Actor Steven Seagal has been accused of hiring young women as personal attendants whose real job was to serve his strange and sometimes violent sexual desires. (File Photo)
A former U.S. model Kayden Nguyen has accused American action movie actor Steven Seagal of using her as his "sex toy" after she was hired to be his assistant.
The suit alleges that Seagal and his co-workers with the production company ignored her repeated complaints and the assaults continued, including a "vicious sexual attack" on the second night.
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer stands next to his wife Silda Wall Spitzer as he announces his resignation at his office in New York, March 12, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)Photo Gallery>>>
NEW YORK, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York State resigned Wednesday, two days after news broke that he was a repeat client of a high-end prostitution ring.
The resignation becomes effective March 17. His deputy, Lt. Gov. David Paterson, will take over to become the state's first black governor. Paterson, who lost most of his sight after an infection at the age of three months, will also be the first legally-blind governor in the United States.
Flanked by his wife, Spitzer told a press conference in his Manhattan office that he will leave public life.
"I am deeply sorry that I did not live up to what was expected of me. To every New Yorker, to those who believed in what I tried to stand for, I sincerely apologize."
"The remorse I fell will always be with me," Spitzer said. "Words cannot describe how I grateful I am for the love and compassion they have shown me."
Lt. Gov. David Paterson will finish out Spitzer's term, which ends in 2010.
The Brooklyn-born Paterson was first elected to represent Harlem in the State Senate in 1985 and became Senate minority leader in 2002.
Spitzer, a former state attorney general who made his reputation as a law-and-order reformer, was barely a year into his first term as governor.
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer announces his resignation at his office in New York, March 12, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)Photo Gallery>>>
A rising star in the Democratic Party, he was once touted as a possible future presidential candidate.
The scandal became the top news item in the United States, with news helicopters of major TV stations following Spitzer's motorcade that traveled from his residence near Central Park to his office.
News reports, quoting law enforcement officials, said Spitzer had spent as much as 80,000 dollars with the Emperor's Club, an international prostitution ring, and that Spitzer had been soliciting prostitutes for at least six years.
Investigators say Spitzer is the man identified only as "Client 9" in a series of wiretaps involving Emperors Club, which arranged a tryst in Washington between him and a call-girl last month.
An affidavit prepared by an FBI agent says "Client 9" paid the prostitute 4,300 dollars in cash to meet him at a hotel room in Washington and that there are several indications that the client was a regular customer.
Spitzer, a Bronx native, graduated from Harvard Law School in 1984 and was an assistant district attorney for six years before becoming the state's attorney general in 1999.
Spitzer built a national reputation as a tough-talking crime fighter, throwing charges of securities fraud and stock manipulation against some of Wall Street's biggest names. He won settlements from Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Salomon Smith Barney, Lehman Brothers, and J.P. Morgan Chase, earning himself the nickname "The Sheriff of Wall Street."
He was also known as "Mr. Clean" for his perceived incorruptible nature. In 2006, campaigning on a platform of fiscal reform and ethics in government, Spitzer was elected governor with a record 69 percent of the vote.
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer addresses the media at his office in New York, March 10, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)Photo Gallery>>>
NEW YORK, March 10 (Xinhua) -- New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer, who was reportedly involved in an upscale prostitution ring, made a public apology on Monday to his family and the public.
"I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public, whom I promised better," for acting "in a way that violates my obligations to my family, that violates my or any sense of right and wrong," Spitzer said at a news conference on Monday afternoon. Full story
Paterson set to accede if Spitzer resigns
BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- New York Lieutenant Governor David Paterson would take over if State Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns for the prostitution scandal, according to media reports Tuesday.
Paterson is considered as a competent, amiable politician and a powerful orator who understands the mechanisms of state government as well as anyone. But his lack of executive experience and the absence of a political mandate by the voters of New York State make the taking over unclear. Full story
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer (C) leaves after a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington Nov. 14, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)Photo Gallery>>>
BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's political future was clouded abruptly Monday with his admission that he had violated the trust of his family and the public in the wake of reports that a federal investigation had linked him to a prostitution ring, according to media reports Tuesday.
Spitzer, 48, who rose to prominence as a hard-charging attorney general was known for rooting out corruption within Wall Street and on the streets. Full story
NY governor involved with prostitution ring
BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer who built his career on rooting out public corruption as New York attorney general got involved with upscale prostitution ring, according to media reports Tuesday.
