News Corp. in the United States won’t be prosecuted related to the phone hacking and bribery that has embroiled the company in the UK, the Press Gazette reported.
The US News Corp could have been in trouble over the actions of the company in the UK under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Politico explained.
That act “prohibits U.S. companies from attemtping to bribe foreign officials.”
In a statement Press Gazette published, News Corp’s general counsel confirmed the news. “21st Century Fox and News Corp have been notified by the United States Department of Justice that it has completed its investigation of voicemail interception and payments to public officials in London, and is declining to prosecute either company,” the general counsel Gerson Zweifach said.
iMediaEthics asked the Department of Justice for comment and confirmation. A spokesperson for the DoJ provided iMediaEthics with the following statement:
“Based upon the information known to the Justice Department at this time, it has closed its investigation into News Corp regarding possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act concerning bribes allegedly paid for news leads. If additional information or evidence should be made available in the future, the Department reserves the right to reopen the inquiry.”
News Corp. also disclosed the news in a regulatory filing dated Jan. 28, 2015. The filing states: “On January 28, 2015, News Corporation (the “Company”) was notified by the United States Department of Justice that it has completed its investigation of voicemail interception and payments to public officials in London and is declining to prosecute the Company or Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc.”
As of now, “51 journalists who have worked for News Corp in the UK have been arrested on suspicion of phone-hacking, computer-hacking and making illegal payments to public officials,” the Press Gazette noted with nine convictions as of now.
Read all of iMediaEthics’ reports on the phone hacking scandal.