DOJ indicts Venezuela President Maduro, others in regime
The DOJ unsealed indictments against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and several high-ranking former and current members of his regime for alleged drug trafficking and money laundering crimes, as well as violations of the FCPA.
TRACE: Bribery enforcement down in 2019
Risks in the extractives and aerospace industries are still prevalent, but the number of overall global and U.S. enforcement cases involving bribery dropped in 2019, according to the latest report from TRACE International.
John Wood Group reserves $46M to resolve bribery investigations
John Wood Group said in a regulatory filing it has reserved $46 million in a potential settlement with authorities in the United States, Brazil, and Scotland related to a bribery investigation concerning ties to Monaco-based oil services firm Unaoil.
Ex-Alstom exec gets 15 months in prison on money-laundering charges
Lawrence Hoskins, a former executive of French power and transportation company Alstom, was sentenced to one year and three months in prison for his role in a money-laundering scheme that prosecutors say was designed to promote violations of the FCPA.
Herbalife sets aside $40M in FCPA probe
Dietary supplement maker Herbalife said in a regulatory filing it has set aside $40 million in accrued liability concerning an investigation into the company’s compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in China.
Compliance lessons from Cardinal Health’s FCPA settlement
Cardinal Health reached an $8.8 million settlement with the SEC for violations of the FCPA concerning the operations of its former Chinese subsidiary. For prudent compliance officers, it’s a tale of how not to do business in China.
Judge acquits Alstom exec on FCPA charges
In a setback for the DOJ, a federal judge has acquitted, in part, a former executive of French power and transportation company Alstom for his role in a foreign bribery scheme in Indonesia.
Bombardier’s compliance program progressing, says review
A recent review of Bombardier’s compliance policies and procedures details how the Canadian multinational aerospace and transportation company is “working towards having a best-in-class program.”
Airbus contractors feeling ripple effect from record fine
Airbus is free to go about its business after paying a record fine to three anti-corruption agencies for widespread bribery, but the trouble is only beginning for some of its implicated contractors.
Study: Post-financial crisis fines against financial institutions hit $36B
Global fines and penalties against financial institutions hit $36 billion last year, as ramifications from the financial crisis continue to reverberate throughout the financial services industry, according to a new report.
Confronting ‘willful intent’ in third-party corruption cases
Even as companies continue to agree to multi-billion-dollar settlements related to the corrupt acts of third parties, managing the risks associated with them nevertheless eludes many compliance departments.
Trump’s efforts to weaken FCPA bad news for compliance
If President Trump gets his way and the FCPA loses its bite, compliance officers would lose a valuable instrument in their fight to keep businesses on the right side of an ever-blurring line between right and wrong.
AirAsia on defense after Airbus-related bribery allegations
AirAsia is doing damage control after executives at the budget airline were referenced as recipients of a $50 million bribe from plane maker Airbus in the latter’s $4 billion global bribery settlement.
Airbus resolves global bribery scandal for record $4B
Airbus has agreed to pay a total of $4 billion in penalties split between the United States, United Kingdom, and France—the world’s largest global resolution for bribery.
Airbus announces resolution of global corruption case
Airbus confirmed it has reached a deal with authorities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to resolve long-running allegations of bribery and corruption. The settlement could reportedly be worth billions.
TI reveals political power correlation to corruption
Lack of campaign finance transparency and increased perceptions of political power among the wealthy are factors that correlate with a high risk of corruption according to Transparency International’s 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index.
Ericsson discloses E&C enhancements since $1B FCPA settlement
Ericsson in a recent regulatory filing disclosed in more detail what improvements it has made to its ethics and compliance program following its $1 billion settlement with U.S. authorities last year concerning violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
SFO guidance could help companies combat U.K. Bribery Act charges
New internal guidance from the U.K. Serious Fraud Office outlines what the regulator considers in determining if a company’s compliance procedures are adequate enough to defend against U.K. Bribery Act charges or qualify for a deferred prosecution agreement.