The prostitute, identified as "Kristen," worked for the Emperors Club, which charged between 1,000 and 5,500 U.S. dollars an hour. Spitzer's alleged involvement with the ring was caught on a federal wiretap when the club was broken up by the New York authorities last week. Full story
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer addresses the media at his office in New York, March 10, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)Photo Gallery>>>
NEW YORK, March 10 (Xinhua) -- New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer, who was reportedly involved in an upscale prostitution ring, made a public apology on Monday to his family and the public.
"I apologize first and most importantly to my family. I apologize to the public, whom I promised better," for acting "in a way that violates my obligations to my family, that violates my or any sense of right and wrong," Spitzer said at a news conference on Monday afternoon.
With his wife at his side, he said he must now "dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family." But he did not give details on his prostitution link, and did not say if he would resign neither.
According to local media reports, the governor's involvement in a prostitution ring was caught on a federal wiretap.
The reports quoted a law enforcement official as saying that Spitzer is identified in court papers as "Client 9" and the wiretap was part of an investigation that opened in the last few months.
The unidentified official said that Spitzer met last month with at least one woman in a Washington hotel.
The prostitution ring, known as the "Emperor's Club VIP," was broken up by New York authorities last week.
According to prosecutors, the ring operated in cities across the United States, employing more than 50 prostitutes who charged client fees ranging from 1,000 to 5,500 U.S. dollars per hour.
As a Democrat know for his moral crusading, 48-year-old Spitzeris married with three children.
Spitzer's future suddenly clouded for double standard
BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's political future was clouded abruptly Monday with his admission that he had violated the trust of his family and the public in the wake of reports that a federal investigation had linked him to a prostitution ring, according to media reports Tuesday.
Spitzer, 48, who rose to prominence as a hard-charging attorney general was known for rooting out corruption within Wall Street and on the streets. Full story
BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- New York Lieutenant Governor David Paterson would take over if State Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns for the prostitution scandal, according to media reports Tuesday.
Paterson is considered as a competent, amiable politician and a powerful orator who understands the mechanisms of state government as well as anyone. But his lack of executive experience and the absence of a political mandate by the voters of New York State make the taking over unclear.
The last time this kind of change happened was 1974, when Governor Nelson Rockefeller resigned after being appointed Vice President.
The affidavit identifies the governor involved in the sex scandal as "Client 9" instead of mentioning Spitzer by name, but Spitzer has confessed at a news conference that he had acted "in a way that violates my obligations to my family, that violates my or any sense of right and wrong."
Spitzer is under the pressure to quit and could face felony charges.
The fallout from this scandal could hurt more than Spitzer's political career, but his party as well.
New York Governor Eliot Spitzer (C) leaves after a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington Nov. 14, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)Photo Gallery>>>
BEIJING, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- New York Governor Eliot Spitzer's political future was clouded abruptly Monday with his admission that he had violated the trust of his family and the public in the wake of reports that a federal investigation had linked him to a prostitution ring, according to media reports Tuesday.
Spitzer, 48, who rose to prominence as a hard-charging attorney general was known for rooting out corruption within Wall Street and on the streets.
He made several high-profile prosecutions of Wall Street figures, extracting billions of dollars in fines from investment banks, mutual funds and brokerage houses.
He also made a name for himself by busting prostitution rings.
Taking office as governor Jan. 1, 2007, after a landslide victory, Spitzer declared: "We must transform our government so that it is as ethical and wise as all of New York."
The prostitution allegation was a surprise to Brooke Masters, author of the 2006 Spitzer biography "Spoiling for a Fight." She said she was "really surprised that [the scandal is] about personal ethics."
She said Spitzer's opponents on Wall Street accused him of a "holier-than-thou" attitude.
"He would say they had conflicts of interest while ignoring his own conflicts of interest. He certainly got a bit of criticism for having a bit of a double standard," she said.
"He would use his power of attorney general for what the business people thought was holding them hostage and giving them fines. They thought he was too virtuous."
Once seen as a rising star within the Democratic party, Spitzer had a rocky first year as governor. He was accused in July of using state police to keep tabs on a political rival, state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, and was forced to drop a plan to issue driver's licenses to undocumented workers in November amid public outcry.
