Ex-Taiwan Prez Convicted of Corruption, Sentenced to Life

He's accused of taking millions in bribes; faces life in prison

(AP) - Taiwanese prosecutors indicted former President Chen Shui-bian on graft charges today, a stunning blow for a man who rose to power in 2000 on promises to reform the island's corrupt political culture. Chen has been jailed since Nov. 12 on accusations of money laundering and other offenses, and he mounted a 16-day hunger strike. If convicted, he faces life in prison. More»

(NEWSER) - Israeli police have recommended the indictment of the country's foreign minister for bribery, money laundering, and other corruption charges, Haaretz reports. Avigdor Lieberman, who leads the ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party and was kingmaker in February's closely-run election, has been under investigation for years and is accused of funneling cash to a chain of front companies and bank accounts even after he became a minister. If charged and convicted he faces 31 years in jail. More»

Firm lobbied for changes to Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

(NEWSER) - Walmart took part in an aggressive lobbying campaign to roll back the very same anti-bribery law it may be prosecuted under for alleged greasing palms in Mexico , the Washington Post finds. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which bans American companies from bribing foreign officials, has been in place since 1977 and the Obama administration has stepped up enforcement. Walmart joined a campaign to clarify the law and change how it is enforced—which critics call an attempt to instead gut the law. More»

Investigation reveals 'culture ... of illegal payments': police

(NEWSER) - Reporters for Rupert Murdoch's Sun tabloid made a habit of paying off not just the police but also public officials, normalizing a "culture ... of illegal payments," the officer leading the police investigation into News International told an inquiry today. "Systems have been created to facilitate those payments whilst hiding the identity" of a "network of corrupted officials," the officer added. The revelation could escalate US agencies' investigation of News Corp, should it hand the FBI or other US agencies new evidence, Reuters reports. More»

Counts date back to time as mayor of Jerusalem

(NEWSER) - Things got worse for Ehud Olmert today, as the former Israeli prime minister was indicted on charges related to bribes he allegedly took back when he was mayor of Jerusalem. Olmert is already on trial for three unrelated counts, but the new charges are the most serious: He’s accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars to facilitate the construction of a massive Jerusalem housing complex widely known as "the monster," the New York Times reports. More»