Tanzania: Man Offered Tsh Seven Million for His Mother to Be Killed
Julius Moikani who allegedly hired a thug to kill his mother over a disputed piece of land had promised to pay the killer Tsh 7 million if he succeeded in the mission. The grisly mission was accomplished in September this year when the mother was brutally killed but the thug is yet to be paid. More »
Botswana: 'Passion Killer' in Long Trek
A 31-year-old man is alleged to have walked for almost 150 kilometres after killing his long time girlfriend. More »
Botswana: Counterfeit Goods Producers On Rampage
Producers of counterfeit goods have gone on a rampage, targeting everything from t-shirts, CDs, cassettes, DVDs, electrical appliances to computer software. More »
Botswana: Magistrate Slams Prosecution in Theft Case
Chief Magistrate, Lorraine Makati-Lesang condemned the prosecutor in a theft case last week saying that his predicament should not prejudice suspects. More »
Nigeria: Assault On Okeke - CDs Orders Navy to Investigate
Chief of Defence Staff, Chief Marshall Paul Dike, yesterday said he expects "a full and thorough investigation" into the the assault by naval ratings attached to Rear Admiral Harry Arogundade, on Miss Uzoma Okeke, in Lagos. More »
Uganda: Kawempe Division Loses Sh320m
KAWEMPE resident district commissioner Edward Ssekabanja has blamed the division chairman, Nasser Takuba, for the loss of sh320m in court awards a week ago. More »
Uganda: Court Summons Aya Investments Boss
THE High Court yesterday ordered Mohammad Mohammad Hamit (Jr), the chairman of Aya Investments, to appear in court on Monday, over claims that the firm paid its former lawyer's legal fees. More »
Nigeria: Former Governor Re-Arraigned for Money Laundering
For the third time in three months, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday re-arraigned the former Oyo State Governor, Chief Rashidi Ladoja, before a Federal High Court in Lagos, on a 10 count-charge of alleged stealing of public funds and fraudulent sales of Oyo State shares totalling N4.5 billion. More »
Nigeria: Crimes Commission to Work With Moneygram
MoneyGram International ,a global money transfer company along with its agent banks in Nigeria has assured the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC ) of its continued commitment to fighting fraud and other economic crimes. More »
Nigeria: Alleged Fraud - Will Bankole Come Out Clean?
There have been series of allegations of fraud levelled against the leadership of the House of Representatives headed by Hon. Dimeji Bankole in the last few weeks. Charles Ajunwa writes on the bone of contention, asking if Bankole will be vindicated in the end More »
Nigeria: PPA Asks ICPC, EFCC to Probe ORJI Over Money Laundering Allegation
Abia State chapter of the Progressive Peoples' Alliance (PPA), yesterday, called on the two anti-graft bodies, ICPC and EFCC, to carry out thorough investigation into allegations of looting and money laundering recently made against Governor Theodore Orji. More »
Nigeria: Gunmen Kidnap Doctor, Demand N5 Million Ransom
A Medical doctor attached to the Delta State Ministry of Health, working with the State Action Committee on HIV/AIDS (SACA), Dr. John Osuyali, has been abducted by unknown gunmen. More »
Uganda: Refugee Agency to Help Set Up Police Out-Posts
THE UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) will build 20 out-posts for Special Police Constables (SPCs) in Kitgum, the resident district commissioner has said. More »
Nigeria: Alleged Extortion - EFCC Arrests Terry Waya
Prominent socialite and businessman, Terry Waya, has been picked up by the Economic and Financial Crimes Comm-ission (EFCC) and is at present being interrogated by EFCC officials at the commission's headquarters in Abuja. More »
South Africa: Children in the Witness Box Under Scrutiny
THE Criminal Procedure Act provides that when child witnesses testify, courts may appoint intermediaries to help them. More »
Tunisia: Two Websites Victims of Hacking Attacks
The independent electronic publication Tunisnews ( http://www.tunisnews.net ) has announced that its site was the target of a hacking attack on 5 November 2008, and that the administrators of the site have succeeded in overcoming the attack. More »
Despite Obama Victory, Will Supreme Court Justices Sit Tight?
Conventional wisdom, accelerated by Barack Obama's Nov. 4 victory, has Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Paul Stevens and David Souter, all on the moderate-liberal wing of the Court, heading for the exits during Obama's first term. As the theory goes, all three justices would be happier being replaced under a Democrat. But justices don't always follow political timetables for their departures. And Ginsburg, for one, has put the word out in no uncertain terms that she isn't looking to leave. More »
McDermott Takes Heller's Silicon Valley Space
Two years ago, Heller Ehrman's Silicon Valley office was filled with hope as workers put the finishing touches on a fancy remodel. With news Monday that the collapsed law firm negotiated a settlement to get out of the expensive lease, the office is offering a new kind of hope -- that Heller might avoid bankruptcy. The new tenant is Chicago-based McDermott, Will & Emery, which announced on Monday that it had signed a new 10-year lease. More »
2nd Circuit: Plaintiffs in Credit Card Antitrust Case Cannot Be Compelled to Arbitrate
Plaintiffs who claim a conspiracy by American Express to cover up an antitrust plot with other major credit card companies on foreign currency transactions won a victory as a federal appeals court said they cannot be compelled to arbitrate. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the plaintiffs could not be forced into arbitration because American Express was not a signatory to the MasterCard, Visa and Diners Club credit card agreements that included the arbitration clauses. More »
Supreme Court Argument Report: Jack the Ripper in His Armchair
The Supreme Court on Monday considered a case involving whether a defendant's failure to report for confinement after conviction constitutes a "violent crime" under the Armed Career Criminal Act. The justices weighed arguments concerning whether failure to report is an aggressive or a passive act, and contemplated hypotheticals involving a defendant shirking jail time in order to relax in his armchair or to create holiday memories with his family. More »
NFL Union Ordered to Pay $28.1 Million to Retirees
A San Francisco federal jury on Monday ordered the NFL Players Association to pay a total of $28.1 million to retired players after finding the union failed to properly market their images on their behalf for use in video games, trading cards and other sports products. The figure includes $21 million in punitive damages, just short of the $21.9 million award that the players' lawyer had asked of the jury to reflect roughly 10 percent of the union's net worth at the start of the year. More »
17 Thelen Energy Lawyers Go to Morgan Lewis
Morgan Lewis & Bockius got an energy boost this week with the addition of 17 attorneys from disbanding Thelen. The attorneys, all of whom focus largely on capital markets and transactions in the electric, gas and nuclear sectors, will join Morgan Lewis' New York office, where they will be members of the business and finance team. The firm said this latest addition will solidify its position as a full-service resource for the utilities industry. More »
Lawyer for Broadcom Co-Founder Enters Guilty Plea in Backdating Probe
An attorney who worked for indicted Broadcom co-founder Henry T. Nicholas III has pleaded guilty to evading a banking law and will cooperate with the federal government in a sweeping stock options backdating probe involving his former boss. Craig Gunther could face up to two years in prison. Nicholas has pleaded not guilty and is free on bail pending trial next year. More »
Censure Advised for Judge Whose Lawyer Appeared in Court
Acting Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael R. Ambrecht, who presided over two criminal matters in which his personal attorney appeared, acted in a "manifestly improper" manner and should be publicly censured, the state Commission on Judicial Conduct has recommended. But the commission dismissed a charge that Ambrecht issued a politically motivated decision about the local DA. In so doing, the commission rejected a recommendation that Ambrecht be removed from office. More »