The driver's license plan briefly gained national attention when presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York appeared to endorse it, then backed away from it. Spitzer endorsed Clinton.
Spitzer considered himself an heir of reformers such as Theodore Roosevelt, whose portrait he kept in his office as attorney general, Masters wrote in her biography.
If Spitzer resigns, Lt. Gov. David Paterson would complete his term, in accordance with the New York state constitution.
JERUSALEM, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Israel's High Court of Justice on Wednesday granted former President Moshe Katzav several more days as a free man, announcing that it would hand down its ruling on an appeal to postpone his prison sentence early next week.
The Tel Aviv District Court in March sentenced Katzav to seven years in jail for two counts of rape and other sexual offenses against women who worked with him at the President's Residence, and during his tenure as Tourism Minister.
The former president's defense team earlier this month appealed the court to overturn the rape conviction, claiming that sexual relations with "A," the main complainant in the rape trial, were consensual.
Attorneys Tzion Amir and Micha Feldman also requested that the execution of the prison term be delayed until the end of deliberations on the appeal. Feldman argued that the delay would prevent the possible embarrassment of an acquittal being handed down after the former president was already behind bars.
Katzav was scheduled to enter prison on Sunday.
The State Prosecution opposed Katzav's request at Wednesday's hearing, saying that he should be "treated like any citizen."
"Legally, this is a regular case. The defendant was charged with a felony," local news service Ynet quoted Aryeh Peter, the State Prosecution representative, as saying.
JERUSALEM, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Former Israeli President Moshe Katzav on Monday appealed the High Court of Justice to overturn his conviction on charges of rape and sexual abuse of female subordinates.
The Tel Aviv District Court on March 22 sentenced Katzav to a seven-year jail term two years' probation for rape and multiple counts of sexual harassment of three women with whom he worked during his terms as tourism minister and president.
The three-judge panel also ruled Katzav paid 35,000 U.S. dollars in compensation to two of the victims.
Tzion Amir and Avigdor Feldman, the attorneys representing Katzav, asked the High Court to defer execution of the sentence, set to begin on May 7, until appeal proceedings are complete.
"The judges completely ignored parts of the evidence in their verdict while other parts, in our opinion, were not given their due weight," The Jerusalem Post daily quoted Amir as saying.
The appeal includes a claim reiterated by Katzav that his fate had been sealed in a public trial fuelled by the media, long before the official sentence was read.
Israeli daily Ha'aretz on Monday assessed the chances of the appeal as low, since the High Court rarely overturns sentences handed down by the country's district courts.
However, Katzav stands some chance of having the prison term mitigated after one judge, representing the minority, said that case justifies a sentence of no more than four years' incarceration, according to the report.
Israeli former President Moshe Katzav leaves the Tel Aviv District Court on March 22, 2011, after being sentenced to seven years in jail and two years of probation for rape and other sexual offenses against female employees.(Xinhua/JINI)
JERUSALEM, March 22 (Xinhua) -- With tear-soaked eyes and accompanied by his sons, former Israeli President Moshe Katzav exited the Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday morning after being sentenced to seven years in jail and two years probation for rape and a host of other sexual crimes.
On December 30, Katzav was convicted of two counts of rape and sexual harassment of former female employees who were subordinate to him during his tenures as tourism minister and later as president.
The three-judge panel also ruled that Katzav will pay 100,000 shekels (28,000 U.S. dollars) in compensation to "Aleph," who claimed to have been raped and sexually harassed by Katzav when she worked at the President's Residence.
"The fact that Katzav was a minister and a president makes this case unprecedented. His former titles can't be taken to his credit. On the contrary, it makes his acts more severe," said Judge George Karra in the argument that preceded the reading of the sentence.
"The offense of rape is the most severe among sexual crimes, Katzav committed rapes with violent forces and exploitation of his victims' weakness and his high rank, which is why the punishment must be clear and concise," Karra said, adding, "No man is above the law."
Katzav, 65, Israel's eighth president, is the highest-ranking Israeli official ever sent to jail.
On Tuesday, he continued to maintain his innocence, bursting out at the judges: "You're wrong! It's a lie! The girls know that they are lying!"
