'Serious irregularities' at Epstein jail as US vows to hunt any co-conspirators

Yahoo – AFP, Peter HUTCHISON, August 12, 2019

US Attorney General William Barr has said "serious irregularities" have been uncovered
at the prison Jeffrey Epstein died while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges (AFP
Photo/MANDEL NGAN)

US Attorney General William Barr has said "serious irregularities" have been uncovered at the prison Jeffrey Epstein died while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges (AFP Photo/MANDEL NGAN)

New York (AFP) - US Attorney General Bill Barr said Monday there were "serious irregularities" at the jail where Jeffrey Epstein died of an apparent suicide, and pledged to pursue any co-conspirators in the sex trafficking case.

"I was appalled and indeed the whole department was, and frankly angry, to learn of the Metropolitan Correctional Center's failure to adequately secure this prison," Barr told reporters.

"We are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and demand a thorough investigation.

"The FBI and office of the inspector general are doing just that. We will get to the bottom of what happened and there will be accountability," he added.

Barr's comments came after media reports said Epstein, 66, had been taken off suicide watch following an apparent attempt to take his own life last month.

US newspapers also reported that prison guards were working overtime due to major staff shortages at the facility and that Epstein had been left without a cellmate, which was against protocol.

Epstein, a convicted pedophile who hobnobbed with countless politicians and celebrities over the years, was found dead in his cell Saturday while awaiting trial on federal charges he trafficked underage girls for sex.

The discovery came a day after a court released documents in which one of Epstein's alleged victims said she was forced to have sex with well-known American political and business personalities.

Even though Epstein's death ended his criminal prosecution, Barr said prosecutors would pursue cases against anyone else involved in his alleged crimes.

"Let me assure you this case will continue on against anyone who was complicit with Epstein. Any co-conspirators should not rest easy. The victims deserve justice and they will get it," he said.

Epstein had been charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

Sexual massages

Prosecutors said Epstein sexually exploited dozens of underage teens, some as young as 14, at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida, between 2002 and 2005.

The young women were paid hundreds of dollars in cash to massage him, perform sexual acts and to recruit other girls, prosecutors alleged.

Epstein, who faced up to 45 years in prison if convicted, denied the charges.

In testimony released Friday, alleged victim Virginia Giuffre said she was used as a "sex slave" by Epstein and farmed out to some of his high-profile associates.

Giuffre, now 36, has alleged she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, former US Senator and architect of the Northern Irish peace deal George Mitchell, ex-New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and American celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz.

They have all strenuously denied the allegations.

Giuffre says she was recruited and abused by Epstein's friend Ghislaine Maxwell, an English socialite whose father was former British newspaper baron Robert Maxwell. Maxwell has accused Giuffre of being a liar.

Giuffre also says she was sent to a French businessman. Two French government ministers called for an investigation Monday.

Epstein, whose friends also included Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, had been convicted in 2008 in a Florida state court of paying young girls for sexual massages at his Palm Beach mansion.

Epstein served just 13 months in jail over the Florida charges a decade ago under a plea deal struck by the then federal prosecutor in the state, Alex Acosta, who was forced to resign as US labor secretary last month over the issue.

US hedge fund billionaire charged with sex trafficking minors

Yahoo – AFP, July 8, 2019

Members of a protest group called "Hot Mess" hold up signs of Jeffrey Epstein as the
hedge fund billionaire appears in court to face sex trafficking charges (AFP Photo/
STEPHANIE KEITH)

New York (AFP) - Jeffrey Epstein, a hedge fund billionaire with ties to top politicians and celebrities, was charged on Monday with sexually exploiting dozens of young girls.

Epstein, 66, was arrested at an airport in New Jersey on Saturday after returning to the United States from Paris on a private jet.

In an indictment unsealed in US District Court for the Southern District of New York, he was charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

"(Epstein) sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls at his homes in Manhattan, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida, among other locations," the indictment said.

Some of the victims were as young as 14.

Epstein, a well-connected financier whose friends have included President Donald Trump and former president Bill Clinton, was convicted previously of paying young girls for sexual massages at his Palm Beach mansion.

