Oligarchy: Ukraine kills huge anti-corruption investigation; a diamond is for the clever
Hello, and welcome to Oligarchy. We are tracking how Covid-19 and the world’s response to it is affecting the super-rich — and what that means for power and politics.
GOOD NEWS
We have to take our good news where we can find it in these not-very-cheerful times. Although it’s bad that Hopewell Chin’ono, the Zimbabwean journalist arrested in July for inciting protests, had to attend a court hearing this week, at least he could go as a free man, having been released on bail earlier this month. (In July, I wrote in this newsletter about how he had exposed alleged corruption in the procurement of medical equipment by the president’s son.)
He told journalists that his spell in a cell had given him new insights into what he’d been writing about: There was no medicine for prisoners infected with Covid-19 in the prison hospital, who only received warm water to drink.
- “The only reason I got out is because of unrelenting international pressure,” he told the Financial Times. “All this comes down to one thing, refusal to stop corruption and looting of public funds.”
He was back in front of a magistrate this week, and his lawyers have demanded a trial date. In the meantime, he has restrictions on his use of social media, has had his passport confiscated, and still isn’t free to choose his lawyer.