Politically Exposed Person (PEP) Weekly Digest – Volume 91

91st PEP Weekly Digest:

Introducing the 91st 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 Feb 24, 2025 and Apr 12, 2025. These elections hold significant importance, as they will determine the direction and governance of each respective country’s future.

Scott Simpson Appointed New Minister for Commerce, Consumer Affairs, and ACC Following Andrew Bayly’s Resignation

One noteworthy event has occurred in New Zealand, Scott Simpson – the MP for Coromandel for the last 13 years – is the country’s newest minister.

He sits outside Cabinet and has been given Andrew Bayly’s Commerce and Consumer Affairs and also the ACC portfolio.

Bayly resigned from the portfolio after an “inappropriate” arm touch of a staffer. Bayly said that, “had an animated discussion and the point is I put my hand on their upper arm”.

But it is not the first time Simpson has been a minister. Simpson is among the handful of current National MPs – Todd McClay, Paul Goldsmith, Louise Upston, Judith Collins, and Gerry Brownlee – who held ministerial or associate minister positions in the previous National government.

Simpson had a brief stint as Stats Minister for about five months in 2017, and as associate immigration and environment minister. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary for conservation, environment and immigration from the start of 2017. Simpson held a range of environmental and climate change portfolios over the years, and spoke often on issues such as plastic pollution.

Martin Long Appointed Alberta’s New Minister of Infrastructure After Peter Guthrie’s Resignation

Shifting our focus to Canada, Alberta has a new minister of infrastructure. Two-term MLA and former parliamentary secretary Martin Long has been appointed to the cabinet post after the previous minister resigned. Long, the member for West Yellowhead, says he will continue building infrastructure to keep up with population growth. First elected in 2019, Long has served as a parliamentary secretary for various files, including small business, and most recently, rural health. His appointment comes after Peter Guthrie resigned as infrastructure minister over concerns about how procurement contracts were being signed across government.

Colombia’s President Petro Appoints Edwin Palma as New Energy Minister in Cabinet Reshuffle

In Colombia, President Gustavo Petro will name unionist and former vice-minister of labor Edwin Palma as the country’s new energy minister, as part of a cabinet reshuffle.

Petro has replaced nine major ministers, following the definitive resignations of the interior and environmental ministers and his acceptance of the resignation of the former energy minister, Andres Camacho.

Palma, the former head of major oil union USO and board member at state-run energy company Ecopetrol, will be charged with pushing Colombia’s transition away from hydrocarbons like oil and coal and toward renewable energy, a pet policy of Petro’s which has faced numerous hurdles.

OKX Cryptocurrency Exchange Fined Over $504 Million for AML Violations and $5 Billion in Suspicious Transactions

In the realm of regulatory affairs, The operator of the OKX cryptocurrency exchange has admitted to breaking anti-money laundering (AML) laws. As part of the plea, Aux Cayes FinTech — doing business as OKX — will pay more than $504 million in fines and fees, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

“For over seven years, OKX knowingly violated anti-money laundering laws and avoided implementing required policies to prevent criminals from abusing our financial system,” Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said in a news release.

“As a result, OKX was used to facilitate over five billion dollars’ worth of suspicious transactions and criminal proceeds.”

OKX, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges, had been accused of violating its own policy of allowing people in the U.S. trade on its platform. Prosecutors also said the platform was used to carry out more than $5 billion of suspicious transactions and criminal proceeds.

Guinea’s Former Prime Minister Ibrahima Kassory Fofana Sentenced to 5 Years for Corruption and Embezzlement

Shifting our attention to Guinea, a special court in Guinea has sentenced the country’s former prime minister to five years in prison after finding him guilty of corruption and embezzlement of public funds.

Ibrahima Kassory Fofana, who was prime minister in the government of former President Alpha Conde, was also fined 2 billion Guinean francs ($230,000) during his sentencing on Thursday in the capital of Conakry.

Fofana was convicted of embezzling up to 15 billion Guinean francs ($1.7 million) in public funds from some of the past government’s social welfare programs, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He is one of many officials from the deposed Condé administration being prosecuted by the Court for the Repression of Economic and Financial Offenses, a special court set up after Guinea’s junta came to power.

He was prime minister from May 2018 till September 2021, when the military took over power, and has been detained since April 2022 following his arrest on corruption charges.

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