But Epstein avoided federal prosecution in those cases with a 2007 plea deal negotiated by his lawyers with Alexander Acosta, now the labor secretary in the Trump administration.

Under the secret deal, he pleaded guilty to a state charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor and served 13 months in a county jail.

Acosta, who was the top federal prosecutor in Miami at the time, has been the target of a campaign demanding his resignation over the relatively light sentence handed down to the billionaire financier.

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Beyonce, Bollywood, Hillary as India's richest daughter weds

Yahoo – AFP, December 12, 2018

Isha Ambani was set to wed Anand Piramal in the Ambanis' 27-storey home
in Mumbai (AFP Photo)

Topping anything in hit film "Crazy Rich Asians", the only daughter of India's richest man ties the knot Wednesday after days of lavish celebrations that included a Beyonce concert in a lakeside palace.

Isha Ambani, whose father is tycoon Mukesh Ambani, was set to wed Anand Piramal, son of Indian billionaire industrialist Ajay Piramal, in the Ambanis' 27-storey home in Mumbai.

Days of pre-wedding festivities at a sprawling palace in Udaipur in the desert state of Rajasthan included a concert by Beyonce, purportedly the bride's favourite singer.

Attendees included Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State John Kerry and dozens of Bollywood stars including Salman Khan and Aamir Khan as well as cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar.

Joining them was a who's-who of India's super-rich elite, arriving on dozens of specially chartered flights into Udaipur's normally sleepy airport and whisked away in expensive cars.

Attendees at pre-wedding festivities in the desert state of Rajasthan included 

Hillary Clinton (AFP Photo/Handout)

Actress Priyanka Chopra and American singer Nick Jonas, who themselves became husband and wife earlier this month, were also guests at Udaipur's City Palace on the banks of Lake Pichola.

Wednesday evening's actual wedding was set to be a more private affair with around 600 close friends and family, and some politicians, expected to be on the guest list.

There was a high police presence in the south Mumbai area around the Ambanis' home, which is called Antilia and reportedly cost over $1 billion when it was completed in 2010.

Indian newspapers have been abuzz with speculation about the total cost of the wedding. Conservative estimates have put it around $15 million while others insist $100 million is closer to the truth.

Ambani, 27 and Piramal, 33 got engaged at Lake Como in Italy in September and the high-profile wedding brings together two of India's biggest industrialist families.

Mukesh Ambani is the chairman of oil-to-telecoms conglomerate Reliance Industries. He is worth more than $47 billion and recently overtook China's Jack Ma as Asia's wealthiest man.

The respective families will hold several other receptions across India's financial 

capital in the coming days (AFP Photo/Handout)

The respective families will hold several other receptions across India's financial capital in the coming days.

The wedding caps a big month for what social media users have been calling "big fat Indian weddings". The Chopra-Jonas nuptials came shortly after Bollywood stars Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh wed.

Not everyone is happy though.

"Isha Ambani's wedding is a perfect example of the wealth inequality in India," wrote one Twitter user.

"Here you have one of the richest families in the nation spending so much while millions still can't even afford food or shelter," she added.

"The new standard for lavish Indian wedding is Beyonce. Imagine," tweeted another.

Washington sets aside divisions for Bush state funeral

Yahoo – AFP, Michael Mathes, December 5, 2018

George W. Bush delivers a eulogy beside the flag-draped casket of his father 

George H.W. Bush, during his state funeral at Washington National Cathedral

(AFP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Washington (AFP) - A divided Washington led by the nation's five living presidents put on a show of unity Wednesday at the poignant state funeral of George H.W. Bush, as America bade farewell to its 41st president.

Donald and Melania Trump shared a front row pew at Washington National Cathedral with past presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and their wives as an honor guard brought Bush's flag-draped casket into the packed prayer hall.

George W. Bush delivered a rousing and deeply personal eulogy -- at times punctuated by laughter -- as he sang the praises of his father and predecessor as commander-in-chief, who died Friday at age 94.

