Bribe, Swindle or Steal

For World Pangolin Day on Saturday, we’re reposting our podcast about the beleaguered pangolin. Professor Katharine Abernethy discusses the dramatic and illegal overhunting and subsequent smuggling of pangolins, the most trafficked animal in the world, to supply the Asian market with their scales believed—without evidence—to cure cancer.

Etelle Higonnet with the National Wildlife Federation takes us through the complex and intersecting problems raised by the cocoa industry: environmental degradation, child labor and extreme financial disparities that prevent most cocoa farmers from ever tasting the chocolate they grow.

On today’s podcast, Tom Burgis discusses his latest book: “Kleptopia: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World.” Tom joins me for a webinar hosted by Tom Keating of RUSI, in London.

We’re reposting the conversation with Marcus Stern, who broke the story about the bribery scheme that landed Congressman Randall “Duke” Cunningham in jail for seven years. Cunningham also pleaded guilty to fraud and tax evasion.

Michael Johnston joins the podcast to discuss his new book, with co-author Scott Fritzen: The Conundrum of Corruption. Michael is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Colgate University and has written extensively on the underlying causes of corruption and how best to tackle it. In this podcast, he urges a new approach to the problem.

Nicola Bonucci and Nat Edmonds, in Paul Hastings’ Paris and Washington offices respectively, discuss the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention and the Working Group and its recent Phase 4 review of the United States and wrap up with some recommendations for multinational corporations.

Tom Best, a partner in Paul Hastings’ Washington office, joins the podcast to review sanctions policy under the Trump Administration and then makes some predictions about what we should expect from President Biden in 2021.

Robert Cribb of the Toronto Star discusses the emails and documents turned over to the media in furtherance of a family feud that spans continents and exposes financial schemes that are both complex and well-documented.

Rupert Younger of Oxford’s Center for Corporate Reputation and Alexandra discuss some novel bribery schemes at Berkeley’s 2019 “Fraudfest”. (The sound quality reflects the conference setting.)

Jennifer Taub, author, legal scholar, professor and advocate, joins the podcast to talk about her latest book: Big Dirty Money: The Shocking Injustice and Unseen Cost of White Collar Crime. Jennifer focuses, in particular, on how much more gently we treat corporate financial crime than we do very petty financial crime, in spite of the fact that the former costs taxpayers far more money.