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U.S. watchdog group blasts Supreme Court's ruling to overturn corruption conviction of former Virginia governor

Xinhua, June 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

A U.S. legal watchdog group on Monday blasted the Supreme Court ruling that overturned the conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell on corruption charges.

"This narrow reading of the law will seriously impede law enforcement's efforts to clamp down on corruption," said Noah Brookbinder, executive director of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), in a statement.

In an unanimous 8-0 vote, the Court returned the McDonnell case to a lower court to evaluate whether it will have a retrial, citing insufficient evidence in the conviction.

The ruling said it is concerned about "the broader legal implications of the government's boundless interpretation of the federal bribery statute."

McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were charged with accepting more than 175, 000 U.S. dollars in fancy gifts and loans from a rich businessman to promote dietary supplement during his tenure.

In September 2014, a federal grand jury convicted McDonnell and his wife on 11 counts of fraud. The prosecution stated that McDonnell helped the businessman set up meetings, hosted events from him at the governor's mansion, and even contacted staff to secure an independent testing for a new dietary supplement for the businessman.

But the Supreme Court justices ruled that setting up meetings or hosting events doesn't necessary mean McDonnell was doing it as an "official act."

"Setting up a meeting, calling another public official or hosting an event does not, standing alone, qualify as an official act," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion.

The CREW blasted the Supreme Court for creating "an additional hurdle" to prosecute public officials for their corrupt conduct.

The ruling essentially sent out a wrong message to elected officials that access to their offices can be sold to the highest bidder, said Brookbinder.

"If you want the government to listen to you, you had better be prepared to pay up," he added. Enditem