By Samuel Rubenfeld
A roundup of corruption-related news from Dow Jones and other sources. You can also receive a newsletter version of Corruption Currents here.
Mark Pieth, the anti-corruption expert hired by FIFA to lead a committee overseeing governance reform, said he now will look into past scandals at the soccer body after a maelstrom of controversy followed his saying the committee would focus solely on the future. (AP)
Jack Johnson, the former county executive for Prince George’s County, Md., was sentenced to seven years in prison following a guilty plea to corruption charges. Prosecutors say he shook down developers for as much as $1 million in bribes, and implicated his wife and others in his scheme. His wife pleaded guilty separately and awaits sentencing. More here, here, here, here, here and here. (NBC Washington, Gazette.net, Washington Post, Upper Marlboro Patch, AP, Blog of Legal Times)
The FCPA Blog has a Q/A with Mark Makepeace. Tom Fox wants to know if Jack Webb is still the man. The FCPAProfessor attacks George Soros for funding a study he doesn’t agree with and investing in FCPA violators. Mike Volkov doesn’t think the Lindsey case heralds new wisdom on the FCPA, but it will change the career trajectory of the prosecutors involved.
Lawyers for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, as well as his wife, pleaded for a light sentence following his conviction on 17 of 20 counts of corruption.The hearings continue Wednesday with Blagojevich on the stand. An ally of Blogojevich, developer Tony Rezko, will appeal his conviction and sentence. More here. (Chicago Tribune, Federal Crimes Blog, AP, AP, AP)
Laws on deferred-prosecution agreements in the U.K. will be debated next year. (Out-Law)
Transparency International called for a full investigation by Malaysia into allegations that officials there were bribed by Alstom. (AFP)
Jackson Wells notes that Australia’s rating in the Transparency International index held firm despite the bribery scandal at the country’s reserve bank.
It’s business as usual between Australia and China despite the latter sentencing a citizen of the former to 13 years in prison for bribery. (ABC News)
The U.S. insisted Tuesday that its anti-money laundering operations concerning drug cartels are coordinated with Mexico. (AFP)
The BJP, a top opposition party in India, accused the brother of the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh of money laundering, and the chief minister’s right-hand man of corruption. Neither appear to have been contacted for comment. More here, here and here. (Times of India, Times of India, Economic Times, Times of India, Times of India)
The sister in law of Guatemala’s president is a fugitive, on the lam despite charges she laundered money in Panama. She doesn’t appear to have been contacted for comment. (inSightCrime)
Lawyers are still ringing alarm bells over the costs to comply with FACTA. (Complinet sub req)
People tied to money laundering in Kuwait can get seven years in jail, said a top government official. (Arab Times)
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control unveiled a snazzy new search tool to easily filter through its entire blacklist.
Syria wants sanctions lifted by the Arab League in return for allowing observers into the country. The chief of the League is bound for Baghdad for talks on Syria. Meanwhile, in an interview President Bashar al-Assad denied there being a crackdown in his country, which the U.S. said was ludicrous. Turkey’s economics minister said Damascus is punishing its citizens because of the sanctions lodged by Ankara. Anyway, Turkey is creating new trade routes that bypass Syria. The U.S. told Syria to protect diplomats as its envoy returned to the country, while the U.K. said Syria’s isolation will intensify. More here, here and here. (AFP, AFP, ABC News, CNN, Dow Jones Newswires, Zawya Dow Jones sub req, AFP, AFP, AP, Reuters, AFP)
More coverage of the U.N. sanctions on Eritrea. (Reuters)
The move to tighten rules against insider trading by members of Congress continues to gain momentum. (Wall Street Journal)
Whistleblower bounty legislation is reaching the state level. (SCNow.com)
Anna Hazare keeps up the pressure, saying the Indian government isn’t sincere with its pledges to fight corruption. But Aruna Roy said the lokpal bill team Anna is pushing would actually increase corruption. (IBN Live, DNA India)
Corrupt young civil servants in Indonesia probably are lone wolves, said a local anti-corruption group. (Jakarta Post)
Former Philippine president Gloria Arroyo has a long battle ahead. (BBC)
An EU commissioner demanded more action from the Union on combating corruption. (TheParliament.com)
Olympus Corp. is considering legal action against former executives, and the board is giving signals it will resign at the next shareholder meeting in February. More here. (Dow Jones Newswires, Dow Jones Newswires, Reuters)
A report said corrupt judges in Cameroon are going to face discipline. (TrustLaw)
SAIC Inc. posted a loss for the quarter after setting aside a large provision due to the New York CityTime affair. (Dow Jones Newswires)