China Formally Files Corruption Charges Against Former Aide to Retired President

Ling Jihua attends the plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the Great Hall of the People on March 8, 2013 in Beijing, China. (Photo : Getty Images) 

 

China’s state prosecutor on Friday has formally charged a former senior aide to retired President Hu Jintao with accepting bribes, illegally obtaining state secrets and abuse of power.

Beijing announced in Dec. 2014 an investigation into Ling Jihua, who had earlier been demoted in Sept. 2012 to a ministerial-level position months after his son was killed in a crash involving a luxury car.

Like Us on Facebook

 

The charges are the latest development in a case that China's Community Party has claimed to have done "major damage to its image," according to Reuters.

Ling used his many high-ranking government positions as a way to solicit bribes, seek favors for friends and gain unauthorized access to state secrets, the prosecutor said, without specifying the nature of the secrets.
The circumstances were "extremely serious," the prosecutor added in a terse statement that was also broadcast on Chinese state television.

Ling's case was filed at a court in the port city of Tianjin, which is roughly a hundred kilometers from Beijing, and is expected to be tried there.

The prosecutor said authorities had informed Ling about his rights according to the law, questioned him, and heard "opinions" from his lawyer.

It was not clear who the lawyer is or whether he was appointed for Ling by the government.
Ling's case presents a dilemma for the Party due to his close connection with former President Hu, President Xi Jinping's predecessor.

In 2015, a government spokesman denied reports that Hu is being implicated in the investigation and sources have told Reuters that Hu approved of it.

The formal charges pave the way for a criminal trial, but due to accusations that Ling stole state secrets, the proceedings may be closed to the public.

It is also unclear when a trial could be held. If the trial is to be held in secret, state media could simply announce a verdict, according to Reuters.

The government said previously in July that it would prosecute Ling and that he had been expelled from the Communist Party.

Ling's brother, Ling Zhengce, is also being investigated for corruption. Other family members have also been arrested, according to state media reports.

Another brother, Ling Wangcheng, is currently in the United States, and China in January said it was communicating with the United States about him.

In February, Ling Wangcheng denied through his U.S. attorney that he handed over Chinese state secrets to U.S. authorities.

Since assuming power in 2012, Xi has launched a public campaign against corruption, taking down many opponents including the once-powerful domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang, who was also tried in Tianjin.

Support by : http://www.saynotocorruptionstore.com/
Read more: http://en.yibada.com/articles/123776/20160516/china-formally-places-corruption-charges-against-former-aide-retired-president.htm#ixzz48z6cgqet

Publishing by : http://saynotocorruptionstore.blogspot.co.id/

Sumber : https://www.maxmanroe.com/mari-belajar-seo-essential-dari-pakarnya-di-sekolahpintar-com.html

Readmore → China Formally Files Corruption Charges Against Former Aide to Retired President

World Latin America Brazil’s Police Accuse Gerdau CEO of Corruption Authorities say steelmaker participated in scheme to evade $428.6 million in taxes

 

Gerdau SA Chief Executive André Gerdau Johannpeter left federal police headquarters Feb. 25 in São Paulo. Police have accused Mr. Johannpeter of corruption-related offenses. Photo: Reuters By Rogerio Jelmayer and Paul Kiernan 

 

May 16, 2016 6:58 p.m. ET

SÃO PAULO—Brazil’s federal police have accused the head of the country’s biggest steelmaker, Gerdau SA, of corruption-related offenses and say his firm participated in a scheme to evade 1.5 billion reais ($428.6 million) in taxes

Police made the accusations against Chief Executive André Gerdau Johannpeter and 18 other suspects in a report filed Friday in a federal court, a police spokesman said Monday. The full report hasn’t been released.
In addition to Mr. Johannpeter, police are seeking charges against other company executives, tax authority officials and lawyers on allegations of bribery, money laundering and influence peddling, according to a police statement. Only prosecutors can file charges in Brazil’s legal system.

In an emailed statement, Gerdau said Monday that it has yet to see the police report containing the accusations. But it “received with immense surprise and repudiation the news that company executives, among them its CEO, are among the accused.”

“None of them ever promised, offered or gave improper benefits to public functionaries so that cases open in CARF would be illegally judged in their favor,” the company said of its executives. The company added that it is at the full disposal of authorities to provide the requisite “clarifications” in the case.
The latest move by police came as part of an investigation known as Operation Zealots, which since March 2015 has pursued allegations that company executives bribed tax officials to win favorable judgments from a special tax court known as CARF.

Federal Police raided Gerdau offices in February as part of the probe. At the time, Mr. Johannpeter was questioned by police for about two hours.

