All Legal Articles

Czech Republic police are investigating alleged corruption in the awarding of 30 contracts by the country's Defence Ministry, according to the Czech News Agency (CTK).

Sibir has appointed solicitors and accountants to investigate the actual and proposed real estate dealings of Chalva Tchigirinski, a former company director and shareholder in Sibir who took an ‘advance’ from the company of US$ 325 million (€ 256 million) for the purchase of properties in his real estate portfolio.

Three senior staff at Dubai developer Nakheel's Waterfront project have been detained for questioning as part of a year-long fraud investigation.

Tokyo prosecutors have arrested 12 people in a case of alleged tax evasion on kickbacks received from contractors.

Transparency International's latest Bribe Payers Index (BPI) shows construction companies are among the most likely to pay bribes when dealing with the public sector.

The World Bank has banned seven companies and one individual from future work following price fixing on a Bank-funded road project in the Philippines.

Ethiopia is finalizing preparations to sign up to the Construction Sector Transparency Initiative (CoST) ahead of a two-year pilot phase.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK will prosecute three companies and one individual for alleged violations of health and safety law.

A new UK law could see construction managers jailed from January if one of their employees is hurt at work warns UK health and safety training company, Pivotal Performance.

From January 1 2009 Switzerland is tightening up the law which allows personnel to work at height by being lifted in a basket by a forklift truck. The practice can still continue but the circumstances in which it will be allowed have been greatly restricted.

Rico Trapletti has joined Schuler & Schloemmer, UpRight's distributor in Switzerland, which is expanding its operations in response to major changes to the aerial lift market. Previously, Swiss law allowed working at heights over 3.5m to be carried out using baskets on fork lift trucks. All of this type of work must now be carried out using access equipment.

A former Beijing vice-mayor in charge of overseeing construction projects for the Beijing 2008 Olympics has been given a death sentence, suspended for two years, for corruption, according to on-line news agency China Daily.

Brazil's Odebrecht announced this week that it will accept terms set by Ecuador's government to resolve a dispute over construction of the 230 MW San Francisco hydroelectric plant (HEP).

Indonesia's Attorney General's Office (AGO) has named a number of former administration officials as suspects in an alleged corruption scam that cost the government IDR 40 billion (US$ 4.27 million).

The trial of 12 people, including 10 state officials resumed in Vietnam this week following its adjournment in January, after the judge presiding over the case was suddenly taken ill, reports local news agency Thanhnien News.

Hundreds of construction sites in New York City, US ground to a halt on Tuesday as over 400 concrete mixer truck drivers mounted a surprise strike over pay and working conditions, according to local media reports.

The US Attorney's Office in Massachusetts has filed 49 federal charges against Modern Continental Corporation (MCC) in connection with its work on the Central Artery/Tunnel (CA/T) project - the 'Big Dig' - in Boston.

Two judgements have modified the view that On Demand Bonds are as good as cash in hand. Julian Brooksbank and Philip Norman of Pinsent Masons look at situations where breaches of contract have overridden Bond calls.

Arbitration is the normal way of resolving disputes in international contracts, but in order to do so, the appropriate clauses have to be in the contract from the start. Andrew Wilson of Pinsent Masons outlines at the key considerations.

This year will see a range of laws come into force in the UK to tackle energy efficiency of buildings and waste in the construction industry. Helen Waddell of Pinsent Masons looks at the implications.