Italy
In June 2006 Prince Victor Emmanuel of Savoy, son of Italy's last king, was arrested for his involvement in a crime ring that recruited prostitutes and procured slot machines for a casino in Switzerland. The prince spent a week in jail and several more under house arrest. He was cleared of the charges in March, according to Italy's ANSA news service. In 2002, Italy lifted its exile on male members of the House of Savoy, put in place after World War II because of the monarchy's support of Benito Mussolini's dictatorship.Liberia
Willie Knuckles, a senior minister in the Liberian government and chief of staff to President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, resigned in February 2007 after a national newspaper published a photo of him nude with two women. The Liberian president reportedly chided Knuckles, a married father, but said he had done nothing illegal. She has led a campaign against sexual abuse following Liberia's recent civil war. Local news outlets said the government initially banned the newspaper for printing pornography, but a Liberian court overturned the ruling.Israel
In June 2007, former Israeli President Moshe Katsav resigned after a year-long scandal in which several former employees accused him of sexual assault and harassment, and one accused him of rape. Katsav took a leave of absence from his duties in January but stayed on as president before quitting just before the end of his term. A plea deal allowed him to escape the rape charge--and jail. Israel's legislature, the Knesset, reportedly passed a resolution to strip Katsav of many perks awarded to former presidents, including a state-funded office, a secretary, and a car and driver.France
"Affairs of state" have taken on a new meaning in France in recent months. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Cecilia divorced in October, following what appeared to be a publicly rocky relationship and reports that they had both been unfaithful as recently as 2005. Sarko raised eyebrows (and the ire of many French voters) after he wed Italian ex-model and singer Carla Bruni. Previously, she was reportedly linked to musicians Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton and real estate mogul Donald Trump, among others.Indonesia
Yahya Zaini, a member of Indonesia's parliament and former head of his party's religious affairs wing, resigned in December 2006 after a short video clip of him frolicking nude with Indonesian pop singer Maria Eva was circulated on the Internet. Eva reportedly admitted that she took the video with her cellphone and was suspected of distributing it on the Web--a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 18 months in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. The scandal apparently boosted Eva's popularity, but not Zaini's. The Golkar political party--Indonesia's largest--later publicly apologized for his behavior.India
In 2006 the disputed province of Kashmir was rocked by a scandal in which pornographic videos of underage girls were reportedly circulated throughout the region. A woman was arrested for heading up a ring that forced the girls into prostitution, but a subsequent investigation netted several local politicians, bureaucrats and law enforcement officers who were also allegedly involved. The news caused violent protests in Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar, and fostered claims that politicians were using the girls to snag Kashmiri militants. The case was eventually turned over to India's Central Bureau of Investigation.China
In August 2007 China's finance minister Jin Renqing was reportedly ousted for his alleged involvement in a sex and corruption scandal, though he officially resigned for "personal reasons." The news raised eyebrows because China's economy has roared ahead in recent years. Nonetheless, China's Communist party appears to be cracking down on sex and corruption. A recent government investigation reportedly found that 90% of all Chinese officials tainted by corruption also kept mistresses. Last year a senior parliamentarian was executed for his role in a car bombing that killed his lover.European Union
In 2006 the European press went crazy over an alleged scandal involving European Commission Vice President Gunter Verheugen after a German magazine published photographs of him holding hands with his chief of staff, Petra Erler, on vacation in Lithuania. Verheugen had appointed Erler to her post several months earlier. Various European press outlets have reported that Verheugen and Erler also were photographed nude together and that the commissioner's wife knew of an affair between them. Verheugen has denied having a relationship with Erler and won't discuss his marriage publicly.Germany
In 2005, allegations surfaced that Volkswagen officials curried favor with union leaders by bribing them and throwing orgies with call girls from as far away as Russia and Brazil. In the ensuing investigation, members of parliament who had ties to the scandal resigned, and VW's former personnel chief, Peter Hartz--a confidante of former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder--admitted to endorsing the scheme via bribery payments. In January 2007, Hartz received a two-year suspended jail sentence and a fine worth about $800,000.United Nations
In 2005 the United Nations was disgraced by reports of U.N. workers and peacekeeping troops exchanging food and money for sex with local women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo. One U.N. worker was reportedly arrested after local police discovered him making pornographic videos of young girls. The U.N. has pledge to crackdown on instances of abuse by its personnel, but similar allegations of sexual abuse have haunted the international organization elsewhere in Africa.SEE ALSO JALGAON RAPE CASE
Acker was born in Dallas, Texas, on 05-12-1976 to Rodney Acker and Judy Bruyere.