Arnaldo Malheiros Filho, a lawyer for both the company and Mr. Johannpeter, 53, said at the time that neither party did anything illegal.

Founded by Mr. Johannpeter’s great-great-grandfather and great-grandfather in 1901, Gerdau evolved from a local nail factory in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre to Latin America’s largest steelmaker. It is among Brazil’s most global companies, with operations from Spain to India and major presence in the U.S.
Brazilian police and prosecutors have been aggressively pursuing the country’s endemic corruption in recent years with a series of high-profile investigations. The most sprawling to date, known as Operation Car Wash, has produced prison sentences for national politicians and executives from some of Brazil’s biggest construction companies on charges such as bribery and money laundering.

Operation Zealots centers on allegations that certain companies avoided paying large fines by bribing members of CARF, an appeal council that adjudicates disputes between Brazil’s tax agency and the nation’s top taxpayers.

Investigators are scrutinizing CARF decisions since 2005 that led to reduced fines, prosecutors say.
Gerdau’s shares in São Paulo plunged 6.7% to 6.16 reais Monday as reports of the Federal Police action leaked out.

Write to Rogerio Jelmayer at rogerio.jelmayer@wsj.com and Paul Kiernan at paul.kiernan@wsj.com

Support by : http://www.saynotocorruptionstore.com/
Publishing by : http://saynotocorruptionstore.blogspot.co.id/
Sumber by :    http://www.wsj.com/articles/brazils-police-accuse-gerdau-ceo-of-corruption-1463439539

Readmore → World Latin America Brazil’s Police Accuse Gerdau CEO of Corruption Authorities say steelmaker participated in scheme to evade $428.6 million in taxes

Mahama's govt is the most tolerant of rampant corruption – NPP

General News of Tuesday, 17 May 2016

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) says the glaring cases of naked, barefaced and blatant corruption that have characterised President John Dramani Mahama’s government have left many Ghanaians in deep shock.

According to the party, records available to all Ghanaians show clearly that President Mahama's government is not only the most tolerant of corruption but is also neck deep in corruption and has the worst record in fighting corruption in the Fourth Republic.

These were contained in a statement issued by Nana Akomea, Director of Communication of the NPP, in response to President Mahama’s statement in London, United Kingdom, last Thursday, May 12, 2016, that his government has a good record in fighting corruption.

President Mahama stated that he has never taken a bribe, although he has been offered.

The NPP noted that a bribe may generally be defined as taking some inducement (money, houses, cars, scholarships for children, etc.) before one performs an official function or gives some favour to another person or party.

“For the question to be put this way, not even officials convicted of corruption charges nor ministers who have resigned their positions over corruption will admit to the taking of bribes!

“Fact is, the main forms of corruption this National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has engaged in have included a combination of single sourcing procurement and what a Supreme Court justice termed ‘create, loot and share’ schemes,” the statement added.

President Mahama, in London, cited his government's prosecution of some officials at the National Service Scheme as example of his fight and enforcement of the laws against corruption, and in response, the NPP wants President Mahama to answer to the world why he has not or would not enforce the same laws against corruption in the several other more egregious and blatant cases of naked corruption and theft of taxpayers’ monies.

“Why are the perpetrators of the payment of GH?52.8 million ($35 million) to Mr Woyome still walking free?

“Why are the perpetrators of the payment of over $30 million to messrs Waterville still walking free?

“Why are those who paid GH?72m ($36 million) to Subah Info Solutions for no work done still walking free and at post?

“Why are those public officials working in his office who perpetrated payments to Rlg and Asontaba in SADA GH?15m ($9 million ) and GH?36m ($18 million ) still walking free?

“Why are those public officials who colluded and perpetrated payments in the GYEEDA scandals of over GH?200m ($100m) to the same Rlgs, Asontaba Cottage Industries, Better Ghana Management Services, Zeera, etc still walking free?” the statement questioned.

It explained that in the case of GYEEDA, the government's own investigation committee indicted and demanded the prosecution of officials, including ministers of state for bribe taking, forgery of multiple bank accounts and serial awards of contracts to so-called ‘service providers’, even as those contracted services were not provided.

“Why are the perpetrators of the Smarttys bus branding scandal still walking free, even when the Attorney General had determined that those officials should be prosecuted in accordance with the laws?

“Why are major public contracts done through single sourcing leading to sometimes 200% to 300% inflation of contract prices as complained about by even the sitting Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Collins Dauda?

“Why is President Mahama's so-called probity, transparent and accountable government being ordered by the courts to publish a report on corruption done by the Attorney-General as in the Smartty's case?” it queried.

