A Manhattan federal judge has sanctioned Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton for improperly trying to dissuade a witness from testifying about his dealings with the Republic of Congo, writes the New York Law Journal.
In an opinion issued last week, Southern District Judge Loretta Preska said Cleary had acted in “bad faith” by contacting witness Medard Mbemba, a French-Congolese businessman and one-time close friend of Congolese president Denis Sassou-Nguesso, telling him his participation in a deposition could “destabilize” or “hurt” Congo.
