Washington – "In order to fight corruption you have to deny safe haven for the corrupt," according to John Brandolino, director for anticrime programs for the U.S. Department of State's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) provisions on asset recovery help do that, he said.

"No other convention deals with the asset recovery issue in such a comprehensive way," Brandolino said in an interview with USINFO December 4. The convention’s provisions on asset recovery promote international cooperation in training and confiscating illicitly acquired funds and return them to their country of origin.

For the asset recovery efforts to be effective, there must be full participation of the international community, Brandolino said, so that corrupt entities cannot take their funds from one nation to another.

Brandolino made his remarks ahead of the first high-level conference since the convention came into force on December 14, 2005. Representatives of the countries that have ratified the U.N. Convention Against Corruption will meet in Dead Sea, Jordan, December 10 -14, to work on turning the international anti-corruption convention’s words into actions. The goal of the conference is to get parties together to develop a process for promoting implementation of the convention, Brandolino said.

The convention, the first international legally binding anti-corruption agreement, outlines actions governments are required to take to reduce corruption. It has been signed by 140 nations and ratified by 80.

According to a November 29 U.N. press release, asset recovery is one of three key issues at the Jordan conference. The 800 delegates also will focus on monitoring nations' compliance with the convention and providing technical assistance to ensure that police, prosecutors and judges are equipped with the tools needed to prevent and punish corruption.

International cooperation is a key element of the convention. It establishes guidelines for improving mutual law enforcement, investigations and extraditions.

UNITED STATES ACTIVE IN FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION

The United States became a party to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption on November 29. The U.S. ratification sends a strong message to the world that the United States views the convention as an important focal point for anti-corruption efforts, Brandolino said.

The United States goal at the Jordan conference, Brandolino said, is to work with the parties to make sure the convention is implemented effectively. The U.S. delegation to the conference includes representatives from the State Department, Justice Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The United States already has been working actively with the United Nations and independently to fight corruption worldwide. It has given money to help countries fight corruption as part of the U.N. Global Program Against Corruption. U.S. assistance also has helped other nations learn how to institute the proper laws, financial management systems and public procurement systems to prevent corruption.

The full text of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption is available on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Web site.

More information about the convention will be available in a December 12 webchat at USINFO’s Webchat Station.

President Bush says it was a very constructive meeting with Republican leaders who now control Congress and Democratic leaders who will take charge in January.

"We talked about Iraq," he said. "We talked about the need for a new way forward in Iraq. And we talked about the need to work together on this important subject."

The president assured Democrats that the "White House door will be open" when they become the majority party in the next Congress, and said he hopes they can meet regularly.

"The reason you meet on a regular basis is so that the American people can know that we are working hard to find common ground. That is what they expect us to do. They expect us to work on big problems and solve them," he said.

Mr. Bush thanked outgoing Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert who lost their leadership positions in last month's electoral defeat for Republicans. With Democrats set to take charge of Congress in January, the president said he looks forward to working with incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Bipartisanship is central to the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, which said the United States deserves a debate on Iraq that prizes substance over rhetoric.

Among the study group's recommendations are talks with Iran and Syria and the withdrawal of most U.S. combat troops by early 2008.

But, following talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair Thursday, President Bush said there will be no direct talks with Iran until it gives up what he says is its nuclear weapons program. Iran has long denied that is seeking to make nuclear weapons. It says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. Mr. Bush also said there would be no dialogue with Syria until it stops interfering in Lebanon.

As for troop levels, Mr. Bush said he needs to be "flexible and realistic" about U.S. withdrawals from Iraq.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the president will also consider pending reports on Iraq from the Pentagon, State Department, and National Security Council with the goal of making an address to the nation on the issue sometime before Christmas.

This is a major strategic revamp for Samsung, which has focused solely on the premium markets with pricey, feature-rich models.

"Let me say this first: we have no plan at all to introduce phones cheaper than $50. But we seek to attack the $50-$100 markets in some developing nations," said the executive, who declined to be named.

"This does not mean we will scrap our unique strategy of selling premium phones. We plan to ship the low-priced models to just a handful of potential-laden destinations to preempt the markets," he said.

As possible destinations of the inexpensive models, the anonymous executive picked India and countries in Southeast Asia and South America.