"He was born with just two settings -- full throttle, then sleep," Bush said. "To us, his was the brightest of a thousand points of light," he added in reference to his father's signature call to volunteerism.

George W. Bush (R) and his brother Jeb Bush arrive at the state funeral of their 

father, former president George H. W. Bush, at Washington National Cathedral

(AFP Photo/Alex Edelman)

"When the history books are written, they will say that George H.W. Bush was a great president of the United States."

Bush's eulogy followed an uplifting performance by Irish tenor Ronan Tynan -- a friend of Bush who sang to the president in his dying hours.

Wednesday's state funeral caps a day-long homage that saw Bush lie in state for two days in the US Capitol rotunda.

Since Bush's death, Trump has traded his usual provocative posture for one of respect and solemnity, tweeting before heading to the cathedral about "a day of celebration for a great man."

But while the service allowed Washington to hit pause on the toxic rhetoric that has engulfed the country's politics, Trump and his Democratic predecessors appeared locked in an uneasy truce as it got underway.

Presidential couples Donald and Melania Trump, Barack and Michelle Obama, and 

Bill and Hillary Clinton shared a front row pew at the state funeral for George 

H.W. Bush at Washington National Cathedral (AFP Photo/Brendan SMIALOWSKI)

Trump arrived and promptly shook hands with Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama. But his greetings stopped there, as he failed to acknowledge Hillary Clinton, his defeated Democratic rival in 2016.

Clinton sat stone faced, looking straight ahead, and the pair did not make eye contact.

Other dignitaries in the cathedral included Britain's Prince Charles, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former Polish president Lech Walesa, former vice presidents Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney, Al Gore and Joe Biden, and former secretaries of state James Baker, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice.

Wednesday was a day of precision, patriotic ritual, and ceremony. George W. Bush and wife Laura stood stoically outside the US Capitol as an honor guard carried his father's flag-draped casket to the hearse.

The flag-draped casket of former US president George H.W. Bush is carried by a 

military honor guard into Washington National Cathedral for his state funeral 

on December 5, 2018 (AFP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

In a show of respect, Pennsylvania Avenue was lined with well-wishers as the cortege proceeded toward the Neo-Gothic cathedral in the first presidential funeral since Gerald Ford died in late 2006.

Earlier, tens of thousands of Americans had quietly filed in to the Capitol to pay their respects to a man who steered the nation through turbulent times including the end of the Cold War -- and in a style dramatically different to the combative current president.

Trump's ascendancy to the head of the Republican Party saw him exchange vitriolic attacks with the Bushes, notably slamming the presidential son's 2003 invasion of Iraq as "one of the worst decisions in the history of our country."

But he has taken pains to demonstrate unity since Bush's death, and made a low-key visit to the Capitol late Monday with First Lady Melania Trump to salute Bush's casket.

Late US President George H. W. Bush's service dog, Sully, sits by the coffin of 

the late president in the US Capitol's rotunda (AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski)

'Civility and good will'

Trump declared Wednesday a national day of mourning. Many federal offices are closed along with Wall Street stock markets.

Congress also suspended votes -- even in the midst of a looming potential shutdown that requires congressional action before midnight Friday.

Bush was a decorated World War II aviator who nearly lost his life when he was shot down on a bombing mission.

He served as a congressman, envoy to China and ambassador to the United Nations, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and vice president to Ronald Reagan before winning the White House.

Profile of George H. W. Bush (AFP Photo/Gillian HANDYSIDE)

At a time of extraordinary and deep political fissures, Bush was looked to this week as a gracious servant of country who aimed to bridge the political divide.

Bush "was America's last great soldier statesman," presidential historian Jon Meacham told the guests.

"His life code, as he said, was tell the truth, don't blame people, be strong, do your best, try hard, forgive, stay the course."

After the Washington service, Bush's casket will be flown back to Houston. The former head of state will lie in repose at St Martin's Episcopal Church, where the Bushes worshipped for decades, until Thursday's funeral.

He will be interred at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Center in College Station, Texas, next to his wife, who died in April, and their daughter Robin who died of leukemia at age three.