Israeli former President Moshe Katzav leaves the Tel Aviv District Court on March 22, 2011, after being sentenced to seven years in jail and two years of probation for rape and other sexual offenses against female employees. (Xinhua/JINI)
Israeli former President Moshe Katzav (C, Front) leaves the Tel Aviv District Court on March 22, 2011, after being sentenced to seven years in jail and two years of probation for rape and other sexual offenses against female employees. (Xinhua/JINI)
Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav attends a meeting with cancer fundraising volunteers at the president's official residence in Jerusalem October 17, 2006. (Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)
JERUSALEM, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The Tel Aviv District Court convenes Tuesday morning to hand down the sentence of Israeli former President Moshe Katzav, who has been convicted of committing rape and other sexual offenses against female employees.
Legal proceedings against Katzav were launched in March 2009 behind closed doors. On Dec. 30, he was charged with several counts of rape and sexual harassment of former female employees who were subordinate to him during his tenures as tourism minister in the late 1990s and later as president.
Legal experts assess that the former president faces a four- to six-year prison term.
JERUSALEM Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Tel Aviv District Court on Thursday handed down a verdict against former Israeli president Moshe Katzav, finding him guilty of two counts of rape and multiple counts of sexual abuse of women he had worked with during his tenures in the Tourism Ministry and the presidency.
The historic verdict highlighted a scandal that erupted over four years ago, when several women who were subordinate to Katzav first approached the police and filed complaints of falling victim to rape, molestation and indecent sexual acts.
Katsav assumed the presidency in 2000. Seven years later, he was forced to announce his resignation in disgrace. He was the first in that capacity in Israeli history to stand trial and be convicted of sexual crimes.
Owing to the sensitivity of the case and the media buzz, legal proceedings were held behind closed doors. The former president's defense lawyers request that the reading of the verdict would be held without the media present was ultimately denied.
Prof. Emanuel Gross, a lecturer at the University of Haifa's School of Law, told Xinhua that while he was saddened by the fact that the symbol of Israeli democracy had committed such "heinous" crimes, he felt proud of the way the country's legal system handled the affair. "I'm proud that we have such a good system, which was able to investigate and indict the symbol of our country, " said Gross.
While the court is yet to announce a date for sentencing, Gross said he's sure that unless "something irregular will happen, he ( Katzav) will be sentenced to many years in prison."
Israel's criminal code for the offense of rape carries a penalty of four to 16 years' incarceration.
The affair could have ended in 2007, had Katzav not willingly chosen to reject a plea bargain offer which promised that the most severe charges would be dropped and he would be given a suspended sentence. Instead, he opted to take the case to court to prove his innocence.
In a fiery two-hour televised press conference in January 2007, the former president lashed out at the Israeli media, accusing it of conducting an ethnically-motivated campaign against him from the moment he had assumed the presidency after defeating then- contender and Noble Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres.
Katzav, 65, was born in Iran and immigrated to Israel with his family at the age of six. He was raised in Kiryat Malachi, a destitute town in southern Israel that he still calls home. Following his discharge from the Israel Defense Forces, he enrolled at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and graduated with a degree in economics and history. At the age of 24 he was appointed to head Kiryat Malachi's local council. Prior to entering politics, he had worked, among other things, as a bank teller and a journalist.
His political career in the Likud party was often cited as a source of inspiration for children of underprivileged Jewish immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa.
In the course of the legal proceedings, which were launched in March 2009, Katzav harshly criticized then-Attorney General Menahem Mazuz, who accepted the findings of the police investigation and filed an indictment against him on charges of rape and sexual molestation.
In the 2007 televised appearance, he had also slammed the State Prosecutor's Office for not lifting a media gag order on the identities of the plaintiffs, saying it hampered him from effectively defending himself in light of their severe accusations.
His victims, known by the initials A., L. and H., enjoyed the massive support of Israeli women's right groups throughout the trial, all the more so when the verdict was read on Thursday.
Several women's rights groups viewed the affair as a test-case for what they perceive as the country's far from satisfactory laws on sexual harassment and the lax attitude with which it is tolerated.
"It's a landmark, symbolic day in the struggle that we've been leading over the years," one activist told reporters outside the courtroom.
She said the feeling among the country's women's rights groups was that the case had to be brought to court for a fair trial. "We feel satisfied today that the court actually did justice with all of these women who were severely abused by Katzav," she said.
