The head of Brazil’s Olympics committee has been detained for his alleged role in a bribery scheme to win the bid for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, a scandal that illustrates the multilayered nature of systematized graft in Brazil.
A new investigation provides damning evidence of abuses and criminality associated with a controversial security initiative in Venezuela, adding to mounting concerns about the government’s support for the program.
Several top ministers in Guatemala’s government have resigned and thousands of citizens have flooded the streets to protest recent elite efforts to institutionalize corruption, plunging the country deeper into turmoil and potentially signaling how a wave of domestic pressure could shape the outcome.
Guatemala’s congress is backtracking on an attempt to weaken anti-corruption efforts following massive public outcry and a rapid response by the country’s highest court, indicating that while international pressure has not seemed to deter corrupt political elites from attempting to shield themselves, widespread domestic outrage might.
Authorities in Central America have arrested hundreds of suspected gang members in recent days during coinciding operations, but their willingness to mount such large-scale efforts against gangs has not been matched by an equivalent committment to tackle recent allegations of serious official corruption.
This news brief was originally published at InSight Crime. US politicians are ramping up pressure on Central American countries toContinue Reading
Brazil’s chief prosecutor charged former presidents Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva and Dilma Rousseff with running a “criminal organization,” markingContinue Reading
Guatemala’s highest court has ruled that President Jimmy Morales cannot expel the head of the country’s internationally-backed anti-corruption body, haltingContinue Reading
A Paraguayan politician was arrested during Bolivia‘s biggest marijuana seizure this year, highlighting how deeply involved Paraguay’s officials have becomeContinue Reading
The violence gripping El Salvador affects women in a different way than men. Within the current security crisis, gang andContinue Reading
Angelika Albaladejo