Anti-Bribery

Compliance officers do not have much confidence in their companies’ financial controls to catch books-and-records violations of the FCPA, according to a new report published by Compliance Week and Kroll. The finding was one of many included in the 2015 Anti-Bribery & Corruption Report, looking at all manner of anti-corruption compliance efforts. More details inside.

Oil and gas company HyperDynamics announced last week that the Department of Justice has decided not to file charges following the completion of its investigation into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. “We are extremely pleased to be informed that the DOJ has closed its inquiry into this matter,” said Ray Leonard, chief executive officer of Hyperdanmics. Details inside.

Image: The Central Bank of Ireland levied €1.75m in fines on Western Union in Ireland after the firm failed to implement “robust” anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing controls. “The Central Bank action must be viewed in light of the inherent risks in the sector in which this firm operates … and its reliance on third-party agents and outsourced service providers,” said Derville Rowland, the Central Bank’s director of enforcement. Read more.

Image: The Istituto per le Opere di Religione, commonly known as the Vatican Bank, suffered for decades from poor internal controls and conduct. How has the Holy See tried to recover? Slowly, surely, and with a risk-based approach following international standards. “The expectations are huge in building trust and confidence, but you can only do that once you have the relevant systems [and] they start to work,” says IOR watchdog René Brülhart.

A new report from Compliance Week and Kroll Advisory Solutions gauged the level of confidence chief compliance officers have in their companies’ financial controls to catch books-and-records violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; according to the study, only 48 percent felt confident. See inside for more study details.

Deutsche Bank paid $345 million to British regulators for its role in the LIBOR scandal, $153 million of that stemming from a false attestation the bank submitted about its internal controls. Those attestations are emerging as a potent tool for the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority. “This case sends a strong message that companies need to be diligent when they are asked to sign attestations,” says Louise Hodges of the law firm Kingsley Napley.

Image: A new Transparency International report examining anti-corruption measures in the defense sector holds both good and bad news: Many defense companies have improved their ethics and anti-corruption compliance programs; plenty more still have lots to do. “It is clear that many companies in the industry are paying closer attention to corruption risks,” said Mark Pyman, a senior director at TI. A closer look at improving practices is inside.

Image: Title: LainéBritain’s Serious Fraud Office has filed corruption charges against a former head of ethics and compliance at Alstom, the beleaguered French firm subject to anti-bribery investigations in multiple countries. The charges against Jean-Daniel Lainé stem from bribes Alstom allegedly paid in the 2000s to supply trains to the Budapest Metro. Details inside.