English.news.cn 2011-04-05 23:23:10
by Eric J. Lyman
ROME, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The trial over Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's sex scandal will begin Wednesday, but a top aide said Berlusconi would not appear in court.
Nor will television cameras, as Italian Attorney General Laura Bertole Viale and State Prosecutor Manilio Minale agreed to reverse a previous ruling that would have allowed state broadcaster RAI to film the trial. They said the ruling was changed to prevent the hearing from becoming a "circus."
But it seems impossible to prevent that. Protesters and supporters have both said they would gather in front of the Milan courthouse, where the trial will start at 9:30 a.m. (0730 GMT) Wednesday.
Hundreds of journalists have been reporting on every micro development from the case ever since it was announced in February. And the witness list includes American movie star George Clooney and his showgirl girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis.
Berlusconi is charged with paying for sex with a minor, a then-17-year-old cabaret dancer called Karima el-Mahroug, known by her nickname "Ruby the Heart Stealer."
The leader is also charged with abusing his position as prime minister to cover up his connection with el-Mahroug by pressuring police to release her from custody after she was detained over separate theft allegations.
The trial seems to be a kind of drama compared to the two other Berlusconi trials, where he faces much more technical charges including tax evasion and bribery.
According to Cabinet Undersecretary Gianni Letta, Berlusconi's closest aide, the prime minister will not be present for Wednesday's opening hearing, which is expected to focus mostly on procedural matters.
There is a chance that the trial could be aborted before it really gets under way. Italian lawmakers started debate Tuesday on a measure that could slow or even halt the proceedings.
They will decide whether the Milan court is the appropriate venue for the hearing, with Berlusconi's lawyers arguing that he should be tried before a special minister's tribunal given that the abuse of power charges relate to Berlusconi's position as prime minister.
However, the Constitutional Court ruled in March that the Milan court had the authority to handle the case.
But if parliament contradicts that ruling, the Constitutional Court would be forced to rule again and confirm the tribunal members.
Regardless of the parliamentary vote, Wednesday's hearing will take place. But if legislators vote against the court's authority, it means the trial could be halted in the future.
Berlusconi, a billionaire media tycoon who controls three of Italy's seven national television networks, denied wrongdoing in the case involving el-Mahroug as well as the others and insisted that he is a victim of the corrupt Italian judiciary.
As the cases approached, his ruling coalition fractured and his popularity dropped to nearly a historical low, but at least so far, his grip on power does not seem at risk.
Since he entered public life in 1994, Berlusconi has faced at least 17 official criminal and civil allegations.
Giorgio Perrone, lawyer of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, smiles in front of the Milan court, Italy, Wednesday, April 6, 2011. The trial of Premier Silvio Berlusconi on charges he paid for sex with an underage prostitute, then tried to use his influence to cover it up was adjourned shortly after it opened in Milan on Wednesday. Berlusconi did not attend the hearing, which lasted seven minutes and was devoted to formalities. Prosecutors allege Berlusconi paid Moroccan Karima el-Mahroug, also known as Ruby and who was 17-year-old at the time, for sex at his villa, then called police to have her released from custody when she was picked up for theft out of concern that she would reveal their relationship.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)
MILAN, Italy, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The trial of Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi on charges of sex with a minor and abuse of power opened here Wednesday.
Neither Berlusconi nor the minor, dancer and teenage prostitute Karima el Mahrough, best known by her stage name "Ruby", attended the hearing, which lasted less than 10 minutes and was adjourned until May 31.
One of Berlusconi's lawyers, Giorgio Perroni, presented the court with a letter in which the premier said he would like to participate but was unable to because of "institutional commitments".
Security measures were tight around the courthouse in Milan, with about 100 police surrounding the building to prevent riots between groups of supporters and opponents of the premier gathered on a traffic island opposite the building.
More than 100 journalists from around the world requested accreditation for the trial, while TV crews, barred from the hearing, were setting up camp outside the courthouse.
The 74-year-old Italian premier is accused of paying for sex with Moroccan-born el Mahrough from February to May 2010 when she was 17 years old, and then abusing his power in trying to cover it up.
Both Berlusconi and el Mahrough, who is now 18, have denied any wrongdoing in the case.
