First Independent Mena Newspaper
Africa is hemorrhaging over $580 billion every year through corruption and illicit financial outflows, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB), jeopardizing economic growth and worsening the continent’s nearly $2 trillion debt crisis. AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina, speaking in a recent Bloomberg interview, likened the situation to pouring water into a leaking bucket — “It […]
Equatorial Guinea has filed an urgent appeal at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), demanding France halt the sale of a luxury mansion in Paris seized from Vice President Teodorin Obiang, son of the African nation’s long‑serving president. The property was confiscated following Teodorin’s conviction for embezzlement in a French court. Representing Equatorial Guinea, Minister […]
Nairobi descended into chaos Thursday (12 June) as angry protests erupted over the death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang, who died in police custody under suspicious circumstances. Riot police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators demanding justice and the resignation of Deputy Police Chief Eliud Lagat, whom Ojwang had accused of corruption. The 31-year-old […]
Brice Oligui Nguema, the military leader who ousted long-time president Ali Bongo in a 2023 coup, has won Gabon’s presidential election with a staggering 90.35% of the vote, according to provisional results announced by the Interior Ministry. This marks the first election in over five decades not dominated by the Bongo family, whose rule was […]
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is facing a potential 10-year prison sentence as his trial over alleged corruption linked to his 2007 presidential campaign continues in Paris. Sarkozy is accused of striking a “corruption pact” with the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who allegedly funded Sarkozy’s campaign in exchange for political favors. The prosecution argues […]
African countries experiencing conflict and with highly restricted freedoms and weak democratic institutions, such as South Sudan, Somalia, Zimbabwe or Libya, occupy the bottom of Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). This ranking places Zimbabwe among Africa’s top 10 most corrupt countries, joining war-torn states like Sudan, Somalia, and Libya. With a score of […]
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has partnered with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) to enhance efforts in fighting financial crime and corruption across Africa. The two organizations signed a Letter of Intent last week to strengthen their collaboration in tackling illicit financial flows, cybercrime, and money laundering. This partnership is the first for a […]
Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) paints a bleak picture of corruption worldwide, with many African countries showing their worst results in over a decade. The report, released on Tuesday (11 February), reveals that 47 countries out of 180 surveyed scored their lowest marks since 2012, signaling an alarming global rise in corruption. On […]
In a significant move, the President of Tunisia dismissed Sihem Boughdiri from her position as Finance Minister on Wednesday February 5, appointing Michkat Khaldi, a prominent judge, as her replacement. Khaldi, who took the official oath at Carthage Palace, assumes the role at a time when the country’s economic situation is dire. Boughdiri, who had […]
Kenyan president William Ruto has received the most votes and has thus become — together with Nigerian president Bola Ahmed Tinubu — one of the top five 2024 finalists for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) ‘Person of the Year’ award. Ruto received an unprecedented number of 40,000 nominations for ‘Person of the […]