Case showed corruption reached right to the top

A federal jury convicted a Hong Kong businessman yesterday of bribing the presidents of Chad and Uganda to secure oil rights for a Chinese energy conglomerate, a case that stretched from the halls of the United Nations and highlighted the often blurry line between nongovernmental organisations and private enterprise. Dr Chi Ping Patrick Ho was found guilty of counts including conspiracy, money laundering and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in a case that involved several former presidents of the UN General Assembly.