Politically Exposed Person (PEP) Weekly Digest – Volume 95

95th PEP Weekly Digest:

Introducing the 95th 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 Mar 04, 2025 and May 04, 2025. These elections hold significant importance, as they will determine the direction and governance of each respective country’s future.

Peru’s Congress Ousts Interior Minister Amid Surge in Crime, Declares State of Emergency in Lima

One noteworthy event has occurred in Peru, Peruvian lawmakers voted to oust the country’s interior minister, Juan Jose Santivanez, who has faced criticism amid a spike in crime in the South American country. Santivanez was removed from his post for “his political responsibility and inability to address the wave of citizen insecurity the country has been facing,” according to a post on the Peruvian Congress’s official X account.

Peru’s government declared a state of emergency in the capital Lima while it also deployed soldiers to the streets to help quell a recent surge of violence that claimed the life of a popular singer. The crime wave, including a jump in extortion rackets, prompted President Dina Boluarte to declare that she would like to see murderers face the death penalty, even though Peru only allows execution for those convicted of treason.

Kirsty Coventry Resigns as Zimbabwe Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister After Historic Election as IOC President

Shifting our focus to Zimbabwe, Kirsty Coventry Resigns as Zimbabwe’s Sports Minister After Historic IOC Election. Kirsty Coventry has resigned from her post as Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation of Zimbabwe after being elected the 10th President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Coventry made history when she was elected the first African and woman President of the IOC on Thursday 20 March 2025. The 41-year-old Zimbabwean was chosen in a secret ballot of seven candidates at the 114th IOC Session held in Costa Navarino, Greece for an eight-year term of office.

Kirsty Coventry confirmed her plans to relocate to Lausanne on a full-time basis. She revealed that she’ll have a discussion with President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the coming days to discuss her resignation as she can’t serve as both Zimbabwe’s Sports Minister and the IOC President.

Virginia Commerce Secretary Caren Merrick Leaves Youngkin Administration After Turning Down Natural Resources Job

In United States, Caren Merrick, Virginia’s commerce and trade secretary, said in a LinkedIn post that she is leaving Gov. Glenn Youngkin‘s administration. According to a Washington Post story, Merrick turned down the job of state secretary of natural resources. The Post reported that Youngkin offered Merrick the natural resources job in order to name her chief deputy commerce secretary, Juan Pablo Segura, to the top job. Segura, the son of billionaire Enrique Segura, ran for a Loudoun County seat in the Virginia Senate as the Republican opponent of Russet Perry, a former prosecutor and CIA officer, losing the 2023 race by about five points.

According to the Post, Merrick agreed to be secretary of natural resources, which has some overlap with the commerce department, including the Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, but that at some point, she changed her mind and decided to resign from the administration.

Nevada Fines Resorts World Casino $10.5 Million Over Illegal Gambling Allegations

In the realm of regulatory affairs, Nevada gaming regulators have issued a $10.5 million fine against the Resorts World casino on the Las Vegas Strip over allegations of illegal gambling, many of which centered on a bookmaker with ties to the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. The fine settles a complaint that the state Gaming Control Board filed last year accusing one of the largest casinos on the Strip of welcoming people with ties to illegal bookmaking and people with a history of gambling-related felony convictions, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The fine, issued is the second-largest handed down by the Nevada Gaming Commission, which has authority over disciplinary action.

As part of the settlement agreement, Resorts World and its parent company neither admit to nor deny the allegations. But the casino agreed to make changes to its leadership and implement stricter protocols for preventing money laundering, the newspaper reported.

Austria’s Top Court Sentences Ex-Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser to Four Years for Corruption

Shifting our attention to Austria, Austria’s top court on Tuesday sentenced former Austrian Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser to four years in prison, dismissing his appeal against his 2020 conviction on corruption charges.

Austria’s Supreme Court upheld allegations of corruption raised against Grasser but halved the original sentence of eight years handed down against the former political star. That verdict had not been legally binding pending appeal.

Grasser has always denied the charges, which centred on him allegedly passing on information to bidders about the process.

He called the ruling a miscarriage of justice and vowed to appeal it at the European Court of Human Rights.

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