NPP challenged President Mahama’s statement in London that he does not put himself in a position to be bribed as he does not involve himself and his office in public procurement, describing the statement as untruth.

To buttress its argument, the NPP said in one specific case involving the contract for a major public service - the contracting for the single window inspection at the ports, a contract and service that involves millions of dollars - that contract was awarded to a company directly dictated from the Office of the President, against all the procurement laws of Ghana.

According to the NPP, President Mahama has still not responded to charges from no less a person than Mr Martin Amidu, then sitting Attorney-General, that President Mills had set up an investigation into the procurement of an aircraft from Brazil, a deal led and negotiated by then Vice-President Mahama in 2010.

“The implication of the setting up of such committee on President Mahama's integrity cannot be wished away.

“It is still surprising to many Ghanaians that such a charge from the then Attorney-General has not been refuted neither by President Mahama nor any of the named members of that committee,” it added.

The statement said in the Armajaro case, the Times of London newspaper on October 31, 2010 reported that Armajaro had lobbied then Vice-President Mahama and made payments to get a ban that had been placed on the company in Ghana after an Anas Aremeyaw Anas investigation lifted, saying, “Up till now, we have not got closure on this matter as the reputed British newspaper has not retracted their story”.

In reference to the STX housing deal, the NPP said the Koreans claimed in open court during abrogation hearings that they had paid facilitation fees of $10 million to government officials to facilitate the contract.

“Then Vice-President Mahama led those negotiations. Up till today, Ghanaians have not been told who got those monies and how the Koreans have been reimbursed,” it added.

The NPP noted that the Chief Justice has long set up a special court to prosecute corruption cases but there still seems to be a big deficit in the prosecution of the numerous cases of corruption identified in the Auditor-General's reports.

“In the words of the Chief Justice of Ghana, corruption today is at a ‘tipping point’.

“In the words of President J.J. Rawlings, who is the founder of the NDC and President Mahama's former boss, corruption today in President Mahama's government is now ‘endemic,’” it said.

Support by :http://www.saynotocorruptionstore.com/
Publishing by :saynotocorruptionstore.blogspot.co.id
Sumber :  http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Mahama-s-govt-is-the-most-tolerant-of-rampant-corruption-NPP-439244

Readmore → Mahama's govt is the most tolerant of rampant corruption – NPP

Montenegro's Marovic admits guilt in corruption case

Montenegro's ruling DPS party official Svetozar Marovic has been released from custody as part of a plea bargain agreement reached on Monday.

Source: FoNet Tuesday, May 17, 2016 | 10:34

Marovic, who in the past served as Montenegro's parliament speaker and as president and prime minister of Serbia and Montenegro, was arrested in December 2015 on corruption charges.
According to the plea bargain agreement, Marovic will receive a prison sentence of three years and eight months, while the money fine has not yet been agreed upon.

Marovic admitted to the special prosecutor that he was the leader of a criminal organization of about thirty people, which he said he formed in order to acquire illegal gains, RFE has reported, citing Montenegrin media.

He described the role of the group's members and their mode of operation, and revealed what accounts were used to move the money out of the country.

Marovic took on an obligation to tell the prosecution where more than 15 million euros from the damage done to the municipality of Budva ended up - that have been moved through a company registered in Montenegro to several foreign accounts.

Marovic at the same time claimed that he did not take the money in question, but was was himself cheated "in that corruption deal."

Montenegro's public broadcaster RTCG said that Marovic spent almost five months in the Spuz prison near Podgorica, and that "his medical condition was getting worse by the day, especially after he was presented with the material evidence collected against him."

It is believed this was the reason he decided to enter a plea bargain and "end his agony."

Supported by : http://www.saynotocorruptionstore.com/
Publishing by : http://saynotocorruptionstore.blogspot.co.id
Sumber : http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region.php?yyyy=2016&mm=05&dd=17&nav_id=98023 

Readmore → Montenegro's Marovic admits guilt in corruption case

Premier’s Summit jab shifts corruption debate

Eyes turn to US, Large countries

While UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s Anti-Corruption Summit may have ended without a unanimous commitment to automatic sharing of beneficial ownership information it did unmask the glaring disparity in the debate on global corruption as it relates to big countries versus small countries.
This point was highlight by the clear absence of the United States, represented by Secretary of State John Kerry at the summit held Thursday (12 May), on the list of countries that gave their commitment to the initiative to automatically exchange information on beneficial ownership.

