Murdoch paid US Chamber of Commerce in 2010 to lobby for altering the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

[seafan]

Phone hacking: Murdoch paid US anti-bribery law lobbyists


By Ed Pilkington in New York
14 July 2011 18.11 BST

Rupert Murdoch donated $1m to a pro-business lobby in the US months before the group launched a high-profile campaign to alter the anti-bribery law – the same law that could potentially be brought to bear against News Corporation over the phone-hacking scandal.

News Corporation contributed $1m to the US Chamber of Commerce last summer. In October the chamber put forward a six-point programme for amending the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, a law that punishes US-based companies for engaging in the bribery of foreign officials.

Progressive groups in the US have speculated that there is no coincidence in the contemporaneous timing of the Murdoch donation and the launch of the chamber's FCPA campaign, which they claim is designed to weaken the anti-bribery legislation. "The timing certainly raises questions about who is bankrolling this campaign – if it's not News Corporation who is it?" said Joshua Dorner of the Centre for American Progress action fund.

.....

The Chamber of Commerce dismissed the suggestions of a link between its campaign and the News of the World scandal as "preposterous" and "completely false". "Our efforts to modernise an outdated act have been ongoing for nearly a year," a spokesman said, adding that the aim of the proposals was to obtain clear rules of the road for American businesses.

.....

This article also points out that this 1977 law has been increasingly and aggressively utilized in the past several years--- most notably to recover $2.8 Billion in settlements since 2007.


And the US Chamber of Commerce wants us to believe that any links between its attempts to weaken this law on Rupert Murdoch's behalf are "preposterous" and "completely false".

Right.


Wonder when we'll hear the response from the Koch brothers.



If there were ever a more profound opportunity to drain this cesspool of corruption infecting our media, manipulating our government and strangling our democracy, it is difficult to imagine it.


All hands on deck.




Eliot Spitzer, the former New York governor, is among American political voices calling for Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation to be prosecuted in the US for bribery in the News of the World scandal. Photograph: Charles Ommanney/Getty Images

[OneGrassRoot]

1. Oh, snap! Seafan is da bomb! :) K&R n/t

[Dappleganger]

5. Seriously!

What a great find!!

[Octafish]

10. Totally!

[malaise]

2. The timing is amazing

It suggests that Murdoch knew what what coming down the pike across the pond. Remember big mouth Brooks admitted that they paid bribes to the police.

I'm lovin' it. :popcorn:

[OneGrassRoot]

3. me, too

:toast:

:hi:

[Doctor_J]

4. Sadly, this is probably not illegal

corrupt, yes. Anti-democracy, yes. But our laws are so corrupt that this is probably just fine.

[global1]

6. Coincidence - I Think Not.......

As this begins to unravel I guess we'll learn more about the so-called 'liberal media'. (sarcasm) Yeah right. It looks like this scandal is going to reveal some interesting bedfellows. I think we're going to find out who or what the puppeteer is. The one(s) holding the strings and pulling them. Very interesting.......... Hmmmmm.....

[brendan120678]

7. Honestly, as someone who works in the...

Aerospace & Defense business, some of the changes that the USCOC were pressing for would be greatly welcomed.

For example, the USCOC wanted to add a "Compliance Defense." That is, if a company has acceptable safeguards and regulations in place to prevent violations of the FCPA, but the FCPA gets violated by a lone (i.e. "rogue") employee/s, the company can avoid penalty, while the violating employee/s can still be prosecuted.

A second change would have been to add a "Willful" requirement for corporate liabilities, that individuals currently can enjoy. In other words, an individual's violation of the FCPA has to be a willful violation - accidental violations do not count. A corporation, however, can be prosecuted for accidental violations.

I'm not doubting that Murdoch was funding some of the lobbying for his own selfish reasons. Just pointing out that the changes weren't necessarily all bad.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Was this federal statute changed or weakened?

[seafan]

9. FCPA hearing was scheduled for June 14, 2011 in House Judiciary Committee

This is the latest info I have seen:


Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Under Attack

June 13, 2011

House Judiciary to Hold Hearing on Changes to Key Anti-Bribery, Corruption Law

Global Financial Integrity

WASHINGTON, DC – The House Judiciary Committee will convene a hearing tomorrow to consider whether to amend the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the nation’s flagship anti-corruption legislation. Among other things, the hearing will specifically consider amendments proposed to the act by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which FCPA-proponents charge will significantly weaken the anti-corruption legislation and undermine efforts to tackle corruption and illicit financial practices abroad.

“The Chamber’s proposed changes would seriously undermine one of the most important anti-corruption statues we have on the books,” said Global Financial Integrity (GFI) legislative affairs director and legal affairs council Heather Lowe. “This is a blatant attempt by the business lobby to limit accountability and reduce a company’s risk of prosecution for paying bribes. It is a real threat to global efforts to stamp out corruption and foster economic development.”

The hearing will include testimony by: the Honorable Michael Mukasey, Former Attorney General and Partner at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and lobbyist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Greg Andres, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, Mr. George Terwilliger , Partner at White & Case LLP, and Ms. Shana-Tara Regon , Director of White Collar Crime Policy and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

“With the exception of Mr. Andres, the witness lineup represents commercial interests,” said Ms. Lowe. “There is no witness on the panel representing those who are working to fight corruption without a commercial interest or government policy driving their testimony. Members of Congress need to have an opportunity to hear those voices as well.”

.....

Much more information in the link below, including current actions on Maxwell Technologies, Inc., Tyson Foods, Inc., IBM Corporation, Ball Corporation, JGC Corporation, Comverse Technology, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Tenaris S.A., and several individuals.


2011 Mid-Year FCPA Update, Jul 11, 2011



We can see why Rupert Murdoch, US Chamber of Commerce, etc. want to gut this law pronto.

[azul]

11. Chamber of commerce is verily the chamber of corruption.

Because all this chamber activity is entirely legal is simply unacceptable and needs remedy.

An organization that bribes congress to pass the legislation that it writes to make bribery legal for US businesses in other countries. Astonishingly out-front about it too, the opposition to its corruption too feeble to fear, until now.