"Our top priority is to make folks in the entry markets get familiar with the user interfaces and brand of made-by-Samsung handsets," the executive said.

"Then, they will buy more expensive Samsung phones later when they switch their handsets after the income level goes up there," he said.

Experts point out the global competition to increase sales with low-priced handsets prompts Samsung to flirt with the low-tier wireless markets.

"As Nokia and Motorola continue to roll out cheap handsets in the developing countries, Samsung seems to have no choice but to jump onto the bandwagon to keep its market share," Mirae Asset analyst Kim Kyung-mo said.

"The tactical change is a two-edged sword: it may help Samsung to add market share or it may end up blowing out the hard-earned premium image of the firm," Kim said.

Nokia currently accounts for about one-third of the international demands for cell phones, followed by Motorola, which boasts of a 20 percent-plus market share. Samsung came in at third with about 12 percent share.

WASHINGTON – Two Lucas County, Ohio, sheriff’s deputies were charged today with violating the civil rights of a juvenile who was in their custody, conspiring to obstruct and actually obstructing a federal investigation of the incident. The two defendants, Troy Jackson, 45, and Marc Odoms, 38, both of Toledo, were charged with violations of federal law for depriving the rights of the victims while acting in their official capacity as sheriff’s deputies, tampering with witnesses and conspiring to obstruct justice. Odoms was also charged with making false statements.

The indictment charges that on Jan. 20, 2005, Jackson, while on official duty, physically assaulted a handcuffed juvenile detained at the Lucas County Juvenile Justice Center by striking him multiple times in the eye and the side of the face. The indictment further charges that Odoms watched the assault and failed to intervene and that Jackson and Odoms subsequently both agreed to and eventually did obstruct a federal investigation of the assault by creating false written reports and making false statements to authorities investigating the incident.

If convicted, both men face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and fines of $250,000 on each criminal civil rights and obstruction charge. Odoms faces an additional five years in prison on the false statements charge.

The Civil Rights Division is committed to the vigorous enforcement of every federal criminal civil rights statute, such as those laws that prohibit the willful use of excessive force or other acts of misconduct by law enforcement officials. In fiscal year 2006, nearly 50 percent of the cases brought by the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division involved such prosecutions. Since fiscal year 2001, the Department of Justice has convicted 50 percent more defendants for excessive force and official misconduct than in the preceding six years.

An indictment is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Kristy L. Parker and Eric Gibson of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport was obligated $2.27 million by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, it was announced today.

When Hurricane Katrina tore through Louisiana last year, the airport was converted into a shelter that housed stranded passengers, evacuees, trauma victims, airport staff and emergency personnel. Part of the funds obligated today will go towards reimbursement for food, water, electrical services and other emergency services needed during that critical time.

The funds will also cover permanent repairs and renovations to various buildings across the site, including the Airborne Express building, the Hertz Rental Car facility and the Perishable Goods building. Additional work covered includes replacement of Dell Power Pack computers and battery packs for the terminals, damages to uninsured fleet vehicles and for the use of a 1500-gallon fire truck during the emergency.

When projects are obligated by FEMA, the funds are transferred to the state. This allows the state to draw down the monies and distribute them to the local applicants. The state may require additional documentation from the applicant before disbursals are made.

The Public Assistance program works with state and local officials to fund recovery measures and the rebuilding of government buildings, roads and bridges, schools, water and sewer plants, recreational facilities owned by government agencies, some facilities owned by nonprofit agencies, and other publicly owned facilities. FEMA can set aside money to bring each project back to its pre-disaster function and capacity, and the state distributes the money. In order for the process to be successful, federal, state and local partners coordinate to draw up project plans, fund these projects and oversee their completion.

FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident, initiates mitigation activities and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA works closely with state and local emergency managers, law enforcement personnel, firefighters and other first responders. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

States reporting probable cases associated with the outbreak are: New Jersey (20); New York (15); Pennsylvania (7); and Delaware (1). Additional cases are suspected in these states and in Connecticut. Thirty five individuals have been hospitalized, three with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). No deaths have been reported to date. CDC reports that the first reported onset of illness connected with this outbreak occurred on November 20, 2006; the latest on December 2, 2006.

