Politically Exposed Person (PEP) Weekly Digest – Volume 90

90th PEP Weekly Digest:

Introducing the 90th 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 Feb 09, 2025 and Apr 12, 2025. These elections hold significant importance, as they will determine the direction and governance of each respective country’s future.

BJP Leader Rekha Gupta Sworn in as Delhi’s Chief Minister at Ramlila Maidan

One noteworthy event has occurred in India, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rekha Gupta was sworn-in as Delhi’s chief minister in a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan. Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena administered the oath of office to Gupta and her council of ministers, which includes Parvesh Sahib Singh, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Indraj Singh, Kapil Mishra, and Pankaj Kumar Singh.

Gupta, the fourth woman to hold the post of Delhi’s chief minister, was elected from the Shalimar Bagh constituency. With her vast experience in various organizational roles, including as a three-time councillor with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Gupta is known for her work on women’s empowerment and community welfare.

She has also served as general secretary of BJP Mahila Morcha in Delhi and as a member of the party’s national executive committee.

Indonesia’s Minister of Higher Education, Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro Resigns Citing Underperformance

Shifting our focus to Indonesia, Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro announced his resignation from his current post.

“I went to the State Secretariat Ministry to submit my resignation letter as Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology,” Brodjonegoro stated when met by reporters at his office.

He resigned, citing underperformance during his four months while serving in the Red and White Cabinet. Brodjonegoro said he had written the letter to be submitted to the Ministry of State Secretariat and President Prabowo Subianto.

Governor Ron DeSantis Appoints James Uthmeier as Florida’s New Attorney General

In United States, Jotham Napat, Gov. Ron DeSantis officially named James Uthmeier, his former chief of staff, as the next Florida Attorney General.

Uthmeier, 37, was sworn in during a ceremony at the Old Capitol in Tallahassee. DeSantis called him a “bulldog” who has been able to help take on high-profile political fights during his tenure as a top staffer in the governor’s office. Before becoming chief of staff, Uthmeier served as general counsel to DeSantis as the state challenged federal mandates on masks and other COVID-19-era rules.

WGS Solicitors Fined Over £25,000 for Failing to Comply with Anti-Money Laundering Regulations

In the realm of regulatory affairs, A law firm has been fined more than £25,000 and one of its salaried partners £3,500 for failing to comply with anti-money laundering regulations.

WGS Solicitors, based in Paddington, London, admitted the breaches and was also ordered to pay £18,000 costs in an agreed outcome. The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found the firm had ‘failed to have proper procedures in place in order to ensure its compliance with its regulatory obligations’.

The firm admitted that between 3 May 2018 and 15 August 2020, it caused or allowed money to be received to and paid from the firm’s client account in circumstances other than in respect of an underlying legal transaction being undertaken by the firm, or in respect of the delivery of normal regulated services by the firm. Between 26 June 2017 and 17 March 2021 it failed, adequately or at all, to apply customer due diligence; apply enhanced customer due diligence and/or enhanced ongoing monitoring; conduct ongoing monitoring of its business relationships with such entities; and to conduct a risk assessment of the client and/or matter.

Maharashtra Minister Manikrao Kokate Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Document Tampering and Fraud

Shifting our attention to India, Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate has been sentenced to two years in prison by a Nashik district court for his involvement in a 30-year-old document tampering and fraud case. The conviction is related to the illegal acquisition of two flats under the chief minister’s discretionary quota

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the NCP leader. His brother, Sunil Kokate, was similarly convicted in the case, which dates back to 1995. The case was initiated by former minister Tukaram Dighole , who accused the Kokate brothers of forging documents to fraudulently obtain flats in the Nirman View Apartment, located on College Road in Yeolekar Mala, Nashik. Tukaram Dighole, a three-time MLA and former Congress leader, was defeated by Kokate in the 1999 elections when Kokate won his first term as an MLA from Shiv Sena.

Dighole passed away in 2019. According to the charges, the Kokate siblings had claimed that they belonged to the low-income group (LIG) and had no other properties, which allowed them to secure flats under the chief minister’s 10 per cent discretionary quota. However, investigations revealed that they had falsified documents to receive these benefits.

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