Included in this issue: Suspended death sentence for Chinese official who stockpiled almost $30 million of illegitimate funds in case; Money laundering reports in Ireland have increased by 40% in two years and more...
Bribery and Corruption
Suspended death sentence for Chinese official who stockpiled almost $30 million ofillegitimate funds in case
Wei Pengyuan a former energy official in the Chinese government has been convicted of corruption after more than 200 million Yuan (almost $30 million) was found in cash at his home. The court at Baoding stated that these sums far exceeded Pengyuans's legal income and were the result of bribes accepted by Pengyuan in return for his approval of large coal projects. It is reported that the court handed down a death sentence suspended by two years which means, in practice, that Pengyuan will serve life without eligibility for parole.
Mombasa officials arrested on allegations of bribery
Mombasa officials investigating water quality at a Kenyan bottled water facility have been charged with allegedly receiving a Sh1 million bribe from the company they were investigating. A number of the charged officials suggest the arrest is politically motivated.
Money Laundering
Money laundering reports in Ireland have increased by 40% in two years
It has been reported that the Irish Department of Justice and Department of Finance has jointly published Ireland's first money laundering report.
It is understood that there has been a significant increase in money laundering activity in Ireland in recent years. The number of suspicious transaction reports filed, for instance, has increased from 15,200 to 21,700 in the two years leading up to 2015.
Irish Examiner,15 October 2016
Cyber Crime
UK economy loses £10.9bn to cyber fraud every year
According to a report by Cyber crime prevention group, Get Safe Online, the amount lost to cybercrime every year is rising.
It is reported that cybercrime losses rose to the equivalent of £210 per UK adult between April 2015 and April 2016. It is understood that this is largely achieved by directing victims to websites where their personal information can be harvested or by hacking email or social media accounts of victims. Experts suggest that to combat this threat we should regularly change our passwords, ensure that we download the latest security updates and ensure that we have robust privacy settings on our social media pages.
Sanctions
US and EU consider more sanctions against Russia in wake of Aleppo siege
Russia's continued air bombing of Syrian city Aleppo and Russian attacks on civilians have sparked calls for more aggressive sanctions against Russia.
Health & Safety
Cleaning company found guilty of manslaughter after employee dies at work
The owner of a gutter cleaning and roofing company has been found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 5 years in prison after the death of a teenage employee.
Colin Jeffery, who traded under the name Utterly Gutterly, was found guilty by a jury after a two week trial at Exeter Crown Court. The court heard how in December 2014 Beau Jennians, 17, was working on a ladder when he fell 6.7m, the home owner found him unconscious on his driveway.
Mr Jeffery had denied manslaughter and a health and safety breach, telling the court he was not responsible for the young man's death because there was no working contract between them.
Mr Jeffery also pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 of further health and safety offences at four other properties in the Torbay area.
Health and Safety at Work,17 October 2016
Fraud
Trial date set for Tesco executives accused of fraud
Carl Rogberg, John Scouler and Christopher Bush, former directors at Tesco, appeared in court this week accused of a £326 million accounting fraud. Southwark Crown Court set the date for the full trial for 4 September 2017. Each man has been charged with one count of fraud by abuse of position and one count of false accounting after an investigation was launched into the accounting practices of Tesco by the SFO in October 2014.
SFO speech on Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs)
On Monday 17 October, Ben Morgan, Joint Head of Bribery and Corruption at the SFO, made a speech intended as a 'Practical Guide' for the Defence and Prosecution working on a DPA. He highlighted the broad potential for DPAs saying they "could be fitting for almost any case".