A divided Washington led by the nation's five living presidents put on a show of unity at the poignant state funeral of George H.W. Bush, as America bade farewell to its 41st president https://t.co/YIbN23IHMB pic.twitter.com/IdZAsvQ1vb

— AFP news agency (@AFP) December 5, 2018

Trump's comms director Scaramucci out as new chief of staff takes reins

Yahoo - AFP, July 31, 2017

Anthony Scaramucci, named Donald Trump's new White House communications
director 10 days ago, did not last long (AFP Photo/JIM WATSON)

Washington (AFP) - White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci was forced out Monday after barely 10 days in his post, as Donald Trump's new chief of staff asserted his authority on his first day in office.

John Kelly, who had served as Trump's secretary of homeland security for six months, has been brought in as chief of staff to bring order and discipline to a White House beset by scandal, infighting, low approval ratings and legislative defeats.

After an Oval Office swearing-in ceremony, Trump confidently predicted the 67-year-old combat veteran -- one of a group Trump has dubbed "my generals" -- will do a "spectacular job."

And Kelly got straight to work, as reports emerged that Trump dismissed Scaramucci -- the fast-talking New York financier -- at Kelly's request.

"Mr Scaramucci felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate and the ability to build his own team. We wish him all the best," the White House said in a terse statement.

Scaramucci had courted controversy with an expletive-laden attack on his colleagues -- then chief of staff Reince Priebus, who was forced out last week, and chief White House strategist Steve Bannon.

'Record-shattering'

Kelly inherits the day-to-day running of a White House staff that -- far from marching in lockstep -- look like a regiment pinned down by heavy fire, getting conflicting orders from their commander and squabbling over the way forward.

US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with newly sworn-in White House 

Chief of Staff John Kelly (AFP Photo/JIM WATSON)

"I predict that General Kelly will go down as, in terms of the position of chief of staff, one of the great(est) ever," Trump said.

"What he has done in terms of homeland security is record-shattering, if you look at the border, if you look at the tremendous results we've had."

Kelly replaces Priebus, a Republican Party operative who was ousted last week after the spectacular failure of Trump's bid to repeal Obamacare and as his ugly feud with Scaramucci spilled into the open.

The chief of staff is the highest ranking White House employee -- a chief operating officer who organizes staff, manages the president's schedule and decides who gets access to him and when.

That is no small mission in Trump's White House, where a rotating cast of family and staff with unclear roles and opaque job titles walk into the Oval Office seemingly at will.

Many question whether anyone can rein in the mercurial, Twitter-happy Trump, who has appeared to encourage the infighting among various factions vying for influence in his administration.

No chaos

Trump -- ever determined to project success -- insisted Monday that there was no "chaos" at the White House, which was instead running as a finely tuned machine.

"I think we’re doing incredibly well. The economy is doing incredibly well, and many other things. So we're starting from a really good base," he told a cabinet meeting.

"We have the highest stock market in history," Trump said, adding that US economic growth in the last quarter stood at 2.6 percent and was approaching the three percent target he once set.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in a red tie, has been one of President Donald 

Trump's many targets in recent weeks (AFP Photo/JIM WATSON)

"Unemployment is the lowest it's been in 17 years. Business enthusiasm is about as high as they've ever seen it."

But aside from the economy, there has been little reason for Trump to cheer.

Under pressure from a widening probe into his campaign's contacts with Russia last year, Trump last week attacked his own attorney general Jeff Sessions for disloyalty, alarming his conservative base, before turning on Priebus.

In another tweet Monday, Trump hinted that Congress's own health insurance plan should be replaced for its failure to repeal Obamacare, his predecessor's signature reform of the US health care system.

"If Obamacare is hurting people & it is, why shouldn't it hurt the insurance companies and why should Congress not be paying what public pays?"

Since taking office six months ago, Trump's tumultuous administration has seen a succession of negative headlines and brewing scandals.

Fueling the fire, the billionaire Republican has parted with a number of top officials including his national security advisor, deputy national security advisor and FBI director, among others -- an unparalleled turnover for such a young presidency.

