Microsoft says it will pay US$26 million to settle federal corruption charges involving bribery in Hungary and a few other countries, the company’s management said on Tuesday.

The Iraqi government issued warrants for 26 former and current top officials, including 11 ex-ministers who are suspected of corruption, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi told the press on Tuesday.

The Council of Europe gave Malta a “poor overall rating” for its compliance with international anti-money laundering standards, according to anonymous sources who leaked the results to the Times of Malta on Monday.

Authorities in Singapore seized on Tuesday nearly 8.8 tons of elephant ivory and 11.9 tons of pangolin scales that were transported from Congo to Vietnam disguised as crates of timber, according to the National Parks Board.

Congressmen of both the Democratic and Republican parties introduced a bill on Thursday intended to fund foreign anti-corruption efforts in support of democracy.

Former South Africa president Jacob Zuma’s frustrating and evasive three-day public corruption testimony ended on Friday, just as a new corruption scandal emerged concerning sitting president Cyril Ramaphosa. 

Lithuanian authorities said on Friday that Roman Ruzhechko, who is suspected of causing billions in losses for contaminating one of the largest Russian oil pipelines earlier this year, has been detained in Vilnius and has asked for political asylum, Reuters reported.

For authorities at Heathrow Airport, June 1 proved to be far from business as usual, as they seized approximately US$5 million worth of solid gold bars being trafficked through the airport, a National Crime Agency (NCA) press release announced Saturday. 

Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Culture wants to know where the money UNESCO granted for the management of two World Heritage sites went after suspicious documents emerged, hinting at corruption.

Apartments built by the construction company of the son of a Tajik government official were so poorly built that authorities said on Friday they will withdraw the firm’s licence. The poor construction did not prevent the father from selling out all flats during working hours from his government office.