Politically Exposed Person (PEP) Weekly Digest – Volume 146

146th PEP Weekly Digest:

Introducing the 146th edition of The PEP Weekly Digest, where we present to you the most recent updates and news on the global political stage.

Recent and upcoming elections influence the worldwide political landscape in eight nations, slated between Mar 08, 2026, and Apr 12, 2026. These elections hold significant importance, as they will determine the direction and governance of each respective country’s future.

Peruvian Prime Minister Denisse Miralles Resigns Weeks After Taking Office Ahead of Elections

One noteworthy event has occurred in Peru, Peruvian Prime Minister Denisse Miralles has resigned, the president’s office said, just three weeks after she took office and less than a month before the country holds general elections.

Miralles’ exit is the latest in Peru’s revolving door of top officials. She was tapped for the job on February 24 shortly after President Jose Balcazar took office as the Andean nation’s eighth president in as many years.

Under Peruvian law, the resignation of the prime minister—who serves as the head of the cabinet—requires all 18 other ministers to step down.

Balcazar now has the choice to reinstate each cabinet member or swap them out for a new minister.

General Gustavo González López takes over as Venezuela’s defense minister

Shifting our focus to Venezuela, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez, said that General Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez will take over as defense minister from General Vladimir Padrino, a long-time powerbroker ​close to ousted President Nicolas Maduro.

The change is the most important yet in Rodriguez’s cabinet and marks the demotion of a general who controlled ‌Venezuela’s sprawling military for 11 years under Maduro.
Rodriguez in January appointed Gonzalez Lopez, 65, as the head of the presidential guard and the ​General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM).

Brazil Finance Minister Fernando Haddad to step down to run for São Paulo governor

In Brazil, Brazil’s Finance Minister Fernando Haddad has announced that he will step down from his role to run for São Paulo governor, marking a major political shift ahead of the country’s upcoming Brazil elections 2026.

Speaking at a Workers’ Party event alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Haddad said he was honored to contest the election in Brazil’s most influential state.

He dismissed claims that his candidacy was simply a strategic move to support Lula’s political ambitions, emphasizing that his decision reflects a genuine commitment to public service.

Haddad, 63, has been a key figure in Lula’s administration, helping shape Brazil economic policy and lead important tax reforms Brazil.

South Korea fines Bithumb $24.6M over massive AML violations

In the realm of regulatory affairs, South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has fined cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb 36.8 billion won ($24.6 million) and ordered a six-month partial suspension of new-user services after uncovering millions of anti-money laundering (AML) violations, according to local reporting.

The FIU’s investigation found roughly 6.65 million breaches of the country’s AML and customer verification rules. About 3.55 million involved failures to verify customer identities, while 3.04 million cases concerned transactions that should have been blocked but were allowed.

Authorities also identified 45,772 transactions with 18 unregistered overseas exchanges.

The sanctions, part of ongoing regulatory oversight of South Korea’s top crypto platforms, include a reprimand for Bithumb’s CEO and a six-month suspension for the exchange’s reporting officer.

Existing customers can continue trading, while the restrictions primarily affect new user account activity, including deposits and withdrawals.

Bithumb, founded in 2014, is one of South Korea’s largest exchanges by trading volume. The fine is the country’s largest imposed on a virtual asset exchange, slightly surpassing a 35.2 billion won penalty handed to Upbit in 2025.

Ukrainian ex-lawmaker jailed for bribery in anti-corruption court ruling

Shifting our attention to Indonesia, the High Anti-Corruption Court on March 19 sentenced Lyudmila Marchenko, a lawmaker who previously represented President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party, to two years in prison in a bribery case.

An aide of the member of parliament was also jailed for two years in the same case.

Marchenko was charged in 2023 with receiving an $11,300 bribe for allegedly influencing regional officials to allow men eligible for military service to go abroad. She was expelled from Zelensky’s Servant of the People party.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) published recordings of Marchenko discussing the bribe and video footage with an attempt by her to get rid of the evidence by throwing cash over her fence.

Chief Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Oleksandr Klymenko said in January that 41 members of the current parliament had been charged in different corruption cases.

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