Och-Ziff Judge Wants Everybody in Bribery to Be Accountable

  • Gabonese man was only person prosecuted in Africa bribe case
  • Samuel Mebiame admitted paying receiving millions in bribes
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An exasperated federal judge who sentenced an Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC consultant to prison posed a question that prosecutors have yet to satisfactorily answer: Why has no one else been charged in a sprawling bribery case?

U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas Garaufis on Wednesday sentenced Samuel Mebiame, the 43-year-old son of the former prime minister of Gabon, to two years behind bars for paying bribes and acting as a "fixer" to help Och-Ziff with lucrative mining deals in Africa.