CPI scores countries on a scale of zero to 10, with zero indicating high levels of corruption and 10 as low levels. Brazil scored 3.8 last year.
Corruption costs the nation between 1.4 percent and 2.3 percent of its GDP, roughly $146 billion, according to the powerful Federation of Industries of Sao Paulo, which in December released one of the rare studies on the scourge.
The contrast between Brazil’s economic prowess and its poor performance in reining in graft has been illustrated by successive resignations from ministers since Rousseff took office early last year.
The last to quit was the minister in charge of urban transport projects for the 2014 World Cup, Mario Negromonte, who resigned on Thursday.
Last year, Negromonte’s office was charged with irregularities related to inflating costs on transport work in Cuiaba, in Mato Grosso state — one of the sites of the tournament.
“The perception of corruption in Brazil has remained constant and rather high over the past few years,” said Fernando Filgueiras, co-author of the 2011 study “Corruption and democratic control in Brazil.”
He and other experts believe that official scrutiny has grown in the past few years but impunity often remains the rule.
“The oversight is better than in the past, but justice does not follow at the same pace,” said Antonio Teixeira, an expert on the issue at the respected Getulio Vargas Foundation.
Despite the graft resignations, Rousseff completed her first year in office with a 72 percent approval rating — higher than her predecessors Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Fernando Henrique Cardoso over the same period of time.
Polls also show that Brazilians appear happy with the country’s upbeat economic prospects as well as with Rousseff’s stance on corruption.
But in reality, Rousseff’s government has to share cabinet posts with its coalition partners to secure their support in parliament.
So even though some ministers quit after being tainted with graft, their portfolios remain in the hands of their respective parties.
“If you add to this a private election campaign funding system with no effective control, you have fertile ground for corruption in the political system,” said Filgueiras.
Brazilians also appear to be ambivalent on graft, according to his study.
“Brazilians today know that corruption is a serious issue with a negative impact on public life. Yet, they don’t rule out helping a relative within the public administration if they had the opportunity,” Filgueiras added.
Ex-Rosemead Mayor Pleads Guilty to Bribery
The ex-mayor of Rosemead and former California Assembly candidate has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of soliciting and accepting more than $10,000 in bribes from a developer in exchange for city approval of a development project.
John Tran, 36, was named in a criminal information filed Friday in United States District Court.
Tran first approached the developer, who was working as an FBI informant, at Rosemead City Hall, according to court documents. The developer made a series of cash payments to the former mayor totaling $7,000 in 2005 and 2006.
The developer’s business partner wrote a $3,200 check to Tran in 2007, according to court documents.
“During the time that the CI made payments to defendant, the CI’s planning and building proofs were pending approval before the city,” according to the statement of facts in Tran’s plea agreement.
On “occasionally informed the CI that the CI’s project was ‘there,’ and that he was ‘not going anywhere.’”
The developer believed that in order to get his project approved, he would have to pay a bribe to Tran in a quid pro quo, according to court documents that were based on the informant’s conversations with Tran.
“The CI’s project would not be approved if the CI refused to pay defendant,” court documents state.
After the payments were made, Tran was voted out of office, and the city never approved the project.
Tran was elected to the Rosemead City Council in 2005 and was Mayor of Rosemead from 2007 to 2009.
Tran faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
Tran is expected to appear in court on Feb. 21.
The 36-year-old from Saigon was Rosemead’s first Asian-American mayor to be elected to the post in 2007. He served as mayor until 2009.
He was also a school board member with the El Monte Union High School District, a post he resigned in February 2011.
He also withdrew his candidacy for the California State Assembly’s 49th district.
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Abele calls for ethics, purchasing review after Thomas bribery charges
Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele on Friday called for a review of county ethics and procurement rules in the wake of criminal bribery charges filed against county Supervisor Johnny L. Thomas Jr.
“We are going to take this opportunity to get more aggressive,” Abele said. An example of a reform already begun is centralizing county purchasing, Abele said. “This is an opportunity to go through everything.”
Thomas, 43, was charged with two felonies Thursday for accepting a $500 bribe as part of a sting operation. Thomas was told the money came from a Chicago firm seeking a contract as the county’s financial adviser on a bond issue.
Abele said he was unaware until a criminal complaint was issued Thursday that Patrick Farley, Abele’s top appointed official, had aided prosecutors in getting evidence against Thomas. Farley met with Thomas at a Dunkin’ Donuts shop near the courthouse to discuss a purported payoff for Thomas in exchange for his cooperation in scheduling committee consideration of the financial adviser contract, according to the criminal complaint. Farley surreptitiously recorded the conversations for prosecutors.
Farley, director of the county’s Department of Administrative Services, had tipped off Abele that he’d uncovered some concerns about Thomas related to contracts. Farley asked Abele for the go-ahead to tell prosecutors, Abele said. Farley worked for the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office from 1998 to 2003.
Abele declined to say what the other concerns were about or whether prosecutors were investigating them.
The county executive said he was disappointed to learn of the charges, but said he didn’t want to pass judgment on Thomas until he had a chance to defend himself in court.
Abele, however, joined in the call for Thomas to be removed from the chairmanship of the County Board’s Finance and Audit Committee. In that role, Thomas was able to stall consideration of the financial adviser contract for about six months, according to the criminal complaint.
Supervisor Joseph Rice also called for Thomas to be removed from his chairmanship.
Abele joined a host of high-profile local Democrats in endorsing Thomas’ candidacy for Milwaukee city comptroller, but he didn’t know then of the concerns about Thomas, Abele said. Thomas announced the support of Abele, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and 37 other local and state officials on Jan. 20. Able donated $1,000 to Thomas’ campaign on Nov. 14, less than three weeks before the first of Farley’s recorded meetings with Thomas. Abele said he would not have given the money had he known then of any concerns about Thomas’ conduct.
Board Chairman Lee Holloway is considering whether to remove Thomas as chair of the finance committee.
DA confident in case
Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said earlier Friday he was confident of evidence in a bribery case against Thomas, despite the absence of an explicit demand for money by Thomas during the sting.
Chisholm said the use of Farley was appropriate. A John Doe investigation into Thomas was launched after Farley came to prosecutors with concerns. A John Doe is a secret investigation that allows prosecutors to compel testimony and subpoena evidence.
When Farley delivered the cash to Thomas, Farley indicated it came from one of two firms bidding on a contract to advise the county on selling bonds for airport and other projects, the Thomas complaint says.
“There is no entrapment here,” Chisholm told reporters at a morning news conference. “There is no reasonable explanation for taking $500 in cash under these circumstances, from the state’s perspective.”
Michael Maistelman, Thomas’ lawyer, declined to comment.
Thomas, who as chairman of the County Board’s finance committee had stalled scheduling a vote on the contract, placed the issue on the committee agenda on Dec. 6, according to a criminal complaint.
The finance panel voted to award the contract to Public Financial Management, the Chicago firm Farley had led Thomas to believe had provided the $500 cash and the promise of another $500.
The firm had no involvement in the sting operation, Chisholm said, noting that the actual bidding process was clean. Public Financial Management has frequently advised the county on its bond offerings, earning more than $1 million in fees since 2006, county records show. PFM’s staff charge up to $175 an hour.
No other County Board members were implicated in the Thomas bribery case, Chisholm said. The Doe investigation on the bribery matter is closed, he said.