Washington, April 20 : James Murdoch could be forced to leave News Corporation to save himself from harsher punishments under U. S. law, a leading corporate crime lawyer has warned.

The deputy chief operating officer of News Corporation, Murdoch, is facing new pressure in the U. S. after the arrest of Duncan Larcombe, Sun Royal editor, over alleged payments to public officials, The Telegraph reported.

According to U. S. lawyers, the personal assets of Murdoch could also be seized and he could be jailed if Larcombe or any other member of News International''s staff is found guilty of bribing police of government officials outside the US.

America''s Foreign and Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) prohibits such payments, the piece of legislation that is at the heart of parallel investigations into News Corp by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

If the charges are proved the directors can be jailed for up to five years for each FCPA charge. (ANI)