The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) failed to respond promptly to allegedly improper e-mail correspondence between former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) and a former congressional page from Louisiana in July 2006, according to a report released Monday by US Dept. of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Glenn Fine . Fine concluded that the email constituted sufficient [...]
The British government Monday released proposed money-laundering regulations that would broaden controls on businesses, politicians, and foreign officials with a view to controlling corruption, fighting crime and making financing of terrorism more difficult. The new rules would require financial institutions to investigate politicians and officials to confirm the legality of the wealth they acquire. The [...]
The office of the Russian Prosecutor General has suspended its investigation into an alleged coup plot by billionaire businessman Boris Berezovsky , a lawyer for Berezovsky said Monday. Berezovsky is currently living in London, and his lawyer said that the prosecutor's office has informed him that the investigation cannot be continued without Berezovsky's presence. Last [...]
The special court for organized crime in Serbia Monday began a trial for 35 members of the so-called "Bankruptcy Mafia" – including former Belgrade Commercial Court president Goran Kljajevic and other prominent businessmen, bankers, lawyers, and judges – accused of embezzling funds and used the government to secure financial gain. The defendants were indicted October [...]
The US Supreme Court handed down decisions in three cases Monday, including Cunningham v. California where the Court struck down as unconstitutional California sentencing rules that allow judges to exercise discretion to tack on additional years to prison sentences beyond that determined by a jury. The Court overturned a California Court of Appeal decision , [...]
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair will most likely resign if charges are brought against his closest aides in a growing "cash-for-honours" investigation , senior ministers have told The Guardian newspaper. The arrest of Director of Government Relations Ruth Turner on Friday on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in a probe into whether British [...]
Australian officials said Monday that Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks could face reduced charges when he goes to trial before new US military commissions, the procedural rules for which were promulgated last week. Hicks' original charges , which were brought in 2004, have lapsed but he still faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment [...]
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of the Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) resigned Monday as a controversial election threatens to undermine the political stability of the country. CEC MA Aziz voluntarily took a three-month leave of absence in order to resolve a political deadlock over the status and membership of the Commission. Most of Aziz's five [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) Monday urged Rwandan judges and police to investigate and stop attacks on individuals administering or testifying in local tribunals known as Gacaca courts to bring those allegedly involved in the 1994 genocide to justice. In a report released by the rights watchdog Monday, HRW cited the November deaths of nine individuals [...]
Czech Republic Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said Sunday that leaders in Prague are not on board with ratifying the European constitution in its current form, and do not plan to take part in future ratification discussions. The decision marks the second time that the Czech Republic declined to continue debating the charter, the first being [...]