On the global stage, Trump faces the stark challenge of a North Korea that could be on the verge of marrying nuclear and ballistic missile technology.

"We'll handle North Korea. We're going to be able to handle them. It will be handled. We handle everything. Thank you very much," Trump said.

Kelly's arrival is likely to signal a renewed focus on border security and immigration.

"As the coils of the Russia investigation grow tighter, as his failures in Congress mount, Trump reaches for what he knows -—demagoguery of the rawest sort," predicted Eliot Cohen, a former State Department official once tipped to join the Trump White House.

"Trump will remain Trump, and the various denizens of the White House are unlikely to treat Kelly with much more deference than they treat one another," he wrote in the Atlantic magazine. 

Why did Trump oust FBI chief -- and what happens next?

Yahoo – AFP, Ivan Couronne, May 10, 2017

Donald Trump says his decision to fire the FBI director was motivated strictly
by James Comey's mishandling of a high-stakes probe into the emails of his
presidential rival, Hillary Clinton (AFP Photo/JIM WATSON)

Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump sent a shockwave through Washington by firing James Comey, the FBI's powerful director since 2013 who played an outsized role in American politics during and after the US election.

Democrats suspect the Republican leader of seeking to hamper an FBI investigation into the possibility Trump's campaign colluded with what US intelligence says was a Russian effort to sway the 2016 vote.

The president says his decision was motivated strictly by Comey's mishandling of a high-stakes probe into the emails of his presidential rival, Hillary Clinton.

Here are answers to some of the questions raised by Comey's ouster:

Why was Comey fired?

Officials said Trump based his decision to fire Comey on a three-page memo from new Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, a respected former federal prosecutor who was confirmed in his post on April 25.

Rosenstein's letter lists a string of failings in Comey's handling of the final stages of a drawn-out probe into Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state -- which the Democrat says cost her the presidency.

Based on his deputy's assessment, Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the recommendation that Comey be removed from his post, upon which Trump acted immediately.

A protester holds a placard in front of the White House during a protest 

demanding an independent investigation into the Trump administration/Russia 

ties (AFP Photo/JIM WATSON)

Rosenstein faulted Comey for publicly announcing, in a bombshell news conference on July 5 last year, that the FBI was closing its probe into the matter without recommending charges -- while describing Clinton's conduct as "extremely careless."

"It is not the function of the director to make such announcements," Rosenstein wrote, noting that public statements on whether to press charges normally fall to federal prosecutors and the Justice Department -- acting on advice from the FBI.

"Compounding the error, the director ignored another longstanding principle: we do not hold press conferences to release derogatory information about the subject of a declined criminal investigation."

Finally, Rosenstein criticized Comey for announcing -- on October 28, 11 days before the presidential election -- that the FBI was reopening its investigation following the discovery of a cache of new emails on the laptop of a Clinton aide's husband.

Comey's revelation triggered a political earthquake -- which Democrats believe tipped the scales against their candidate -- even though the newly-discovered emails turned out to contain nothing of significance.

The FBI director had argued he had a duty to keep Congress informed of the state of play -- and all the more so with an election looming -- despite the Federal Bureau of Investigation's tradition of silence on such matters.

Why fire him now?

Trump's stated reason for firing Comey was greeted with overwhelming skepticism from Democrats as well as some Republicans, and many US political observers.

Back in October, Trump was outspoken in praising Comey's handling of the email probe, and he kept the FBI director in his post upon taking office -- in what critics saw as a tacit reward for his role in damaging Clinton's chances.

The Republican had seized upon Comey's damning assessment of Clinton's "careless" practices as a major line of attack during the campaign.

But on March 20, Comey informed Congress that the FBI was investigating possible coordination between members of the Trump campaign team and Russia -- a scenario the president dismissed as "fake news."

Comey also flatly rejected Trump's explosive claim that he was wiretapped by his predecessor Barack Obama.

According to Politico, the president -- increasingly exasperated by the attention given to allegations of Russian election meddling -- had been looking to fire Comey for more than a week.