TT - Các chuyên gia xã hội cho rằng các chính trị gia, nhân vật nhiều quyền lực cần hiểu rằng một khi đã bước vào lĩnh vực chính trị là họ như sống trong một nhà kính, không thể che giấu nổi bí mật xấu xa và cũng không có chỗ để trốn tránh.
Một nguyên tắc cần phải được đặt ra: quyền lực là một thứ đặc ân không được phép lạm dụng để làm điều xấu xa.
Tổng giám đốc IMF Dominique Strauss-Kahn trước và khi bị bắt giữ ở New York Ảnh: AFP
Vụ tổng giám đốc Quỹ Tiền tệ quốc tế (IMF) Dominique Strauss-Kahn còn chưa nguôi thì ngày 21-5 lại thêm hàng loạt quan chức Thổ Nhĩ Kỳ cũng phải “thân bại danh liệt” vì những bê bối tình dục. Sáu chính trị gia cao cấp thuộc Đảng Hành động quốc gia (MHP) đối lập đã phải từ chức sau khi một nhóm chính trị đe dọa công bố các đoạn băng ghi lại hình ảnh họ quan hệ tình dục lén lút. Trước đó đầu tháng 5, bốn quan chức khác thuộc MHP đã phải từ chức sau khi trên mạng xuất hiện các đoạn phim quay những cảnh “nhạy cảm” của họ.
Trong danh sách “đen” này còn có thể kể đến cựu thống đốc bang California (Mỹ) Arnold Schwarzenegger bị phát hiện có con riêng với một nhân viên 10 năm trước đây, Thủ tướng Ý Silvio Berlusconi bị nghi ngờ có quan hệ tình dục với một gái điếm tuổi vị thành niên, cựu tổng thống Bill Clinton bị điêu đứng vì lén lút quan hệ với một cô thực tập sinh, cựu tổng thống Israel Mosche Katsav bị kết án vì tội cưỡng hiếp...
Báo Time, trong một chuyên đề ghi ngày 30-5, đã tự hỏi “Vì sao các chính trị gia lại hành động như những con heo”. Báo Spiegel của Đức, trong một hồ sơ về những vụ bê bối tình dục trong chính trị, cũng thử khảo sát “những nguyên nhân nào đã biến các nhà chính trị thành những con sói với phụ nữ?”.
Càng quyền lực càng thích quan hệ vụng trộm
Theo một nghiên cứu đăng trên tạp chí Anh Psychological Science (Khoa học tâm lý), các nhà chính trị “thích quan hệ tình dục vụng trộm” không phải vì bản năng sinh lý mà chính vì quyền lực họ đang nắm giữ. Người càng ở vị trí cao (cả nam và nữ) thì càng có tâm lý muốn quan hệ ngoài luồng. Quyền lực đem lại cho họ cả cơ hội và sự tự tin, đi kèm với sự tự tin là cảm giác mình không bị trừng phạt, mình xứng đáng được hưởng sự thỏa mãn tình dục.
Quyền lực (cùng với đó là danh tiếng) không chỉ làm gia tăng cơ hội tình dục mà còn làm suy yếu cơ chế tự kiềm chế của bản thân. Khi nắm quá nhiều quyền lực trong tay, những người đàn ông quyền lực sẽ bắt đầu cảm thấy xem thường các quy tắc xã hội và luôn tìm cách che giấu các hành vi xấu, suy đồi đạo đức của mình, nhất là khi xung quanh lại đầy rẫy những kẻ cơ hội vì mục đích cá nhân hay chính trị để sẵn sàng giúp che giấu hành vi không đứng đắn của họ. Hơn nữa, các nhà tâm lý học cho biết những người có quyền lực thường có xu hướng thích mạo hiểm, hoặc ít nhất là đánh giá sự mạo hiểm khác với người bình thường.
“Khi đàn ông quyền lực có cơ hội, họ có xu hướng hành động để tận dụng cơ hội đó - nhà tâm lý học người Mỹ Mark Held cho biết - Thách thức lớn nhất đối với họ là tìm cách kiểm soát ham muốn của chính mình”. Nhà tâm lý học Pepper Schwartz thuộc Đại học Washington (Mỹ) cũng cho biết những người có quyền lực hằng ngày thường gặp rất nhiều người: “Phụ nữ thường dễ có ấn tượng mạnh đối với chức quyền của họ”.
