French authorities and financial regulators have questioned the former co-Chief Executive Officer of EADS – the European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co - Noel Forgeard (UID 466107). Reportedly Forgeard is being interviewed regarding alleged insider trading. He is accused of selling a large number of shares just days before the announcement that there was a severe delay on the delivery of the Airbus 'Superjumbo' A380 airplane. It is reported that the AMF (French stock market authority) has initiated sanctions against Forgeard and a number of other individuals in EADS management.

Jean-Pierre Bemba (UID 165507) was the Vice President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) transitional government from 2003 to 2006. This month Bemba was detained on a warrant from the International Criminal Court. Bemba who led the rebel Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), reportedly became involved in conflict in the neighbouring Central African Republic in 2002, leading to him being charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Charges related to the DRC have not been ruled out. He denies the charges levelled against him. Bemba fled to Europe in early 2007, shortly after his defeat in the presidential elections.

Moses Blah (UID 32881), who served as the Liberian deputy president from 2000 - 2003 and as President for three months after Charles Taylor’s (UID 3232) exile, has testified against his former leader at the war crimes court in The Hague. Taylor is facing 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Taylor is reportedly accused of helping Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in their brutal conflict with the government

The Tanzanian Infrastructure minister Andrew Chenge (UID 14182) has stepped down after allegations surfaced that he was involved in the controversial purchase of radar equipment from BAE (UID 167176) seven years ago. It has been reported that officials discovered a substantial amount of money in an offshore account in his name and it is purportedly linked to the 2002 government purchase from the UK firm. British fraud authorities have been investigating the sale of the radar equipment to Tanzania, and it has been reported that more than $10m of the contract price had been diverted to offshore centre accounts. Reportedly British authorities are still deciding whether they will bring new corruption charges against BAE in this matter

Bulgaria's Interior Minister Rumen Petkov (UID 36394) has resigned from office amid a growing corruption scandal involving members of the Interior Ministry and organised crime. It is reported that high ranking ministry officials had routinely tipped off criminals that they were under investigation. The Ministry's chief secretary Illiya Iliev (UID 364084) stepped down after the recent 'mafia style killings' of two high profile individuals. A Bulgarian newspaper report also links the Ministry to an alleged Serbian drug trafficker Budmir Kujovic (UID 774780).

Charles Pasqua (UID 8314) the former French Minister of the Interior (1993-1995) and current member of the Senate has been handed an 18 month suspended sentence for forgery, illegal funding of his campaign and breach of trust during the 1999 EU elections. Pasqua is no stranger to controversy and has in recent years been named in the Iraq Oil for Food scandal. Pasqua also reportedly survived an investigation into corruption during his tenure as Interior Minister and an alleged scandal involving the selling of arms to Angola without Governmental clearance. In November 2007 his son Pierre-Philippe Pasqua (UID 75562) was sentenced to 2 years, one year suspended, and fined €300,000 for concealment in a bribe investigation.

For the past month an inquiry by Philippine authorities into a corruption scandal involving the awarding of an internet broadband contract worth more than $300 million, has been in progress. The President’s husband Jose Miguel Arroyo (UID 35971) has reportedly been asked to explain his part in the contract being awarded to a China state enterprise ZTE Corp. The former election commissioner Benjamin Abalos (UID 211821) has been accused of seeking kickbacks from the China Corporation for himself and Arroyo.

Russia’s former nuclear energy minister Yevgeny Adamov (UID 51) has been found guilty of fraud and abuse of office by a Moscow court. The judge stated that Adamov’s criminal activities had resulted in “… seriously harming the interests of the (Russian) state." Adamov’s tenure as nuclear energy minister ran from 1998 until 2001. He was arrested in May 2005 in Switzerland on a US warrant, on suspicion of misappropriating US$9 million of US funds destined for Russia’s nuclear safety projects. He was extradited to Russia in 2006. Adamov has also been accused of leading an organised crime group and embezzlement of millions of dollars from state coffers. Adamov denies these allegations. Charges are still pending in the United States.

This month Tanzanian Prime Minister Edward Lowassa (UID 5903) stepped down from office. In December 2007 a parliamentary committee was formed to evaluate the tender process that gave 'Richmond Development Company LLC', a US company the $172.5 million contract to provide for an emergency power supply. According to reports both 'Richmond' and its successor failed to deliver. It emerged that Lowassa was named in the report which found energy tender irregularities. In January 2008 Daudi Ballali (UID 5893) the Governor of the Tanzanian Central Bank was removed from his post after fraudulent transactions were revealed in an audit of the repayment of external debt.

This month Mario Clemente Mastella (UID 1987) the Italian Minister of Justice and UDEUR Christian Democratic faction leader resigned from office. Mastella stepped down after he, his wife Sandra Lonardo (UID 783996) president of the regional council of Campania, and others were implicated in a corruption scandal. The scandal revolves around allegedly securing appointments for associates.