The political website reported that the letters from Rosenstein and Sessions were written to provide a rationale for doing so.

The White House says Rosenstein wrote his letter of his own accord, and that it triggered Trump's decision.

What about the Russia probe?

The FBI's investigation into Russian election meddling -- and possible links with Trump's campaign team -- continues despite Comey's dismissal.

Where it leads -- and whether it gives rise to any criminal charges -- will be determined in large part by who succeeds Comey as director of the FBI.

The Democratic opposition is united behind a key demand: for the Justice Department to appoint a so-called special counsel to oversee the investigation.

Such a figure would enjoy more autonomy than an ordinary federal prosecutor, who answers directly to the Justice Department -- although it would still be possible for the administration to remove him under certain conditions.

In Congress, the intelligence committees of both the Senate and House of Representatives have been pursuing their own high-profile probes into suspected Russian interference for several months. The Senate judiciary committee is also actively probing the allegations.

But several lawmakers -- from both camps -- are calling for the creation of a powerful independent commission of inquiry, with a full-time staff named jointly by Republican and Democrat leaders in Congress.

The Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, on Wednesday rejected calls for either a special counsel or a commission of inquiry, which he said would only impede the work of existing probes.

Democrats slam Trump sacking of FBI chief James Comey pic.twitter.com/M7fSZXRa09

— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 10, 2017

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"Wild Cards" (3) - Nov 19 - 20, 2016 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

".... The Wild Card of 2016

Remember: No emotion now. You have come from another planet and you’re looking at the end of 2016 – and there is the election. Understand without bias.

So for 2016, let’s do the numerology. You add the numbers and get nine. Nine is completion in simple numerology, and when you see a nine it often means the completion of something. Often it is of a time cycle, an energy or the completion of a paradigm. But it’s very strong.

The nines are stronger than many of the other numerological aspects and you feel them. The president-elect (at this writing) is a strong wild card. He is scheduled to become the 45th president. What a coincidence! Forty-five is a nine. A nine and a nine together are more than significant. They tell a story about what is happening. I will tell you something else. This story is not finished yet and there is more coming. You don’t know what you don’t know, so don’t make up your mind in advance about any outcomes. You’re from another planet, remember? There’s no emotion, no bias, no politics and nothing to judge. Look at it for what it is.

A big stick has just been inserted into what is normal and it’s going to be turned. As the big stick turns, other things will respond that never would have responded otherwise. I wish to tell you, dear one, old soul, relax with upcoming wild cards. They do what they do on purpose so that you will have a better civilization in the future. Sometimes they show you what won’t work, and sometimes they change paradigms that would have never changed otherwise. But what you have now is a profound wild card. That is the message.

It’s so common for you to respond certain ways when you are invested in the process. The knee-jerk reaction is expected or you wouldn’t be a Human. However, for this lesson, you’re from another planet and you’re looking down and you’re seeing it. Pretend.

Isn’t that interesting about a nine and a nine together? It means that truly the end of something is here. Perhaps it’s the end of the old way things were done? Perhaps it’s a shake-up of the system so it can correct itself? Don’t dare make up your mind where it’s going, because it’s not finished yet. However, wait a moment. Did you also realize that 2017 is a “one” year? Not only is the energy one of completion with a double nine, but it moves into “a new beginning” (the definition of a one in numerology).

I have more to tell you about numerology, and also something that will be clearer about this whole situation. I will give this to you in the next channelling.

Can you relax in the face of uncertainty when it’s your own country? Can you relax in the face of not knowing what’s next? When you’re so involved, can you disengage from either side of the fray? That is the test of a Lightworker.

There’s something else coming. Dear ones, this is beautiful. No matter what you think and no matter what your reaction is to this channelling, what is happening is correct for your time and needed for your immediate future. I will speak of this later. The beauty is when you step away and see how grand it is, that Spirit cares enough that it would allow a big stick to occur that would stir your complacency at this time. The real reason? The shift is here.

How do you feel? I want you to relax and smile at what the shift has brought you. For those of you who felt all the “shift talk” was nonsense, this may be your wake-up call. It’s real. Here it comes.

