All FCPA articles – Page 30
-
Blog
What’s Behind the Endemic Nature of Bribery: Poverty
Image: For all a company’s efforts to preach anti-corruption compliance worldwide, one ugly fact endures: Too many people in too many countries still need to pay bribes simply to survive. Ethics training has virtually nothing to do with the problem, editor Matt Kelly writes. The real challenge is how we ...
-
Blog
Naming and Shaming in FCPA Enforcement
One thing that critics of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act constantly flail is the (alleged) lack of individual prosecutions under the law. Perhaps naming and shaming individuals responsible for actual FCPA violations would get word to the business community to take anti-corruption more seriously.
-
Blog
Gerald Green and Draconian Results of an Adverse FCPA Verdict
Gerald Green, one of the few individuals who went to trial against the Justice Department in a case where the government alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, passed away last week. Green and his wife Patricia were convicted in 2009 of conspiring with others to bribe a Thailand ...
-
Blog
PetroBras Denies Potential FCPA Settlement
Image: Last week PetroBras said in an SEC filing that it is not working with U.S. regulators to end the long list of corruption charges leveled against the company. That statement is merely the latest in a long list of unusual events in the compliance spectacle that PetroBras has become, ...
-
Blog
Walmart FCPA Costs Reach $675 Million
Walmart disclosed in an earnings call that its costs for potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act have well surpassed the half-billion dollar mark, reaching a whopping $675 million. To date, the retail giant has spent $63 million in total FCPA-related expenses in fiscal year 2016. Details inside.
-
Blog
BNY Mellon Settles FCPA Charges for $14.8 Million
The Bank of New York Mellon has agreed to pay $14.8 million to the SEC to settle charges that the bank awarded plum internships to the relatives of Mideast government officials in exchange for business managing those countries’ sovereign wealth funds. “These officials sought, and BNY Mellon agreed to provide, ...
-
Blog
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Modern FCPA Enforcement
I recently saw the movie The Man From U.N.C.L.E. It was a rollicking good movie, stylish, set in great locations, with a fabulous score and all the Guy Ritchie touches you would expect. The action all took place in Europe and the locals and governmental cooperation among the U.S., U.K. ...
-
Blog
SciClone Could Pay SEC $12.8 Million in FCPA Case
SciClone Pharmaceuticals has disclosed in a quarterly report that it’s discussing a tentative $12.8 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve an investigation of potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act with respect to its China operations. Details inside.
-
Blog
Ex-SAP Executive Pleads to FCPA Charges
The Justice Department and SEC jointly announced an enforcement action on Wednesday against a former executive of SAP International for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by bribing officials in Panama to win government contracts. Vicente Eduardo Garcia, 65, will pay damages totalling $92,300 and faces sentencing later this ...
-
Blog
The Man From FCPA Arrives
Today, I begin a blogging series for Compliance Week as The Man From FCPA. Our goal is to provide you with up-to-date information on all things related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and anti-corruption overall. I will cover FCPA issues that have a U.S.-centric focus, and also other anti-corruption ...
-
Blog
NCR Dodges FCPA Enforcement Action by SEC
NCR, an automated-teller machine company, recently announced that the Securities and Exchange Commission has decided not to recommend an enforcement action against it in connection with a previously disclosed investigation into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The allegations related to the company’s compliance with the FCPA and ...
-
Blog
Vantage Drilling Company Self-Reports FCPA Probe
Offshore drilling contractor, Vantage Drilling Company, announced this month in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it has launched an internal investigation into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Vantage said it is investigating allegations in connection with an agent's "role in obtaining bribes on ...
-
Blog
Mead Johnson Nutrition Pays $12M for FCPA Violations in China
Mead Johnson Nutrition will pay $12.03 million to settle civil charges that it violated books and records requirements of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act when a China-based unit made improper payments at state-owned hospitals. The settlement, the result of an administrative proceeding, was detailed in an Offer of Settlement the ...
-
Article
Q&A: How PetroTiger Avoided FCPA Prosecution
Image: As part of our occasional series of conversations with voices in the compliance world, we caught up with Timothy Treanor, a partner with law firm Sidley Austin who represented oil and gas company PetroTiger. In June, PetroTiger became just the second company in recent history of the Foreign Corrupt ...
-
Blog
Louis Berger International to Pay $17.5 Million for FCPA Violations
U.S.-based construction management company Louis Berger International has reached a $17.1 million settlement with the Department of Justice to resolve charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act when it bribed foreign officials in Asia to secure government construction management contracts. Two of the company’s former executives also ...
-
Blog
FCPA Actions Down, Declinations Up
The Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission resolved eight Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement actions so far in 2015—the lowest mid-year total in a decade, according to recent analysis from law firm Miller & Chevalier. “This slow-down seems to be attributable, in part, to a greater emphasis on declinations ...
-
Blog
Two South African Companies Dodge FCPA Charges
The Securities and Exchange Commission this month closed two separate investigations into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act without bringing any enforcement actions. Each investigation involved alleged bribery payments made by South African companies. Details inside.
-
Article
Anti-Corruption Reforms Push Forward in Mexico
Mexico has moved forward again on its quest to strengthen anti-corruption laws there, adopting reforms to clear the path for government authorities to uncover and prosecute acts of corruption committed by companies, individuals, and government officials. More legislative work is ahead, but so far Mexico’s laws might even surpass the ...
-
Blog
Eletrobras Investigating Possible FCPA Violations
Brazil’s state-run power company Eletrobras announced this week in a Form 6-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it has hired law firm Hogan Lovells to evaluate whether the company may have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Brazil’s anti-corruption law, and Eletrobras’ Code of Ethics. Eletrobras said ...
-
Blog
IAP Worldwide to Pay $7.1 Million in FCPA Case
Defense and government contracting company IAP Worldwide Services yesterday agreed to pay a $7.1 million penalty and entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice. The NPA requires IAP to “conduct a review of its existing internal controls, policies and procedures, and make any necessary modifications to ensure ...