Practicing and Prosecuting Foreign Corruption: In KI’s latest podcast, Casey Michel talks to Steve Levine about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a controversial case study, and prospects under the Trump administration.
News
- This week, Congress will move to repeal a law requiring oil, gas, and mining firms to report payments made to foreign governments - effectively blinding the U.S. government to complicity in overseas corruption. (Bloomberg, KI)
- President Trump signed an Executive Order imposing a lifetime ban on administration officials from lobbying on behalf of foreign governments, and a five year ban on other types of lobbying. However, experts warn that itweakens existing rules in many respects, and could even boost “shadow lobbying.” (Lawfare, Politico, Bloomberg)
- Australia investigated more than $3 billion in suspicious transfers by Chinese investors last year, including $1 billion in property. (News.com.au)
- Some MEPs are trying to water down transparency rules proposed in the aftermath of the Panama Papers scandal, citing privacy concerns. (Politico)
Features
- For more background on Trump’s foreign lobbying restriction, read KI’s quick guide to U.S. foreign lobbying laws, and Casey Michel on the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
- The Kremlin is funding anti-fracking campaigns in the U.S. (Drew Johnson, Newsweek)
- Putin has exposed democracy’s technical frailties. (Luke Harding, Prospect)
