corruption news stories on Newser

Distant Capitals = Corrupt States

Kevin Spak — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:30:05 CDT

James Madison once said that capital cities ought to be removed from the busiest parts of the country, so they'd be isolated from powerful interests. Well, guess again, Jim. A new study has found that states with distant capitals are much more likely to have rotten governments, the LA Times...

Walmart Fought to Scale Back Anti-Bribery Law

Rob Quinn — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:18:52 CDT

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...

China's Bo Tried Blocking Wife's Murder Probe: Report

Kevin Spak — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:46:16 CDT

Soap operas have nothing on the unfolding saga of ousted Chongqing boss Bo Xilai . The latest revelation in the saga: Bo's downfall was triggered when his police chief, Wang Lijun, came to him with evidence that his wife had murdered British lover Neil Heywood. Bo originally agreed to let Wang...

China Honcho Ordered Brit's Murder Via Cyanide

Mark Russell — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 13:59:05 CDT

The British businessman who died mysteriously in China last November was actually poisoned with cyanide at the orders of disgraced politico Bo Xilai, reports the Daily Mail . Neil Heywood was killed because he was having an affair with Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, and because he helped her sneak $1.26...

When It Comes to Corruption, 8 States Get Fs

Matt Cantor — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:46:56 CDT

After a thorough investigation of corruption in state politics, the Center for Public Integrity has made up report cards for each state—and the results are depressing. Not one state managed anything in the A-range, while eight—Michigan, the Dakotas, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Georgia, and Wyoming—scored Fs. Coming...

Jail-Bound Blago Says Goodbye

Rob Quinn — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 02:00:00 CDT

Rod Blagojevich spent part of his last day as a free man saying farewell to the press and the public. The former governor of Illinois, who starts a 14-year sentence for corruption today, held a "public goodbye" outside his Chicago home. In a speech to journalists, neighbors, and well-wishers—some...

US Suspects Afghan Air Force of Drug Running

Kevin Spak — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:40:34 CST

The US military and the DEA are both investigating the Afghan Air Force, over allegations that it has been using its aircraft—most of which were funded with US cash—to ferry narcotics and illegal weapons around the country, officials tell the Wall Street Journal . Senior AAF and Afghan government...

NM Town Elects Mayor Who's Barred From City Hall

Kevin Spak — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:39:08 CST

Sunland Park, New Mexico, elected 28-year-old Daniel Salinas as mayor yesterday, but Salinas is going to have a tough time doing the job; he's forbidden by law from stepping foot on city property or talking to city workers. Salinas, the town's current mayor pro tem, has been charged with extortion...

Murdoch's Sun Regularly Paid Off Corrupt Officials

Matt Cantor — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:55:20 CST

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...