WASHINGTON — A Pakistani man pleaded guilty in federal court in Maryland to failing to disclose lobbying work on behalf of the Pakistani government, the Justice Department said Monday. Nisar Ahmed Chaudhry, 71, who admitted to working as an unregistered foreign agent since 2012, faces a maximum prison term of five years when he is sentenced in July. A federal law known as the Foreign Agents Registration Act requires people to disclose to the Justice Department when they lobby or perform other political activities in the U.S. on behalf of foreign governments. But the Justice Department has rarely brought criminal cases, choosing instead to encourage people to comply with the law rather than prosecute them when they fail to do so. In fact, prosecutors say, his activities were designed to shape American policy in a way that favoured Pakistani interests.

Source: National Post May 07, 2018 21:45 UTC