Và cơ hội càng nhiều thì các nhân vật quyền lực càng liên tục hành động sai trái với đạo đức. Cả ông Strauss-Kahn và ông Schwarzenegger đều có tiếng là có tật quen ngoại tình hay gạ gẫm phụ nữ trong nhiều năm. Ngoài đứa con mới thừa nhận, ông Schwarzenegger còn bị tình nghi có thêm hai con riêng khác.
Nghiên cứu của Đại học Tillburg (Hà Lan), được đăng trên một tờ báo kinh tế của Hà Lan, cũng đưa ra kết luận tương tự dựa trên một cuộc khảo sát được tiến hành với 1.561 người, trong đó 52% đang nắm giữ các vị trí quản lý cấp cao. “Khi một người nắm quá nhiều quyền lực trong tay thì càng có khả năng không chung thủy” - ông Joris Lammers, giáo sư tâm lý học thuộc Đại học Tilburg, người chủ trì cuộc khảo sát này, nhận định.
Cũng theo giáo sư Lammers, các chính trị gia cấp cao có khuynh hướng tâm lý “hai mặt”. Mỗi ngày họ phải căng thẳng suy nghĩ, dùng mọi biện pháp, thậm chí thủ đoạn để giành được sự tín nhiệm hòng giữ vững quyền lực và tiếp tục thăng tiến. Chính tâm lý này đã ảnh hưởng đến đời sống cá nhân, đặc biệt đời sống hôn nhân của họ khiến họ trở thành những người liều lĩnh và giỏi che giấu. Trường hợp của cựu thống đốc bang California Arnold Schwarzenegger là một ví dụ cho thấy ông ta giỏi lừa dối vợ mình và lừa dối cử tri.
Nhưng tại sao những vụ bê bối tình dục lại rơi vào những nam chính trị gia mà không phải là nữ? Giáo sư Lammers cho biết nguyên nhân đơn giản vì số lượng nữ ít hơn nhiều so với đồng nghiệp nam. Riêng ở Mỹ chỉ có 17 nữ trong số 100 thượng nghị sĩ.
Sự sợ hãi của kẻ yếu
Một yếu tố khác khiến những người đàn ông có quyền hay ngoại tình là bởi những phụ nữ họ xúc phạm hoặc có quan hệ thường ở thế yếu hơn và sợ hãi quyền lực. Năm 2008, ông Strauss-Kahn từng bị tố có quan hệ lén lút với nhà kinh tế người Hungary Piroska Nagy. Sau này Nagy kể lại ông Strauss-Kahn đã đẩy cô vào tình thế tiến thoái lưỡng nan, và cô sợ nếu từ chối ông ta thì sẽ lãnh hậu quả không lường trước được.
Mới đây, nhà văn Pháp 31 tuổi Tristane Banon lên tiếng tố cáo năm 2002 ông Strauss-Kahn đã tấn công cô khi cô đến gặp ông để phỏng vấn. “Ông ta tấn công và chúng tôi vật lộn - cô Banon kể lại - Tôi đá ông ta. Ông ấy giằng xé quần áo tôi. Khi tôi chạy thoát, ông ta đã gửi tin nhắn hỏi rằng tôi có sợ ông ta không”.
Banon cho biết cô không kiện ông Strauss-Kahn vì mẹ cô, một quan chức Đảng Xã hội Pháp, đã thuyết phục cô không nên làm như vậy do lo ngại điều tiếng sau này. Những phụ nữ từng bị các nhân vật tai to mặt lớn gạ gẫm cho biết họ e ngại việc chống lại một nhân vật đầy quyền lực có thể sẽ chỉ mang lại nỗi đau và sự sỉ nhục.
Luật sư Pháp Emmanuel Pierrat kể một phụ nữ trẻ từng cho biết cô bị ông Strauss-Kahn tấn công, nhưng sau đó không dám đâm đơn kiện do lo sợ truyền thông tọc mạch vào đời sống riêng tư của mình và sợ bị cáo buộc là kẻ dối trá. Và khi các nhân vật quyền lực bị dính xìcăngđan, thường những người ủng hộ họ luôn đặt vấn đề là phải chăng họ bị gài bẫy như trường hợp của ông Strauss-Kahn.