This morning, Taco Bell Corp. announced it was voluntarily removing green onions from its restaurants nationwide after preliminary tests by the firm indicated the possible presence of E. coli O157:H7 in samples of the product. To date the confirmatory test has not been reported by Taco Bell. In view of this FDA is continuing to explore the possibility of other food commodities being the source of the E. coli.

FDA is obtaining samples of all non-meat items served in the restaurants that could carry the pathogen. These include cilantro, cheddar cheese, blended cheese, green onions, yellow onions, tomatoes and lettuce. The samples will be tested at FDA laboratories. The states involved are testing as well. At this time the agency does not have data implicating or ruling out any of these items.

FDA also is working with Taco Bell Corp. and its suppliers and distributors to obtain information on sources and distribution of products, to aid in tracing back any products identified as contaminated with the pathogen. The agency continues to cooperate with CDC and state and local health officials to determine the specific cause of the outbreak and prevent further illnesses.

Infection with E. coli O157 causes diarrhea, often bloody. Although most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, some people can develop hemolytic uremic syndrome, a form of kidney failure. HUS is most likely to occur in young children and the elderly. The condition can lead to serious kidney damage and even death.

Consumers who are concerned that they may have contracted E. coli O157 infection should notify your local health department, contact their physician or health care provider or seek medical attention, as needed.

WASHINGTON – A federal Grand Jury in Miami charged Roy Belfast Jr. with various crimes related to the alleged 2002 torture of a person in Liberia, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta of the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Secretary Julie L. Myers for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Assistant Director Joseph Billy Jr. for the Counterterrorism Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced today.

           Roy M. Belfast Jr., 29, aka Chuckie Taylor, aka Charles Taylor, Jr., aka Charles Taylor II, aka Charles McArther Emmanuel, was charged in an indictment returned today by a federal grand jury in Miami with one count of torture, one count of conspiracy to torture, and one count of using a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. The indictment charges Taylor, son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, with participating in the torture of an individual on or about July 24, 2002, in and around Monrovia, Liberia. The defendant, who was born in the United States, is alleged to have been serving in his father’s government in Liberia at the time of the incident.

According to the indictment, on or about July 24, 2002, the victim was abducted from his home and transported to various locations, finally arriving at the residence of then-Liberian President Taylor.  The defendant observed questioning of the victim at this location.  The victim was then transported for continued interrogation to the residence of a co-conspirator, who was a member of the Liberian Special Security Service.

           According to the indictment, while at this residence, the defendant and others tortured the victim. The torture included repeatedly burning the victim's flesh with a hot iron, burning various parts of his body with scalding water, including forcing the victim to hold scalding water in his hands at gunpoint, repeatedly electrically shocking the victim's genitalia and other body parts, and rubbing salt into the victim's wounds.

“This marks the first time the Justice Department has charged a defendant with the crime of torture,” said Assistant Attorney General Fisher. “Crimes such as these will not go unanswered.”

“The allegations in this case include acts of torture, such as burning flesh with a hot iron, burning flesh with scalding water, and applying electric shocks,” U.S. Attorney Acosta stated. “Such conduct is criminal and constitutes torture and must be prosecuted.”

“Today’s indictment against Charles "Chuckie" Taylor marks a key milestone in ICE’s longstanding efforts to bring human rights violators to justice,” said Assistant Secretary Myers.  “This is a clear message that the United States will not be a safe haven for human rights violators.”              

“This case is a demonstration of our tireless efforts to ensure that justice is served,” said Assistant Director Joseph Billy, Jr. of the FBI.    

         This defendant is currently in federal custody in connection with a criminal charge of passport fraud, to which he pleaded guilty on Sept. 15, 2006.  His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 7, 2006. This defendant is being prosecuted under a statute that criminalizes torture and provides U.S. courts jurisdiction to hear cases involving acts of torture committed outside the United States if the offender is a U.S. national or is present in the United States, regardless of nationality.

           The statutory maximum penalty for conviction on all offenses is life imprisonment.

           An indictment is merely an accusation.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.

           The joint investigation is being conducted by ICE and the FBI.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney John Cox of the Criminal Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Rochlin of the Southern District of Florida, and Trial Attorney Brenda Sue Thornton of the National Security Division.