For the first time, the US Ministry of Justice publicly left the case of foreign bribery because President Donald Trump stopped promoting the key anti -class law.
The long -term case of foreign bribery concerned two former executives Cognisant Technology Solutions, Gordon Coburn and Steven Schwartz. Prosecution dated from the first period of Trump.
According to Reuters, US district judge Michael Farbiarz in Newark, New Jersey, rejected the case against them on Thursday (April 4). The decision also banned the prosecutor to reopen the matter, the New York Post report said.
Trump’s executive order
The release came two days after Alina Habba, the reigning American lawyer in New Jersey, said the case should be canceled. She argued that the executive order of US President Donald Trump canceled the basis for continuing the court proceedings under the Act on Foreign corrupt practices (FCPA).
Habba, who also represented Trump in private practice, said her request was followed by a consultation with the office of the General Prosecutor Pam Bondi and reflected the “recent assessment” of Trump’s executive order that stopped the FCPA enforcement.
“After consulting the Office of the Prosecutor General, the government will move here to reject the matter,” Habba said on Wednesday, according to the New York Post.
Last month, Farbiarz rejected the request of Habby’s predecessor John Giordan about a delay of 180 days and planned the trial of 7 April, Reuters reported. The judge quoted the rights of the defendants to a rapid court in a six -year case.
What’s that?
Cognisant is Teaneck, New Jersey Information Technology and Outsourcing Company.
The US authorities accused Coburn and Schwartz in February 2019 for a 2 million dollars for an Indian official for helping a building permit for the new Cognizant in Chennai.
Coburn and Schwartz confessed that they were not guilty. The Cognisant agreed to pay $ 25.2 million to settle the related civil case for the Securities and Stock Exchange Commission, which included the accusation that the company had approved two other bribes in the total amount of $ 1.64 million.
James Loonam, a lawyer for Coburn, said in his statement: “We are grateful that we were able to convince the reach of what we knew for a long time: that this case was never to be brought.”
Lawrence Lustberg, a lawyer for Schwartz, said in his statement referring to his client: “As we maintained all the time, he is innocent and these charges should never be raised.”
FCPA, which was enacted in 1977, prohibits companies operating in the United States in bribery of foreign officials.
Trump described FCPA as “terrible law” and, when signing his executive order, stated that the end of recovery “would” mean much more business for America “.
(With the entry from agencies)
(Tagstotranslate) Cognisant
