The Democratic Republic of Congo could be on the hook for contempt-of-court fines amounting to $80,000 a week unless it starts to comply with a judge's order to cough up documents.
In what strikes Suits & Sentences as a pretty clear sign of judicial impatience, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon has ordered the country to deliver the documents demanded within 30 days. Failure to do so could subject the DRC -- as it is commonly referred to in the March 20 order -- to contempt fines starting at $5,000 a week. The fines will then double every four weeks, up to the $80,000-a-week match.
The order is the latest twist in a long-running case denoted FG Hemisphere Associates v. Democratic Republic of Congo. The underlying demand for documents goes back at least to September 2005, and it involves an even-older dispute concerning the country's failure to pay for an electric power transmission facility. Suffice it to say, there is a long and tangled litigation history. Google it yourself!
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