When it comes to defending against bribery allegations, companies usually provide documents to demonstrate compliance with the relative laws; conversely, an investigative arm of the government, such as the U.K. Serious Fraud Office (SFO), will provide their own documentary evidence to prove that a company engaged in bribery and/or corruption. Almost never, however, would you see a prestigious, worldwide law firm file documents in civil litigation alleging its (former) client engaged in bribery and corruption. Yet, that is precisely what happened in a recent filing in a civil action in Commercial Court in London.
The matter involves U.K.-based mining giant Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. (ENRC), its former counsel Dechert, and the SFO, which is probing ENRC for allegations of bribery and corruption. Dechert was instructed by the independent committee of the board of ENRC to conduct an internal investigation into allegations of corruption.
