When details emerged last July that employees of News International (the press arm of News Corp) had possibly bribed 5 Scotland Yard police officers, the FCPA red alert must surely have sounded in News Corp’s legal department. Since then, News has brought in a number of heavy hitters to cover them, including immediately hiring Mark Mendelsohn from Paul Weiss Rifkind (a former deputy chief of the Fraud Section in the DOJ’s Criminal Division –  who helped devise the FCPA enforcement program) and the D.C. firm of Williams & Connolly, specialists in corporate compliance matters.

That the US DOJ has been working closely with UK investigators should come as no surprise to anyone following this matter and last month’s arrest of five alleged bribery scheme participants on criminal charges likely gave the signal to make public FBI involvement in the investigation.

Legal coverage for a necessarily international internal compliance investigation and evidence gathering (as well as putting together multiple defenses) will obviously generate considerable business for all the firms involved.

Since News earned over $30 billion last year, it can probably afford the attorney fees and any fines it will incur. However, facing criminal charges is a different ballgame and News would be remiss to not leverage its populist news media outlets to portray the investigation as politically motivated. Serving time in prison is an incredible motivator.

If you are interested in delving into the details of the UK Leveson Inquiry and its rogues gallery of hackers, hacked and outright despicable characters, the Guardian (which broke the story) does it very well.

Photo: Jim Henderson