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
The publication last week of the EU’s first corruption monitoring report, with biennial ones to follow, highlights a striking disparity between its 28 members in tackling corruption.
Corruption is defined as “the abuse of power for private gain,” and the report estimates that the cost of corruption (€120 billion) almost equates to the EU’s annual budget.… Continue Reading
Former Romanian prime minister Adrian Nastase was sentenced to four years in prison Monday for taking bribes.
Nastase, 63, was convicted of receiving $858,000 in bribes from construction company-owner Irina Jianu in exchange for appointing her to lead the public works department.… Continue Reading
The Romanian parliament Tuesday voted to exempt top politicians and lawyers from corruption crimes, the EU Observer reported.
Parliament adopted the “snap amendment” without debate. It would remove from the definition of “public officials” the country’s president, senators, members of the lower chamber, as well as lawyers.… Continue Reading
Prosecutors in Romania launched a criminal investigation into foreign-controlled Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC), the company operating the largest open-pit gold mine in Europe. The investigation is focusing on money laundering and tax evasion, according to a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project here.… Continue Reading
Country: Romania
Company Involved: Compania de Salubrizare Brantner Vereş
Industry: Industrials
Industry Subsector: Waste & Disposal Services
Official Involved: Napoca Sorin Apostu, former Mayor of Cluj City
Enforcement Action: Conviction
Summary: Former mayor of Cluj, Napoca Sorin Apostu was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in jail for corruption.… Continue Reading
A U.K. man who became rich selling fake bomb detectors in Iraq and other trouble spots was convicted of fraud this week in London’s Old Bailey.
James McCormick bought novelty $20 ‘golf ball detectors’ from the U.S.,… Continue Reading
Microsoft Corporation on Tuesday responded to a Wall Street Journal report that the DOJ and SEC are investigating a whistleblower complaint about alleged bribes by business partners to officials in Italy, Romania, and China. … Continue Reading
U.K.-based medical device maker Smith & Nephew plc agreed to pay $22.2 million to settle Foreign Corrupt Practices Act offenses committed by its U.S. and German subsidiaries.
The company admitted bribing government-employed doctors in Greece for more than a decade to win business.… Continue Reading
The British press in September reported (here) that BAE Systems — the U.K.’s biggest defense contractor — had been given until the end of the month by the Serious Fraud Office to settle bribery charges related to sales in Africa and Eastern Europe or face prosecution.… Continue Reading
Investigative reporters may be disappearing from newsrooms everywhere, but they still have an important role to play in holding institutions and people accountable for overseas bribery. Rob Evans of the U.K.… Continue Reading
The U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office announced today that it intends to seek the Attorney General’s consent to prosecute BAE Systems for offenses relating to overseas corruption. The agency said it will submit its request to the Attorney General “when the SFO considers it is ready to proceed.”… Continue Reading
Dan Bilefsky of the New York Times is a roving reporter with a knack for revealing the heart of things. He’s done that now for the problem of petty corruption in Romania.… Continue Reading
