Mitsubishi Accuses Carlos Ghosn of Taking a Secret $9 Million Payment

Mitsubishi Motors has joined Nissan in accusing Carlos Ghosn of financial wrongdoing, saying on Friday that he secretly received compensation of 7.8 million euros, or almost $9 million, from a joint venture of the two automakers.

Osamu Masuko, Mitsubishi’s chief executive, told reporters in Tokyo that the automaker was considering suing Mr. Ghosn, the former chairman of both Nissan and Mitsubishi. The latest allegations come as Renault, the third automaker in the global car alliance that Mr. Ghosn ran, is preparing to cut ties with its star executive. read more »

Malaysia open to talks if Goldman pays $7.5 billion, minister says

Malaysia’s finance minister said on Friday the government would be ready to discuss dropping criminal charges against Goldman Sachs linked to the 1MDB scandal if the bank pays $7.5 billion in reparations.

Goldman Sachs is being investigated by Malaysian authorities and the U.S. Department of Justice for its role as underwriter and arranger of three bond sales that raised $6.5 billion for 1Malaysia Development Berhad. The bank has denied wrongdoing.

U.S prosecutors last year charged two former Goldman bankers with the theft of billions of dollars from 1MDB. read more »

Study Links Drug Maker Gifts for Doctors to More Overdose Deaths

Counties where doctors got more meals, trips and consulting fees from opioid makers had higher overdose deaths involving prescription opioids.

A new study offers some of the strongest evidence yet of the connection between the marketing of opioids to doctors and the nation’s addiction epidemic.

It found that counties where opioid manufacturers offered a large number of gifts and payments to doctors had more overdose deaths involving the drugs than counties where direct-to-physician marketing was less aggressive.

The study, published Friday in JAMA Network Open, said the industry spent about $40 million promoting opioid medications to nearly 68,000 doctors from 2013 through 2015, including by paying for meals, trips and consulting fees. And it found that for every three additional payments that companies made to doctors per 100,000 people in a county, overdose deaths involving prescription opioids there a year later were 18 percent higher. read more »