Yet another federal official is stressing the importance of quality compliance programs, this time in the context of avoiding antitrust trespasses. In a speech delivered during a compliance workshop held by the International Chamber of Commerce and the U.S Council of International Business in New York, Brent Snyder, deputy assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice’s antitrust division, shared his thoughts on corporate compliance efforts and revealed that the DoJ is considering ways to offer credit and leniency for companies that adopt or strengthen compliance programs after coming under investigation.
“The most effective way to stop crime is to ensure it never starts,” he said. “A truly well-run compliance program should prevent a company from conspiring to fix prices, rig bids, or allocate markets. Effective compliance programs should prevent that crime from beginning or, at a minimum, detect it and stop it shortly after it starts.”
