The FBI suspects that employees of New York-based Murdoch News Corp. may be guilty of violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The FCPA prohibits payments of bribes to foreign officials. Such violations could include corrupt payments such as bribing law enforcement for news tips.
Violations of FCPA can have very serious consequences for the company, for any employee personally involved in a bribe, and for any executives who encouraged or authorized bribes — or even knew about the practice but looked the other way.
No charges have been filed, but the investigation continues. If Murdoch’s News Corp is proven to have violated the FCPA, the consequences could include a fine of up to $2 million. The company could also be barred from future U.S. government contracts. Individuals proven to have violated the FCPA could face both substantial fines and a possible jail sentence of up to five years.
