Raytheon wins end to whistleblower's $1 bln satellite lawsuit

Raytheon Co on Thursday won the dismissal of a $1 billion whistleblower lawsuit accusing the defense contractor of overbilling the U.S. government on a contract for satellite sensors, nearly 1-1/2 years after a federal appeals court revived the case.

U.S. District Judge Otis Wright in Los Angeles said Steven Mateski, an engineer who worked for Raytheon from 1997 to 2006, failed to adequately allege that the Waltham, Massachusetts-based company submitted a false claim, or that its actions were material to the government's payment decisions.  read more »

The Scandalous Persecution of a Greek Whistle-Blower

Andreas Georgiou is still being punished for cleaning up his country's public accounts.

The statistician who exposed the true extent of Greece's fiscal collapse must think that doing the right thing was the worst decision he ever made. Andreas Georgiou has been vilified at home and charged with multiple violations of the country's civil and criminal law. An appeals court has just upheld his conviction for a minor procedural offense, giving him a suspended sentence, and with more serious charges still pending, his protracted legal ordeal isn't over yet.

This officially sanctioned persecution is disgraceful and ought to stop. The European Union has criticized the Greek authorities for their actions in the case, but to no great effect. That needs to change.  read more »

The business of secrecy has become even more lucrative, says whistleblower

Swiss whistleblower Rudolf Elmer tells Indian publication The Wire that tax evasion is still common despite international pressure to share banking information. He blames the ease of setting up complex corporate structures where the beneficial owner is not known. read more »

MBTA’s Former Parking Lot Operator Agrees To $5.6M Settlement

he company that once managed Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority parking lots has agreed to pay $5.6 million to settle allegations that its employees skimmed millions of dollars from the transit agency.

Attorney General Maura Healey said Monday that LAZ Parking Limited LLC has agreed to pay $1.1 million to the state to resolve allegations that it failed to implement proper revenue controls and auditing tools at 13 MBTA lots.  read more »

Kiwi wine company and directors accused of complex wine fraud

A New Zealand wine company and three directors have been charged over a complex wine fraud involving tens of thousands of bottles, with many exported overseas, where their vintage and origin is under question.

Southern Boundary Wines Ltd, of the North Canterbury wine region of Waipara, along with its vineyard manager and winemaker Scott Charles Berry, winemaker Rebecca Junell Cope, and operations/export manager Andrew Ronald Moore, have been accused of being behind the alleged scandal.

The prosecution has been brought by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) in what is understood to be the first case of its kind in New Zealand.

The alleged misconduct, dating back to 2011, 2012, and 2013 Marlborough and Waipara sauvignon blanc and pinot noir vintages, was brought to light by a whistleblower, the Herald has learned.  read more »