The International Committee of the Red Cross concluded in a 2007 report that the Bush administration used torture to question al-Qaeda suspects. The report, obtained by journalism professor Mark Danner, says that captives were taken “to the verge of death and back” in secret CIA prisons. The Washington Post reports that the ICRC’s account is the most authoritative to date that shows the Bush administration repeatedly violated international law. (Washington Post)
Fearing she will flee the country, federal investigators plan to freeze $93 million of Ruth Madoff’s assets, the New York Post reported Sunday. According to a source close to the investigation, the SEC will ask to freeze Madoff’s funds because they were likely acquired dishonestly. Mrs. Madoff has denied any wrongdoing associated with her husband’s $50 billion Ponzi scheme. But she was implicated because she withdrew $15.5 million immediately before her husband was arrested in December and recently purchased $1 million of jewelry in defiance of a court order. Though Mrs. Madoff has agreed to a voluntary asset freeze, the deal is not legally binding. (Reuters)
The government of Switzerland announced Friday that it would reform its definition of tax evasion to help other nations pursue citizens who dodge taxes with the help of Swiss banks. Since Switzerland did not define tax evasion as a crime until this announcement, it has become a haven for one third of the world’s $7 trillion in hidden offshore funds. This is a blow to the Swiss bank UBS, which is accused of helping international investors avoid taxes from their home countries and has hidden behind Swiss law to justify its refusal to disclose the names of approximately 33,000 U.S. tax evaders. (New York Times)
Federal investigators indicted a U.S. border patrol agent Friday for allegedly assaulting a detainee at a federal detention facility. Eduardo Moreno is also accused of making false statements in a U.S. Customs and Boarder Patrol memorandum about the incident. If convicted of both counts, Moreno could serve 15 years in prison and pay a fine of $500,000. (U.S. Department of Justice)
Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick hired a lawyer this weekend to sue the communications company SkyTel for leaking approximately 6,000 sexually explicit text messages to the media. Kilpatrick’s lawyer, Willie E. Gary – known as the “giant killer” – specializes in big-budget cases for big-name clients. The suit claims that SkyTel violated federal law by releasing the private text messages. According to Gary, the $100 million claim against SkyTel “could go up.” (Associated Press)
In other Kilpatrick news, the former Detroit mayor’s top aide and lover was released from prison this weekend. Christine Beatty pleaded guilty along with Kilpatrick last year to two counts of obstructing justice and lying under oath at a whistle-blower trial. Both Kilpatrick and Beatty claimed that they did not have a sexual relationship, which was later refuted by explicit text messages uncovered and published by the Detroit Free Press. (Detroit Free Press)
