SEYCHELLES REALITY

  Factual errors continue to riddle one of the most high-profile cases Seychelles has ever seen. In an exclusive report, on the basis of confidential information overheard in the halls of the Seychelles Ministry of Justice in Victoria, more questions are unfortunately raised than answer. One thing is certain however, and that is that the prosecution in the case of the “missing 50 million US dollars” have not been completely upfront with the public, and their own evidence proves it. For those unfamiliar, the saga begins with 50 million dollars donated by the government of the United Arab Emirates to Seychelles at a time when it was struggling to keep on the lights. Faced with a financial crisis in 2002, the money was meant to help pay outstanding balances to major creditors. In a surprising twist, allegations were raised that the funds were misappropriated; several government investigations occurred over the years, but no arrests were made until after the election of Wavel Ramkalawan in

  The role which Russia has and continues to play in shaping political events around the world through campaign financing has been in the headlines recently. With Putin’s regime accused of trying to influence the past two rounds of  American elections , Russian efforts in the western world are well known. What many are less familiar with are Russian attempts to shape election outcomes in the developing world, particularly in places that it assesses as important for its own tactical and strategic interests. According to a  recent review  conducted by American intelligence officials, Russia has, since 2014, invested over $300 million in such efforts. In many cases, such efforts take the shape of covert support, including  spreading fake news  against candidates which Russia deems to not serve its interests. In other cases, the support comes in the form of hard cash provided to a candidate with the aim of strengthening their election prospects. A recent New York Times article noted an unn