E-Corporate Lawyers ("ECL"): March 2015

Thursday, March 26, 2015

I just saw this on FOREX.com

I think you might enjoy this article: Reuters News Thailand toughens trafficking law with death penalty, steep fines.

BANGKOK, March 26 (Reuters) - Thailands parliament voted
overwhelmingly on Thursday to introduce harsher punishments for
human traffickers, including life imprisonment and the death
penalty in cases where their victims had died.
Thailands move came a day after Britain passed a law that
could see traffickers face life imprisonment, and marked the
latest step to combat a multi-billion dollar trade in human
misery.
Thailands National Legislative Assembly (NLA) voted to
amend the countrys Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act in the third
reading.
The changes will allow prosecutors to seek the death
penalty and fines of up to 400,000 baht ($12,281) for those
convicted of trafficking offences, Police General Chatchawan
Suksomjit said.
If the trafficked person dies in the hands of the
trafficker then the sentence can now be life in prison or even
the death penalty, said Chatchawan, who headed the committee
responsible for amending the act.
If a victim of human trafficking is severely injured, those
responsible can be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and
fined up to 400,000 baht, he said.
The fine has now increased and goes up to 400,000 baht if
the trafficker causes grievous bodily harm to the trafficked
person.
The U.S. State Department last year downgraded Thailand to
the lowest category in its annual ranking of countries based on
their counter-trafficking efforts.
Thailands military government said in January it was
confident it had met the minimum standards to improve its
ranking.
But a government report aimed at lifting Thailand from the
list of the worlds worst offenders showed Thailand identified
fewer victims of human trafficking last year than in 2013 and
convicted fewer perpetrators.
Thailand is a source, transit and destination country for
human trafficking.
($1 = 32.5700 baht)

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Amy Sawitta
Lefevre; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
((amy.lefevre@thomsonreuters.com; Tel: +66 26489737; Reuters
Messaging: amy.lefevre.thomsonreuters@reuters.net))

Keywords: THAILAND TRAFFICKING/

Disclaimer:

© Thomson Reuters 2015. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters is not liable for any errors or delays in Thomson Reuters content, or for any actions taken in reliance on such content. 'Thomson Reuters' and the Thomson Reuters logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.
For additional information on other Thomson Reuters Services please visit the Thomson Reuters public web site http://www.thomsonreuters.com/.

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I just saw this on FOREX.com

I think you might enjoy this article: Reuters News UK Supreme Court rules Prince Charles letters to ministers can be disclosed.

LONDON, March 26 (Reuters) - Britains Supreme Court ruled
on Thursday that 27 letters written by Prince Charles to
ministers in 2004-2005 can be disclosed to the media, a step
that could cast doubt over the political neutrality of the
future king.
The Guardian newspaper had been trying since 2005 to obtain
the letters from government departments using Britains freedom
of information law, but despite a court victory the Attorney
General vetoed disclosure in 2012.
After the Court of Appeal ruled last year that the
ministerial veto was unlawful, the Attorney General appealed to
the Supreme Court in a last-ditch attempt to stop disclosure,
arguing it could undermine Prince Charles position.
We dismiss the Attorney Generals appeal, the courts
President David Neuberger said.
The Supreme Court does not have the letters and they will
not be immediately released. Government departments are in
possession of the letters and it was not immediately clear how
disclosure would be handled following the Supreme Court ruling.

(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon; editing by Stephen Addison)
((stephen.addison@thomsonreuters.com; 0207 542 7947;))

Keywords: BRITAIN ROYALS/CHARLES

Disclaimer:

© Thomson Reuters 2015. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters is not liable for any errors or delays in Thomson Reuters content, or for any actions taken in reliance on such content. 'Thomson Reuters' and the Thomson Reuters logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.
For additional information on other Thomson Reuters Services please visit the Thomson Reuters public web site http://www.thomsonreuters.com/.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Nigeria court bars military from deploying

Nigeria court bars military from deploying around polling stations - lawyer.