The 40 country strong list, which was released by the UK Cabinet office on Friday (13 May) morning, indicated that “the next stage will be for the development of a global standard for this exchange.”
Among those committing to working on the initiative are the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Isle of Man, Jersey, Luxembourg and Sweden. The initiative, which is yet to be formalised, is being driven by the UK.
Premier McLaughlin, who spoke before the international panel at the summit last Thursday, pointed to the disparity and the double standards being used on the global stage as Cayman and British Virgin Islands are being pounded on transparency yet larger nations carry on uninhibited.

“It is time to put behind us the shades of hypocrisy, which are part and parcel, and have been part and parcel of the global discussion of this issue for years and years. Those countries with real political clout on the world stage continue to focus only on jurisdictions that are only smaller in size, while ignoring obvious jurisdictions that ought to be part of the conversation, the result will be continued failure,” Mr McLaughlin declared at the summit.

Mr McLaughlin, speaking with The Cayman Reporter briefly before departing from London to return to Cayman Friday (13 May) morning, said, he welcomed the feedback he has been receiving for his stance at the summit.

He said it was not only to the benefit of this country, but a point that impacts fellow Overseas Territories (OT) and Crown Dependencies (CD).

“I think we have finally, collectively, I don’t mean only Cayman, the OTs and CDs. I think we have finally turned the corner or finally started to turn the corner with respect to the dialogue on this issue of global corruption and the focus is now starting to be on some of the major metropolitan countries like the US who continue to have the most secretive jurisdictions in the world with respect to financial services company registers, those sorts of matters. Because for decades the focus has always been on us,” Mr McLaughlin said.

Last Thursday Allan Bell, chief minister of the Isle of Man, also shared the Premier’s position as he contended at the summit that “there wouldn’t be real progress unless the United States made its own tax havens, such as Delaware, more open.”

News articles coming out of the summit also reflected on issues pointed out by Premier McLaughlin who said Cayman’s “credentials in the fight against corruption cannot be seriously challenged” and gave this country a place at the table in the development of any new global standard.
From the Financial Times to the Voice of America fingers were pointed at larger countries for their seemingly blind eye approach to corruption as it relates to big countries.
Luis Ramirez, in his VOA article entitled “US, Britain share blame for ‘Pandemic’ corruption at London Summit” pointed out that “The London summit shifted the focus on global corruption, turning the spotlight of blame away from African generals, oligarchs and corrupt dictators and toward the rich countries, whose banks and real estate brokers have been the benefactors of the stolen wealth of nations.”
This point was conceded by Prime Minister Cameron and acknowledged the communiqué coming out of the summit.

While most countries pledged and signed on to the communiqué, Cayman did not.
Premier McLaughlin declined to sign as the communiqué commits signatories to automatic sharing of beneficial ownership information in the absence of a global standard.
Mr McLaughlin’s position on the matter heading into the summit was that Cayman will not agree to the implementing the new initiative until it becomes a global standard.

He maintained this position through his decision not to sign the 34 item communiqué which committed that signatory countries “will work towards ensuring the effective exchange of beneficial ownership information, in line with applicable data protection laws and rules, both domestically and internationally, and between authorities, including tax authorities, asset recovery offices, financial intelligence units (FIUs), law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies; and we note the recently announced initiative, joined by 40 jurisdictions, for the automatic exchange of beneficial ownership information of companies, trusts, foundations, shell companies and other relevant entities and legal arrangements.”
The communiqué also indicated that the countries ask Financial Action Task Force, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes to develop initial proposals on ways to improve the implementation of the international standards on transparency, “including on the availability of beneficial ownership information and its international exchange. This will help tax and law enforcement authorities track the complex offshore trails used by criminals.”

The UK Guardian reported that Cayman, together with the Isle of Man, was among a group of eleven countries that “will join the now 29-strong group where lists of beneficial owners are drawn up and shared between governments, although not publicly. Those countries include Cayman Islands, Jersey, Bermuda, the Isle of Man and the UAE.”

The Premier, in his remarks at the summit, pointed to this country’s participation in the multi-lateral convention which allows tax exchange with over 90 countries and automatic exchange of information via the EU savings directive, US FATCA and UK FATCA and its subscription to the OECD Common Reporting Standards as evidence of its willingness to engage and to participate.

“We have pursued and have met the standards of the OECD Anti-Bribery convention extended to us in 2010 and we have requested repeatedly the extension to the Cayman Islands of the UN convention against corruption. We have been assessed and our standards found to be more than adequate in that regard,” the Premier added in his statement at the summit.

Sumber : http://www.caymanreporter.com/2016/05/17/premiers-summit-jab-shifts-corruption-debate/
Support by : http://www.saynotocorruptionstore.com/
Publishing by : http://saynotocorruptionstore.blogspot.co.id 

Readmore → Premier’s Summit jab shifts corruption debate