The Rule of Law Strikes Back

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the former French and U.S. presidents’ legal troubles, the Kremlin’s denial of involvement in Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death, and the European Union’s Digital Services Act.

It’s been an eventful week for current and former world leaders facing legal problems. On Friday, magistrates in Paris ordered former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to stand trial on charges that his 2007 election campaign received a $54 million illegal contribution from former Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi’s government. The one-term president has denied wrongdoing alongside 12 other co-defendants, including three of his former cabinet ministers. He will be tried in 2025.

This is far from Sarkozy’s first indictment rodeo. The 68-year-old leader has been convicted twice for corruption and influence-peddling. In May, he lost his first appeal for a 2021 accusation alleging he tried to bribe a judge. His three-year prison term was brought down to just one trip around the sun, which Sarkozy can fulfill under house arrest. He still faces a second probe into allegations that he received a payment of $3.2 million by Russian insurance firm Reso-Garantia in 2019 while he was working as a consultant.

Like Sarkozy, our next subject is no stranger to legal woes. Meet inmate P01135809—aka, former U.S. President Donald Trump, who surrendered to authorities at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Thursday to be booked on racketeering, conspiracy, and other charges related to his efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. Trump spent only around 20 minutes at the jail, during which time he had his mugshot taken, and was released after posting bail for his $200,000 bond. This is Trump’s fourth indictment. The Republican former president has maintained his innocence, calling the allegations a “travesty of justice.”

But not everyone had an unlucky week with the justice system. A Monaco court cleared billionaire Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, of all wrongdoing on Friday in an investigation into whether he and several members of his family engaged in illicit enrichment and money laundering schemes. The three-year investigation was closed due to insufficient evidence.

Following Lebanon’s financial crash in 2019, public opinion of its leadership has soured, with many locals accusing government elites of corruption. Beirut ranks 150 out of 180 countries on Transparency International. Lebanon “is being kept alive by the greed of a political class that refuses even the most modest reforms,” wrote Hanin Ghaddar, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, in Foreign Policy. “What Lebanon needs instead is a new beginning—a new political and social contract that eliminates sectarianism and establishes accountability through judicial reforms.”

• Russia’s Murderous Mercenary Prigozhin Is Dead by Amy Mackinnon and Jack Detsch
• The Somali Underdogs Taking on Terrorists by Jack Detsch
• What Does ‘De-Risking’ Actually Mean? by Agathe Demarais

Whodunnit? Few experts doubt who was behind the presumed demise of paramilitary Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash in Russia on Wednesday: Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the mercenary launched an aborted mutiny against the Kremlin two months ago, many believed Prigozhin’s days were numbered. However, Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitri Peskov, denied the Kremlin’s involvement on Friday, adding that Russia couldn’t confirm that Prigozhin was onboard until DNA and other tests were completed. Putin, for his part, offered his condolences to the victims’ families on Thursday. Referring to Prigozhin in the past tense, the Russian leader described him as “a person with a complicated fate.” “He made some serious mistakes in life, but he also achieved necessary results,” Putin said.

Although the question of who(likely)dunnit isn’t exactly a mystery, how the plane was taken down remains unclear. Some initially speculated it could have been targeted by surface-to-air missiles, but a preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment reportedly concluded that an intentional explosion was to blame. With Russian authorities in charge of the crash investigation though, it’s unlikely the truth will be fully revealed any time soon.

Taking responsibility. The European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) took effect on Friday as part of a larger wave of regulations against Big Tech. The law requires platforms to take down any content flagged as illegal, fraudulent, or promoting hate speech. Online companies that do not comply could face billions of dollars in fines.

In total, 19 major corporations must abide by the EU’s new ruling, including Meta, TikTok, Twitter (now called X), YouTube, Amazon, Alibaba, Google Play, and Apple’s App Store. “The real test begins now,” said European Commissioner Thierry Breton. It is up to the DSA to “fully use our new powers to investigate and sanction platforms where warranted.”

Early results in Zimbabwe. After two days of presidential election voting in Zimbabwe, initial results are predicting a close race. Partial results on Friday listed incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ZANU-PF party as winning 101 parliamentary constituencies versus the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) securing 59 seats. If neither Mnangagwa nor the CCC’s Nelson Chamisa win a simple majority, Zimbabwe will hold a runoff election on Oct. 2.

Facing a stagnant economy, Norway is hoping to cut costs by building a wall—for reindeer. According to Norwegian officials on Thursday, 42 reindeer have crossed into Russia to seek better grazing pastures. Every time Santa’s trusty steeds do so, Oslo must compensate Moscow for its loss of grassland. By rebuilding a dilapidated reindeer fence, Oslo hopes to keep the animals from paying Norway’s prickly neighbor a surprise visit.