* Nigeria to hold presidential vote on March 28
* Opposition feared troops might have intimidated voters
* 82 percent of registered Nigerians collect voting cards

(Recasts with court ruling on Nigeria military)
By Oludare Mayowa and Julia Payne
LAGOS/ABUJA, March 24 (Reuters) - The Nigerian federal high
court in Lagos has barred the military from deploying around
polling stations during March 28 national elections, the lawyer
for the parliamentarian who brought the case said on Tuesday.
Opposition leader Femi Gbajabiamila had argued that any such
deployment would violate the constitution, lawyer Ijeoma
Njemanze said, amid opposition fears that soldiers could be used
to intimidate voters.
The ruling, made on Monday by Justice Ibrahim Buba, does not
affect troops already dispatched to northeast Nigeria, where
they are needed to battle an Islamist insurgency, she added.
The tight election pits President Goodluck Jonathan against
former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari. It was meant to take
place on Feb. 14, but was delayed by six weeks because the
military said it could not guarantee security, especially in the
northeast, where Islamists have waged a six-year insurgency.
Jonathan is seeking a second elected term, in the
closest-fought election since the end of military rule in 1999.
If the military deploys despite the court order, the
opposition is likely to use that fact to dispute the result
should it lose the parliamentary and presidential ballot.
The militarys role in the electoral process, including
pressing for the vote to be delayed, has alarmed some Nigerians,
reminding them of the bad old days of dictatorship, which
included the annulment of a 1993 vote by a military government.
The case was brought after an outcry over the heavy
deployment of troops in southwestern Ekiti and Osun states last
year. Reports in the press alleged that soldiers had conspired
to intimidate voters and rig a by-election in Ekiti -- a charge
the military and ruling party declined to deny or confirm.
Electoral officials said on Tuesday about 82 percent of
Nigerian voters had collected the cards they need to present at
polling stations to take part in Saturdays election, leaving 18
percent of registered voters disenfranchised.
After the decision to postpone the vote from February, there
has been a concerted push against Boko Haram militants,
especially by neighbours Chad and Niger, chasing them out of
much of the territory they had previously controlled.
There had been fears that millions of Nigerians in areas
affected by the insurgency, including a million internal
refugees, would be unable to vote.
Wherever it is safe and people have resumed normal life, we
will conduct elections, election commission head Attahiru Jega
said. Weve also got arrangements to conduct elections for
internally displaced persons. We have designated centres ...
where IDPs will be able to vote.
The commission said about 56.7 million voter cards had been
collected by Nigerians. Jega said distribution had now ceased,
apart from a handful of cards that had just been produced and
would be handed out in the next few days.

(Reporting By Julia Payne; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by
Mark Trevelyan and Crispian Balmer)
((julia.payne@thomsonreuters.com;))

Keywords: NIGERIA ELECTION/

This court judgment reflects how important the independence of the judiciary from the government for protecting democracy, which should be the case in so many other Africans countries like Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and many other countries where the Judiciary is politically driven which effects justice, the rule of law and democracy, which is strongly condemned by legal scholars in the region.

Disclaimer:

© Thomson Reuters 2015. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters is not liable for any errors or delays in Thomson Reuters content, or for any actions taken in reliance on such content. 'Thomson Reuters' and the Thomson Reuters logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.
For additional information on other Thomson Reuters Services please visit the Thomson Reuters public web site http://www.thomsonreuters.com/.

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Monday, March 9, 2015

Egypt Corporate Lawyers: Deux Avocats Parisiens ont fait condamner le Kreml...

Egypt Corporate Lawyers: Deux Avocats Parisiens ont fait condamner le Kreml...: http://www.vanityfair.fr/actualites/international/articles/deux-avocats-parisiens-ont-fait-condamner-le-kremlin-a-une-indemnisation-de-50-m...

Deux Avocats Parisiens ont fait condamner le Kremlin a 50 B USD

http://www.vanityfair.fr/actualites/international/articles/deux-avocats-parisiens-ont-fait-condamner-le-kremlin-a-une-indemnisation-de-50-milliards-de-dollars/23910http://www.vanityfair.fr/actualites/international/articles/deux-avocats-parisiens-ont-fait-condamner-le-kremlin-a-une-indemnisation-de-50-milliards-de-dollars/23910

Egypt Corporate Lawyers: BP said it has made a significant gas discovery of...

Egypt Corporate Lawyers: BP said it has made a significant gas discovery of...: BP said it has made a significant gas discovery offshore Egypt days after announcing plans to help invest around $12 billion to develop gas...

BP said it has made a significant gas discovery offshore Egypt

BP said it has made a significant gas discovery offshore Egypt days after announcing plans to help invest around $12 billion to develop gas and condensate from its West Nile Delta project in the country.