» Diana Schemo

U.S. Grows as Hub in Global Rhino Horn Smuggling

by Fiona MacLeod / Published May 17, 2013 in Economics | Leave a comment
Illegal smuggling of rhino horns has grown after a 20-year decline. (PHOTO: U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE)

A California father and son team described by federal prosecutors as being “at the apex of the rhino horn smuggling pyramid” in the United States has been sentenced to more than three years in prison on federal wildlife smuggling and money laundering charges. Vihn Chuong “Jimmy” Kha and his son, Felix Kha, ran a lucrative smuggling operation estimated at $2.5 million that prosecutors linked to a global network of poachers and buyers from China to South Africa, where an average of two of the endangered animals are killed each day. After a 20-year decline, the traffic in rhino horns has climbed since 2008, and is now valued at up to $8 billion a year, according to the U.S. Fish and … [FULL ARTICLE]

Transparency’s Small Win

by Chad Bouchard / Published April 30, 2013 in Corruption, Economics | Leave a comment
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A United States Appeals Court has declined to hear a challenge to a new rule that requires companies in the extractive industries to disclose their payments to foreign governments. Led by the American Petroleum Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the companies had argued that the law violates a right to free speech, by compelling them to disclose information that could be considered politically charged in the countries where they do business. The Securities and Exchange Commission had countered that companies must disclose financial information all the time, and this new rule, set to take effect next year, is no different. The case proceeds at a lower court. By Chad Bouchard for 100Reporters. -. [FULL ARTICLE]

Left Out

by Chad Bouchard / Published March 26, 2013 in Corruption, Economics | Leave a comment
An anti-bribery billboard in Chipata, Zambia. According to StAR, developing countries lose $20-$40 billion in state revenues every year. Photo: Lars Plougmann / Foter.com

In the world of international corruption, researchers and watchdogs are wrestling with an awkward truth: only a smidgen of the billions of dollars in stolen assets that are recovered through government investigation and prosecution ends up back in the countries from which they were taken. In many cases, settlements are negotiated without the knowledge of countries where the crimes took place. A 100Reporters exclusive by Chad Bouchard. -. [FULL ARTICLE]

Oil v. Transparency

by Chad Bouchard / Published March 22, 2013 in Economics | Leave a comment
Howard Crystal (L) and Jonathan Kaufman outside the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. /PHOTO CHAD BOUCHARD

Oil, gas and mining industries banded together against a new rule in the United States that aims to lift the fog surrounding payments to governments for natural resources. The new rule, part of a sweeping set of financial reforms known as Dodd-Frank, forces companies to disclose project-by-project payments to foreign governments. The companies are arguing that the new law violates their right to free speech. By Chad Bouchard for 100Reporters. -. [FULL ARTICLE]

Manning Pleads Guilty, Saying He Hoped to Spark Public Debate

by Chad Bouchard / Published March 1, 2013 in Politics | Leave a comment
Bradley Manning supporters decorated a security fence with photos during a rally outside Fort Meade on Tuesday. / PHOTO CHAD BOUCHARD

  Fort Meade – Sitting in front of a packed military courtroom, Army intelligence officer Bradley Manning pleaded guilty to 10 out of 22 charges that he misused classified information, but pleaded not guilty to the more serious charges of willfully aiding the enemy. Dressed in full uniform, the 25-year-old Army private told the court in a prepared statement that he passed classified government documents to the website WikiLeaks in part because the U.S. was “risking so much for people who felt so unwilling to cooperate with us, leading to hatred and frustration on both sides.” “I believe that if the general public had access to the information this could spark a domestic debate as to the role of the … [FULL ARTICLE]

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