US judge sentences ex-Hong Kong official to three years for bribery scheme News
US judge sentences ex-Hong Kong official to three years for bribery scheme

A US judge on Monday sentenced ex-Hong Kong government official Chi Ping Patrick Ho to three years in prison and a $400,000 fine following his December conviction violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, money laundering and conspiracy.

Ho was arrested in 2017 for crimes committed while acting as the secretary-general of the China Energy Fund Committee. Ho was convicted for arranging bribes through a US-based NGO on behalf of Shanghai-based oil conglomerate CEFC China Energy, which funds the China Energy Fund Committee. Over several years, Ho carried out the multimillion-dollar scheme to bribe the presidents of Uganda and Chad. One bribe includes $2 million paid to Chad’s president for exclusive oil rights, though Chad denies the accusations.

The Department of Justice will “continue to investigate and prosecute individuals and corporations that engage in foreign bribery.”

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.