A year on from the explosion, Beirut still a shell of its former self and questions remain unanswered August 4, 2021 One year ago today, the world looked on in horror as Beirut exploded. The monumental blast at what turned out to be a nitrate storage hangar decimated the area surrounding the Lebanese capital’s port and beyond, with the damage estimated to be around $4.6bn. The story is one of grave corruption and mismanagement. Over 2,700 [...]
‘Memory affected by long Covid’: Top City lawyer denies lying under oath July 9, 2021 City lawyer Neil Gerrard rejected the notion he lied under oath during a multimillion-pound High Court trial after text messages emerged suggesting he knew one of his client’s senior employees was secretly giving evidence to investigators. Gerrard and his firm Dechert represented Kazakh mining giant Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC) between 2011 and 2013, investigating [...]
Vatican insiders go on trial for embezzlement in Holy See’s first prosecution of a powerful cardinal July 27, 2021 In a case based on a widespread probe into the allegedly criminal management of the Holy See’s portfolio of assets, including donations by countless Catholic worshippers, a trial is due to begin this morning in Vatican City which includes 10 defendants, including a once-powerful cardinal. Among the defendants is Italian prelate Angelo Becciu, a veteran [...]
Weekend Explainer: Why has Gordon Brown said Vladimir Putin should face a Nuremberg-style tribunal? March 5, 2022 Today, at an online event hosted by Chatham House, former UK prime minister Gordon Brown called on countries to set up a special tribunal, in line with the model used in the Nuremberg trials, to punish Vladimir Putin over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Speaking at the Chatham House event alongside Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, [...]
Loan sharks will keep circling victims unless the lending industry embraces change May 30, 2022 As many as 1.08 million people could be borrowing from an illegal money lender – a loan shark – according to a recent Centre for Social Justice report. Loan sharks take many forms, from community-based lenders operating in estates to fully-fledged organised crime groups seeking out the most vulnerable. They use pester power, intimidation and [...]
Political chaos in Kenya deepens fast: Raila Odinga refuses to accept William Ruto’s presidential win August 16, 2022 Prolonged political chaos looms in Kenya as opposition leader Raila Odinga, the establishment’s favourite, declared this afternoon that he will not accept the official outcome of the 2022 presidential election. Yesterday, Kenya’s electoral committee said William Ruto won the election, which took place a week ago. However, Ruto’s opponent, Odinga, stated today that “a violation [...]
The minefield of virtual court hearings and delays put victims at greater risk November 11, 2021 Family court hearings are being pushed back until Spring 2023 as the court system falters under the weight of the backlogs. Covid has been a driving force – but the judicial process has been fraught with delays long before the pandemic. Any court appearance is sensitive but the emotional nature of the family courts adds [...]
UK prosecutor handed £85m funding injection August 11, 2019 The UK prosecutor will be handed an extra £85m in funding as part of the Prime Minister’s crackdown on crime, Downing Street said this evening. Boris Johnson has awarded the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) the tranche of funding to help it build capacity and manage its caseloads over the next two years following a string of negative [...]
Home Office loses immigration data case against 3.6m EU citizens in UK May 26, 2021 Campaigners have won a Court of Appeal challenge over an “unlawful” exemption to data protection rules in immigration cases. The Open Rights Group and the3million said the “immigration exemption” introduced in the Data Protection Act (DPA), which came into force in May 2018, denies people access to their personal records in immigration cases. The exemption [...]
Southern Water slapped with record £90m after dumping sewage illegally in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex July 9, 2021 Southern Water has been fined a record £90m after bosses admitted dumping sewage illegally thousands of times over a five-year period. The company pleaded guilty to 6,971 unpermitted sewage discharges – the equivalent to one pipe leaking continuously for seven years. Tonnes of sewage polluted rivers and coastal waters in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex between [...]