Three Volkswagen dealerships operating in Illinois and Florida has sued the German automaker for being deceived through the diesel-gate scam. The dealerships also accuse VW for illegally favoring some dealers and forcing retailers into financing arrangements with a company-lending affiliate. The plaintiffs have sought class status for the suit and appropriate compensation from the accused.
Legal & Regulatory
Microsoft Became The First Major U.S. Tech Company to Endorse Privacy Protection Pact With the EU
Microsoft has became the first major U.S. tech company to endorse the Privacy Shield agreement between EU and the U.S. The company agreed to discuss the framework of data protection further with the EU officials soon.
General Motors Wins Fourth Bellwether Lawsuit, Two More Awaits For Disposal
GM has been sued with more than 400 lawsuits over defective ignition switches, of which six have been chosen as bellwether cases. Just after settling the Yingling case last week, the automobile maker has own verdict of another suit in its Favor on Friday. The remaining two damage claims for casualties are expected to get ended by this year.
Puerto Rico Central Bank Governor Restricts Withdrawal To Avert Default in $423M Debt Repayment
Alejandro Garcia Padilla, governor of the Puerto Rica’s central bank, Government Central Bank, has announced an executive order on Saturday. The order restricts withdrawal of funds except for the emergency services in a bid to avoid default in $423 debt repayment scheduled on May 1. Analysts have already warned that failure in debt repayment will definitely attract a default status for GDB.
Wells Fargo Settled $1.2 Billion Over Bad Housing Loans Secrecy
As settlement for hiding bad loans and house desolation, Wells Fargo will pay $1.2 billion. The bank lender admitted of cheating the government by insuring thousands of risky mortgages although they are not eligible.
Latest News
One of India's largest highway and road developers prepared to recover after a massive loss in Wednesday. The company's stock slumped following the raid of tax officials.
The Japanese yen has reached the top hitting a 17-month high on Tuesday. The appreciation takes place following advice from Japanese Prime Minister for cautious market intervention by authorities. Addition of value to yen cause downward trend in Nikkei average index on the same day leading towards a 18% drop during this year.
The Royal Bank of Canada has released an official statement, explaining that the bank is not guilty for any illegal activities including tax evasion in connection to shell company set up as mentioned in leaked papers from Panama’s Mossack Fonseca. The bank claimed to have high standards to ensure clients would not use its services to evade tax.
Nestlé India is again facing controversies with its all-time favorite Maggi noodles. Recent lab tests show that the lead content is within permissible limits unlike monosodium glutamate which exceeds the allowable level.
SunEdison is facing another lawsuit, this time from its subsidiary TerraForm. TerraForm accused its parent company for misallocating cash for its projects in India to SunEdison’s own balance sheet.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India's central bank, has reduced repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.50 percent, indicating an over five-year low. After the rate cut, home loans will be cheaper by half a percentage.
The Panama Papers documents leak suggest that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko might be using an offshore company to evade tax. However, the president has denied such accusations, saying that he has not been managing the assets since he became president in 2014.
Nordea Bank of Sweden and DNB ASA of Norway, largest lenders of the respective countries, have been accused of aiding in tax dodging by the leaked ‘Panama Papers’. DSAs of the respective countries have summoned them to explain their roles over the allegations. However, both the banks have denied any wrongdoing while reiterating commitments for upholding laws.
The US Justice Department considers any credible allegation for violation of Federal Laws under its geographical territory very seriously. The department has been conducting its war against corruption through seizing assets related to illicit activities. Following leak of ‘Panama Papers’, it has been reviewing documents related to tax dodging through offshore accounts.