Theo AFP, ông Tron từ chức chỉ hai tuần sau khi cựu giám đốc Quỹ Tiền tệ quốc tế (IMF), Dominique Strauss-Kahn, cũng là người Pháp, phải từ chức vì cáo buộc xâm hại tình dục và cưỡng hiếp một cô dọn phòng tại New York, Mỹ.
Tuy nhiên, trong thư từ chức gửi Tổng thống Pháp Nicolas Sarkozy, ông Tron khẳng định sẽ chứng minh mình vô tội và những người đã buộc tội ông, hai phụ nữ từng làm việc dưới quyền Tron, là “những kẻ dối trá”.
Hai phụ nữ này, 34 và 36 tuổi, nộp đơn kiện ông Tron xâm hại họ trong giai đoạn 2007-2010 khi họ làm việc ở tòa thị chính Draveil, nơi ông làm thị trưởng. Một trong hai phụ nữ nói họ quyết định lên tiếng sau khi vụ bắt giữ ông Strauss-Kahn được công khai trên báo chí.
Quyết định từ chức của ông Tron được công bố trong một thông báo do Thủ tướng Francois Fillon đọc. Ông Fillon ca ngợi hành động của Tron là “can đảm” và “vì lợi ích chung”. Ông Tron đã liên hệ vụ việc này với địch thủ chính trị cánh hữu của ông, người đứng đầu Đảng Mặt trận dân tộc Marine Le Pen.
“Tôi không ngây thơ. Họ đang cố gắng lặp lại những gì xảy ra bên kia Đại Tây Dương”, ông nói với AFP.
TTO - Đức đặt mục tiêu đóng cửa toàn bộ các lò phản ứng hạt nhân của nước này muộn nhất là vào năm 2022, các nhà lãnh đạo của liên minh cầm quyền hiện giờ tuyên bố ngày 30-5, một phản ứng sau thảm họa hạt nhân Fukushima ở Nhật Bản gây ra lo ngại tại Đức.
Thủ tướng Đức Merkel (giữa) - Ảnh: Reuters
Tuy nhiên, theo Reuters, quyết định này có thể vấp phải sự chống đối mạnh mẽ từ nhiều phía. Thỏa thuận trên đạt được sau một cuộc họp thâu đêm giữa các chính trị gia hàng đầu nước Đức ở văn phòng thủ tướng và được Bộ trưởng môi trường Robert Roettgen công bố sáng 30-5. “Chắc chắn hạn chót cho ba nhà máy điện hạt nhân cuối cùng là năm 2022”, ông Roettgen nói.
Sau trận động đất và sóng thần tại Nhật Bản vào tháng 3, Thủ tướng Đức Angela Merkel đã phải rút lại quyết định gây tranh cãi đưa ra vài tháng trước đó gia hạn thêm thời gian hoạt động cho các lò phản ứng hạt nhân cũ kỹ ở Đức, nơi hầu hết cử tri phản đối sử dụng năng lượng hạt nhân.
Cuối tuần trước, hàng chục nghìn người đã biểu tình ở gần các nhà máy này để đòi đóng cửa chúng. Chính sách hạt nhân đã gây tranh cãi dữ dội ở Đức và là một vấn đề giúp tăng cường uy tín cho Đảng Xanh, đảng đã giành quyền kiểm soát bang trước giờ vẫn ủng hộ Đảng Dân chủ Thiên Chúa giáo (CDU) của bà Merkel, Baden-Wuerttemberg, trong cuộc bầu cử tháng 3. Đa số của bà Merkel tại Thượng viện Đức đã không còn từ năm ngoái sau khi Đảng CDU mất quyền kiểm soát bang Bắc Rhine-Westphalia.
Theo ông Roettgen, liên minh cầm quyền muốn đóng cửa vĩnh viễn tám nhà máy cũ nhất trong số 17 nhà máy điện hạt nhân hiện giờ. Bảy nhà máy trong số này đã bị tạm đóng cửa vào tháng 3, sau sự cố Fukushima. Một nhà máy khác đã bị đóng cửa nhiều năm nay. Sáu nhà máy nữa cũng sẽ bị đóng cửa vào năm 2021. Ba nhà máy còn lại, những nhà máy mới nhất của Đức, sẽ hoạt động tới năm 2022. Trước khi các nhà máy bị đóng cửa ba tháng trước, điện hạt nhân chiếm 23% tiêu thụ điện ở Đức.
