Politically Exposed Person (PEP) Weekly Digest – Volume 64

PEP Weekly Digest Vol 64

Introducing the 64th edition of The PEP Weekly Digest, where we present to you the most recent updates and news on the global political stage.

Recent and upcoming elections influence the worldwide political landscape in eight nations, slated between Jul 15, 2024 and Sep 20, 2024. These elections hold significant importance, as they will determine the direction and governance of each respective country’s future.

Ontario Education Minister Todd Smith Resigns From Cabinet For Private Sector Role

One noteworthy event has occurred in Canada, Ontario Education Minister Todd Smith resigned his seat and from cabinet to accept a job in the private sector less than three months after being given the education portfolio. Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop will replace Smith as education minister, the province announced Friday afternoon. Smith has served in cabinet since Premier Doug Ford’s government was first elected in 2018, but spent the longest amount of time in the energy portfolio. Sources who were not authorized to publicly discuss the issue have told The Canadian Press that Smith was not happy about the move to education in a cabinet shuffle in June, following three years as energy minister.

Ford’s office said he will announce who will be stepping into the role of education minister at some point Friday afternoon. Smith’s resignation comes just one day after he announced a long-awaited new funding formula for child-care operators in the national $10-a-day program and an upcoming cut to the fees parents pay.

Indonesia’s New Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia To Focus On Strategic Projects

Shifting our focus to Indonesia, industry players in the mining sector have high hopes for the newly appointed Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Bahlil Lahadalia, who took over from Arifin Tasrif on Monday, August 19, 2024. Hendra Sinadia, Executive Director of the Indonesia Mining Association (IMA), noted that the new ESDM minister has a lot of responsibilities in the energy sector in a short period. However, he believes that Bahlil will focus on strategic projects in the mineral sector. “Given the short time, it seems that the new Minister will focus on ensuring that national strategic projects, particularly in mineral downstreaming, are well-executed and on improving governance to attract investment,” Hendra told Bisnis on Monday,

August 19, 2024. He is optimistic that Bahlil’s extensive experience and knowledge from his tenure as Minister of Investment/Head of BKPM will be invaluable in addressing the issues and challenges faced by both the government and industry players.

Putin Appoints New Leadership In Russia’s Defense And Diplomacy

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin made significant appointments in the nation’s defense and diplomatic leadership on Saturday, naming Anna Tsivileva as State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Defense, and Sergei Butin as First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Tsivileva, who has served as a deputy minister of defense since June 2024, will now take on the additional role of State Secretary within the ministry. Her responsibilities will include overseeing social and housing support for military personnel and liaising with the “Defenders of the Fatherland” state fund, which supports participants in the special military operation.

Tsivileva was born in 1972 in Ivanovo to a family of doctors. She holds degrees in psychiatry, healthcare organization, and public health from Ivanovo State Medical Academy and the Russian University of Peoples’ Friendship. Additionally, she earned a Master’s in Business Administration from the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration in 2021. In the diplomatic sector, Butin has been appointed as the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Butin, born in 1964, is a seasoned diplomat with extensive experience in both domestic and international assignments. He graduated from the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University and is fluent in English and Japanese.

Since 1996, Butin has held various positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and abroad, notably in Japan. From 2017 to 2023, Butin headed the secretariat of the Foreign Minister. In May 2023, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs to oversee personnel matters and the General Secretariat.

China Classifies Virtual Asset Transactions As Money Laundering

In the realm of regulatory affairs, Chinese authorities explicitly recognized “virtual asset” transactions as a method of money laundering, marking the first instance in the country that such a move has been made towards the asset class. The Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the country’s highest judicial bodies, jointly announced the changes during a press conference.

Former North Carolina Council Member Sentenced To Decades In Prison For Statutory Rape

Shifting our attention to legal advancements, in the United States, a former Hertford, North Carolina town council member 39-year-old Quenton Sherard Jackson was sentenced to decades in prison after he pleaded guilty to multiple charges including statutory rape of a teenager. On July 15, Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of statutory rape, two counts of a statutory sexual offense, two counts of first-degree sexual exploitation and two counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor child.

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