Special Inspector General John Sopko
(Case Western Reserve School of Law School class of ‘77), will speak about his federal agency’s unique mission, the challenges it faces in conducting oversight in Afghanistan, and the challenges to sustainable peace in Afghanistan in the wake of the U.S.-Taliban agreement signed in February. In particular, he will discuss the difficulties of growing Afghanistan’s private sector economy and the pervasive threat to Afghan society from endemic corruption.
Title:
Corruption: A Threat to the Rule of Law and Sustainable Peace in Afghanistan
Webinar Date+Time:
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Register Now!
By:
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Credit:
1 hour of online CLE credit, pending approval
Cost:
Free and open to the public.
Speaker:
John F. Sopko was sworn in as Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction on July 2, 2012. Mr. Sopko was appointed to the post by President Obama and has more than 30 years of experience in oversight and investigations as a prosecutor, congressional counsel and senior federal government advisor.
Under his leadership, SIGAR’s work has recovered, or otherwise saved the U.S. government almost $2.6 billion, secured 137 convictions, and produced over 500 reports. Mr. Sopko regularly travels to Afghanistan where his office has the largest U.S. audit and investigative presence.
Mr. Sopko previously served as a state and federal prosecutor. As a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, he conducted numerous long-term grand jury investigations and prosecutions against organized crime groups. He was the lead attorney in the first successful federal RICO prosecution of the entire leadership structure of an American La Cosa Nostra crime family. In 1982 he received the Justice Department’s Special Commendation Award for Outstanding Service to the Criminal Division, and in 1980 he received the department’s Special Achievement Award for Sustained Superior Performance.
Mr. Sopko began his professional career as a state prosecutor in Dayton, Ohio, with the Montgomery County prosecutor’s office. He served as an adjunct professor at American University’s School of Justice, where he received the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award in 1984 and the Professor of the Year Award in 1986. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1974, and his law degree from Case Western University School of Law in 1977. He is a member of the bars of Ohio and the District of Columbia.
