All Anti-Bribery articles – Page 55
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ArticleNew Bribery Index Aimed at Corporate Use
Companies have a new resource to help assess bribery and corruption risks in the countries where they operate, one that aims to be more meaningful to global companies than Transparency International’s widely used Corruption Perceptions Index. Trace International’s TRACE Matrix is intended specifically for corporate use, and it analyzes four ...
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Blog
OECD Report: Foreign Bribery Enforcement on the Decline
A report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reveals that the number of sanctions against companies and individuals for the bribery of foreign government officials appears to be declining. According to the report, 42 foreign bribery cases concluded last year, significantly lower than the 78 foreign bribery cases ...
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Total to Face New Corruption Charges in France
One year after paying more than $398 million to U.S. prosecutors for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Total S.A. is expected to face new corruption charges, this time in France. In announcing the settlement last year, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Mythili Raman ...
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ArticleAre Your Business Partners Letting the Hackers In?
For Target, it was a heating and air conditioning company. At a large oil company it was a nearby Chinese restaurant. Hackers increasingly use third-party relationships to gain access to computer networks and steal data. The trend means that companies need to conduct even better due diligence on third-party relationships ...
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Caldwell: Advances in Global Anti-Corruption Efforts
Image: Title: CaldwellU.S. regulators increasingly are collaborating with foreign governments to fight bribery and corruption on a global scale, advancing the Justice Department’s efforts to uncover and prosecute violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. “Every day, more countries join in the battle against transnational bribery,” said Leslie Caldwell, assistant ...
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How Layne Christensen and Hewlett-Packard Earned Favorable Treatment After an FCPA Charge
When Layne Christensen, a global water management and construction company, and tech pioneer Hewlett-Packard were targeted for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, they both escaped harsh punishments by cooperating with enforcement authorities. Their actions serve as a how-to for earning cooperation credit. Inside, columnist Tom Fox runs down their ...
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G20 to Focus on Beneficial Ownership Transparency in 2015
Improving beneficial ownership transparency will be a top priority for leaders of the G20 countries in 2015. Following a two-day summit in Australia this week, the G20 leaders released a new set of principles that sets out concrete measures that G20 countries will take to prevent the misuse of legal ...
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Justice Department: OK to Buy Foreign Company That Paid Bribes
The Department of Justice has issued a new advisory opinion addressing the unusual situation of how to handle a U.S.-based company that wants to acquire a foreign company found to have paid bribes to government officials prior to the acquisition taking place. In this case, the Justice Department concluded that ...
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Petrobras Restates Financials Amid Bribery Probe
A corruption probe unfolding against Brazilian state-owned oil company Petrobras took an interesting turn today, when Brazilian federal police carried out a series of raids that resulted in the arrests of eighteen individuals believed to be involved in a widespread money-laundering scheme. In light of the accusations and investigations, Petrobas ...
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SBM Offshore Enhances Compliance, Pays $240 Million for Bribery
SBM Offshore has reached a $240 million settlement with the Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office over improper payments to sales agents and foreign government officials. The company initiated an internal investigation, reported the facts to authorities, and fully cooperated in the investigation. Dutch officials also credited SBM Offshore for taking significant ...
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TRACE Launches Business Bribery Risk Index
Image: Title: WrageNov. 11—TRACE International has announced the launch of the TRACE Matrix, a business bribery risk index aimed at the compliance community. Developed in collaboration with research firm RAND, the TRACE Matrix focuses specifically on business activity, rather than broad corruption measures, providing companies with the ability to assess ...
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Report: Most Countries Lag in Anti-Corruption Enforcement
Image: Title: UgazA recent report from Transparency International finds that only four of 41 OECD member countries—United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Switzerland—actively investigate and prosecute companies for bribery and corruption violations, whereas most others do little or no enforcement. “For the anti-bribery convention to achieve a fundamental change in ...
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U.K. Fraud Office’s GC Offers Advice to Corporates for DPAs
Image: Title: GreenOct. 29—The general counsel for the U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office has provided some advice for companies interested in taking advantage of newly approved deferred-prosecution agreements if faced with an investigation from the SFO. Alun Milford, the SFO’s general counsel, said in a speech that the key factors for ...
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FCPA Takeaways in Layne Christensen
Image: Layne Christensen Co. joined the FCPA enforcement hall of shame this week; it was fined $5.1 million for various bribery infractions in Africa in the 2000s. Its aggressive investigation efforts won praise from regulators, but the root of the company’s problem—weak internal control over financial reporting—is still the far ...
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U.K. Businesses in Spotlight in Massive Money Laundering Scheme
Image: Title: ClarkeOct. 22—An investigative report published last week by The Independent revealed that 19 businesses registered in the United Kingdom are under suspicion for involvement in a complex money laundering scheme that cleaned £12.5 billion in illicit money over four years. The report cited corporate secrecy laws that make ...
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ArticleMany Countries, One Compliance Approach
The Compliance Week Europe conference, an annual event held last week in Brussels, drew attendees from 22 countries, many of whom represented companies that do business in an even greater number of nations. Building and maintaining an effective compliance program that is consistent across multinational borders is not an easy ...
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Blog
For FCPA Compliance, Don’t Forget the Internal Controls
They have been there all along, hiding in plain sight: the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act requirements for internal controls.The problem is that most compliance practitioners have not been reading them too carefully. What are internal controls in a FCPA compliance program? Aaron Murphy, a partner at Akin Gump and author ...