Swiss-based oil trader Gunvor will pay more than $661 million as part of a plea agreement with the Department of Justice to resolve violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act involving a long-running scheme to bribe officials in Ecuador to secure oil contracts.
Aaron Nicodemus
Aaron Nicodemus is the Editor-in-Chief of Compliance Week. He previously worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Law and as business editor at the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass.
Email: aaron.nicodemus@complianceweek.com
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Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
FinCEN head touts compliance through enforcement approach
Andrea Gacki, head of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, said recent enforcement actions by the agency have addressed significant gaps in the U.S. anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism regime and exposed specific risk factors, trends, and typologies.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Fed upping supervisory pressure as SVB collapse nears 1-year mark
Since the failure of Silicon Valley Bank nearly one year ago, the Federal Reserve Board has revamped its supervisory procedures to respond more quickly and forcefully once it identifies emerging risks at mid-sized and large banks, according to the agency’s vice chair for supervision.
Posted inAnti-Bribery
The path to DOJ cooperation credit: Analyzing recent FCPA cases
Recent enforcement actions offer guidance on what the Department of Justice considers to be an “imminent threat” of disclosure or government action, what it means by “prompt” disclosure, and how a company can earn credit for revealing all relevant facts.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Morgan Stanley fined $1.6M by FINRA over municipal securities closeouts
Morgan Stanley will pay a $1.6 million fine levied by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority for failing to close out certain municipal securities transactions over a five-year period.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
FinCEN head: Agency seeking to educate, not punish, BOI reporters
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network will focus its attention regarding compliance with its new beneficial ownership reporting requirements on education and outreach during the first year of implementation, although “willful violations” will still merit punishment.
Posted inRisk Management
FinCEN to propose applying BSA requirements to investment advisers
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network will propose categorizing investment advisers as financial institutions that must comply with the Bank Secrecy Act, including having an anti-money laundering program.
Posted inEthics & Culture
Experts: SCOTUS ruling shifts onus to employers in whistleblower cases
The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to reaffirm whistleblower protections under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a case involving UBS has wide ramifications in many other industries beyond financial services, according to legal experts.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Latest SEC off-channel comms sweep nets $81M in fines against 16 firms
The ongoing off-channel communications sweep by the Securities and Exchange Commission netted 16 more broker-dealers and investment advisers, with the latest wave of fines totaling more than $81 million.
Posted inRisk Management
Anti-fraud groups praise FinCEN AML proposal for real estate transactions
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would require the handlers of all-cash residential real estate transactions in all U.S. cities and counties to disclose the beneficial owners.
