Top 5 Corruption Scandals Shaking the World

South Korea: President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife, Kim Keon-hee, are embroiled in a corruption and influence peddling scandal involving the People Power Party's 2022 nominations and accepting luxury gifts. Yoon's recent martial law move may lead to impeachment and possible imprisonment, according to media reports.

US: Outgoing President Joe Biden provided a blanket pardon to his son, Hunter, not only for tax and gun felonies, but any other potential crimes. This move, criticized as a "new low" by legal experts, came amid Republican-led congressional investigations into Hunter's alleged influence-peddling schemes involving his father.

Ukraine: Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was summoned on December 3 over faulty military mines. In November, police arrested former Defense Ministry adviser Roman Balykin and Igor Franchuk, ex-President Kuchma's former son-in-law, for a fraudulent uniform procurement scheme. In October, authorities uncovered a draft-dodging scam in Odessa involving fake medical documentation.

Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial includes charges of fraud, breach of trust, and accepting bribes. Despite repeated delays, his testimony is set to continue on December 10. Opposition media suggest Netanyahu hoped the ongoing war in Gaza would delay his court appearances, but judges remained firm.

EU: Belgian lobbyist Frédéric Baldan has accused European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of corruption and collusion with Pfizer in his book "Ursula Gate: Compromise by Lobbies." Efforts to hold her accountable have been thwarted by the EC's refusal to disclose details of the controversial deal.