This is the message of the day. I am Kryon, in love with humanity, and for good reason.

And so it is.

KRYON

World leaders ousted for legal reasons

Yahoo – AFP, March 10, 2017

Anti-government activists celebrate the dismissal of South Korean President
Park Geun-Hye, March 10, 2017 (AFP Photo/JUNG Yeon-Je)

Seoul (AFP) - South Korean President Park Geun-Hye is one of a long list of world leaders to have gone through an impeachment process or forced to resign following legal proceedings against them.

Not all impeachment proceedings are successful: The best-known survivor is probably former US president Bill Clinton, who remained in office despite an attempt to remove him owing to a sex scandal in 1999.

Impeached by parliament

- VENEZUELA: Then-president Carlos Andres Perez, accused of embezzlement and illegal enrichment, was suspended in May 1993 and his dismissal was confirmed by the Congress on August 31, 1993.

President Nicolas Maduro is now battling opposition demands for a referendum on whether he should remain in office.

- ECUADOR: Abdala Bucaram, accused of siphoning off public funds, was dismissed on February 6, 1997 for "physical and mental incapacity", six months after his inauguration as president.

In April 2005, Lucio Gutierrez was accused of packing the supreme court with associates in the midst of a popular uprising and also dismissed from the presidency.

- PERU: Alberto Fujimori on November 21, 2000 resigned from the presidency by fax from Tokyo, claiming Japanese nationality through his parents.

Congress refused to accept the resignation and instead voted to sack Fujimori and ban him from public office for 10 years. Extradited, he was jailed for 25 years for having ordered massacres of civilians and for corruption.

- INDONESIA: Abdurrahman Wahid, accused of incompetence and corruption, was dismissed from the presidency on July 23, 2001.

- LITHUANIA: On April 6, 2004, president Rolandas Paksas was ousted by impeachment after being charged with granting Lithuanian citizenship to a Russian businessman in exchange for a payout. He was banned from standing for office in Lithuania, but was elected to the European Parliament in 2009.

- PARAGUAY: Fernando Lugo was forced from the presidency on June 22, 2012 for dereliction of duty following his handling of a land dispute that left 17 people dead.

- BRAZIL: Dilma Rousseff was ousted after the Senate voted on August 31, 2016 to impeach her for illegally manipulating the national budget.

Forced to resign

- UNITED STATES: President Richard Nixon resigned in August 1974 to avoid almost certain impeachment over the Watergate scandal.

- BRAZIL: Fernando Collor de Mello, accused of corruption, resigned from the presidency on December 29, 1992 at the beginning of his impeachment hearing before the Senate.

- ISRAEL: Following a tax fraud and corruption scandal president Ezer Weizman resigned in July 2000, preferring to throw in the towel rather than face possible impeachment proceedings.

In June 2007 president Moshe Katsav resigned as part of a plea bargain after being accused of rape and other sexual offences. In 2011 he was handed a seven-year prison term, before being freed in December 2016.

- GERMANY: Christian Wulff resigned from the federal presidency in February 2012 after being stripped of his immunity following an accusation of influence peddling. He was later cleared.

- GUATEMALA: Otto Perez, accused of being part of a ring of officials who took bribes to allow companies to import goods without paying import taxes, was stripped of his presidential immunity by parliament on September 1, 2015. Facing impeachment he stood down two days later, before being remanded in custody.

Former US president Bill Clinton is probably the best known survivor of

 impeachment proceedings after a sex scandal involving Monica

Lewinsky (R) (AFP Photo)

Procedures that failed

Other heads of state have been subject to impeachment procedures which did not succeed.

They include Russia's Boris Yeltsin in 1999, Luis Gonzalez Macchi in Paraguay in 2003, Roh Moo-Hyun in South Korea in 2004 and Hery Rajaonarimampianina in Madagascar in 2015.

On two occasions the US House of Representatives launched impeachment proceedings against the president, the first against Andrew Johnson in 1868 and then against Clinton in 1999. Both were later cleared by the Senate.