Editors
Harry Cassin
Publisher and Editor
Andy Spalding
Senior Editor
Jessica Tillipman
Senior Editor
Bill Steinman
Senior Editor
Richard L. Cassin
Editor at Large
Elizabeth K. Spahn
Editor Emeritus
Cody Worthington
Contributing Editor
Julie DiMauro
Contributing Editor
Thomas Fox
Contributing Editor
Marc Alain Bohn
Contributing Editor
Bill Waite
Contributing Editor
Shruti J. Shah
Contributing Editor
Russell A. Stamets
Contributing Editor
Richard Bistrong
Contributing Editor
Eric Carlson
Contributing Editor
Annual corruption award goes to….the Romanian parliament
Romanian parliament buildingThe Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) acknowledges each year the efforts of those who make our world a more crime and corruption-plagued place to live.
The nonprofit group that supports investigative reporters had countless candidates to choose from while sifting through the year’s instances of fraud, bribery, money laundering, human trafficking, drug smuggling, hacking and other nefarious activities.… Continue Reading
HP in ‘advanced discussions’ with DOJ, SEC
Here’s the full FCPA disclosure from the Form 10-K filed by the Hewlett-Packard Company with the SEC on December 27:
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The German Public Prosecutor’s Office (“German PPO”) has been conducting an investigation into allegations that current and former employees of HP engaged in bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion relating to a transaction between Hewlett-Packard ISE GmbH in Germany, a former subsidiary of HP, and the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation.… Continue Reading
Uzbek dissidents find national treasures in first daughter’s Swiss mansion
“Krasavitsa,” or “Beauty,” a 1980 painting by Chingiz Akhmarov (1912–1995) (courtesy image by RFE/RL)An Uzbek dissident occupying the $20-million Geneva mansion of Gulnara Karimova claims to have found more than 60 20th-century paintings pilfered from Uzbekistan’s state art museums.… Continue Reading
China anti-corruption manual gets some laughs
Take as much time as you need to answer this question: When a civil servant is asked if he’d like to have an affair, or if she wants money or jewelry, could that be a red flag for graft?… Continue Reading
Siemens managers charged with bribery in Argentina
Seventeen people — eight current and nine former managers of Siemens AG — were accused Friday of bribing officials to help win a contract to produce national identity cards while Carlos Menem was president of Argentina in the late 1990s.… Continue Reading
For 2014, a call to action and advocacy
We considered some opportunities lost in 2013 for lack of advocacy, and the need for change in 2014. In the spirit of the season, here is a New Year’s resolution about advocacy.… Continue Reading
Barclays fined for poor books and records retention
Last Thursday, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) fined Barclays Capital Inc. $3.75 million for failing to preserve electronic records and certain emails and instant messages for at least a decade.… Continue Reading
In year’s first FCPA opinion, DOJ clears ‘humanitarian aid’
On December 19, the Justice Department published FCPA Opinion Procedure Release No. 13-01, ruling that a law firm partner could pay some medical expenses of foreign official’s daughter.
The lawyer’s firm billed the foreign country over $2 million for the past 18 months, and expects to bill the same amount in 2014.… Continue Reading
Ukraine journalist beaten after exposing graft
Tetyana Chornovil earlier this week before she was beaten.An opposition journalist who has exposed corruption and extravagance by Ukraine’s political elite was run off the road and badly beaten by two men in a midnight attack late Tuesday.… Continue Reading
The case for harmonized standards on facilitation payments
Reports that the UK Government is considering reviewing the Bribery Act’s approach to facilitation payments have been the subject of much controversy in the past few months. Beyond the geographical confines of the UK, the project should trigger a bigger discussion on the lack of harmonized standards on facilitation payments among OECD countries.… Continue Reading
Mizuho boss to quit over mob loans
Yasuhiro Sato, President and Group CEO, Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.The chairman of Mizuho Financial Group Inc., Takashi Tsukamoto, will leave his post in March following a scandal linking the lender to organized crime groups.… Continue Reading