Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations

Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Nigeria and Angola, Africa�s biggest oil producers, have granted stakes in oil fields to companies that may be acting as fronts for government officials, stifling development in both countries, according to anti-corruption group Global Witness.

While increased oil output has generated billions of dollars for Angola and Nigeria, the misappropriation of public funds by corrupt officials remains one of the main causes of poverty in those countries, the London-based organization said today in an e-mailed report.

�Too often private �shell� companies with opaque ownership structures are awarded lucrative concessions, with little information available as to who the beneficial owners of the company are,� Global Witness said.� Continued at �..

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-09/oil-corruption-menaces-angola-nigeria-global-witness-says.html

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Commerce councilman pleads guilty in corruption case

February 7, 2012 | LATimes

A council member in the City of Commerce pleaded guilty Monday to a felony conspiracy charge stemming from his attempts to influence an investigation into his campaign�s financial dealings, the U.S. attorney�s office announced.

Councilman Robert Fierro reimbursed some contributors to his 2005 campaign with cash in a scheme that hid the true source of the funds, according to a sworn statement from his treasurer, who has also pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge. Later, when he learned of an FBI investigation into the scheme, he urged a contributor to tell �false stories� before the grand jury, the statement said.

Fierro, a preschool teacher, faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison. He said in a brief interview Tuesday that he would resign from his position in Commerce, an industrial city of about 13,000 residents.

�This mistake was contrary to all my beliefs and against everything I have strived to stand for,� he said. �I take full responsibility for my actions.�

Fierro is the second City of Commerce official to be convicted on corruption charges since 2010. That year, Councilman Hugo Argumedo pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice after he signed a false affidavit in support of an attorney who was suing the city over legal fees. Argumedo also resigned from office.� Continued at �..

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/02/commerce-councilman-pleads-guilty-in-corruption-case.html

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Jack Abramoff wont name names

The disgraced ex-lobbyist has been campaigning against corruption and lecturing lawmakers to clean up Washington since he was released from prison last year.

Politico ��By MJ LEE | 2/7/12 9:04 AM EST Updated: 2/7/12 11:29 AM EST

Jack Abramoff hinted Monday that he is aware of individuals whose conduct could get them in trouble, but insisted that his lips would remain sealed because he could never wish for even his �worst enemy� to be subjected to the painful experiences behind bars that he has endured.

The disgraced ex-lobbyist has been campaigning against corruption and lecturing lawmakers to clean up Washington since he was released from prison last year. In remarks at an event hosted by Public Citizen, Abramoff, who spent more than three years at the Cumberland Federal Correctional Institution, said he would not be responsible for others being put away.

While he understands why it would be in the interest of certain parties to pressure him to �reveal where all the bodies are buried and who might have done this and that,� he said, �Having gone through what I went through, watching my family be torn to shreds and my children suffer immensely, I can�t be the agent of doing that to someone else. I can�t be the agent of causing someone to go to prison.�� Continued at �..
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72543.html

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