Apr. 30 | 2020 Anti-bribery and corruption emerging trends
In today’s global marketplace, an organization’s global supply chain is critically dependent on its third-party relationships in order to achieve operational and business success. Yet compliance professionals are all too aware that the third parties they depend on to achieve success pose a significant threat to their organizations for bribery, ...
Samsung establishes compliance oversight committee
Samsung Group has announced its intent to establish a corporate compliance oversight committee as the company seeks to clean up its tarnished reputation following a slew of scandals.
Casino operators in Japan must gamble on compliance risks
Japan’s plans to launch a casino industry have been marred recently by a widening bribery scandal that highlights the compliance risks associated with the operation.
Top ethics and compliance failures of 2019
From antitrust and privacy concerns in the tech world to compliance officer liability in the pharmaceutical industry to unethical practices in the banking and accounting professions, more than a dozen companies made Compliance Week’s list of the biggest compliance fails in 2019.
SFO confirms DPA with Güralp Systems after three acquitted
The founder and two former employees of Güralp Systems were acquitted of charges they conspired to bribe a South Korean public official, making it the latest corruption case in which the U.K. Serious Fraud Office failed to secure individual convictions.
SFO latest to investigate Glencore over bribery concerns
Glencore announced it is under investigation by the U.K. Serious Fraud Office over suspicions of bribery, making it the third investigation the multinational commodity trading and mining company is now facing.
Ericsson finalizes $1B FCPA settlement
Swedish telecom giant Ericsson has entered a $1 billion settlement with U.S. authorities to resolve a long-running investigation into violations of the FCPA that spanned 17 years and several geographies and involved high-level executives.
Samsung Heavy Industries to pay $75M in foreign bribery case
Samsung Heavy Industries will pay total criminal penalties of $75.5 million to enforcement authorities in the United States and Brazil to resolve violations arising out of a bribery scheme in Brazil.
Alstom U.K. fined $20.8M for role in long-running bribery case
Alstom Network U.K., the British subsidiary of the French rail and power company, has been ordered to pay a total of £16.4 million (U.S. $20.8 million) for bribes it paid to win a contract to supply trams in Tunisia.
U.S. trending up in new TRACE matrix bribery report
The latest edition of TRACE International’s annual Bribery Risk Matrix shows many of the same countries named in last year’s report are still struggling with business-related bribery risk. One country on the rise: the United States.
Former Herbalife execs charged with FCPA violations
The DOJ has charged two former executives of Herbalife with violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for bribing Chinese government officials for over a decade and then trying to cover up the illicit payments.
Unaoil execs plead guilty for roles in global bribery scheme
The former CEO and chief operations officer of Monaco-based Unaoil have pleaded guilty for their roles in a scheme to corruptly facilitate millions of dollars in bribe payments to officials in multiple countries.
DOJ recovers $700M in 1MDB scandal
Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman-turned-fugitive, has agreed to forfeit more than $700 million worth of assets that he and his family allegedly misappropriated from Malaysian’s sovereign-wealth fund, 1MDB.
Compliance lessons from recent nine-figure FCPA settlements
Walmart, TechnipFMC, Fresenius—just to name a few—have all fallen prey to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in a record year of jacked-up enforcement and sky-high penalties.
Sponge launches anti-bribery training game
Sponge has launched Anti-Bribery Sorted, a training game designed to help organizations combat corruption and protect corporate reputation.
Singapore regulator: Technology creates both challenges, opportunities
The evolution of technology is enabling myriad capabilities for regulatory and financial crime compliance, but it is also presenting complex financial crime risks, according to a representative from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) at the International Compliance Association’s second Asia Pacific (APAC) conference this week in Singapore.
Compliance lessons from Quad/Graphics’ $10M FCPA settlement
Quad/Graphics will pay $10 million to resolve SEC charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by engaging in widespread bribery schemes in Peru and China, but the compliance lessons are priceless.
Westport Fuels, former CEO pay $4.1M in FCPA case
Westport Fuels Systems and its former CEO have reached a $4.1 million settlement with the SEC for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by paying bribes to a foreign government official in China.
Third Cognizant executive settles FCPA charges
A third former executive at Cognizant has settled charges with the SEC for violating the FCPA by participating in a scheme to bribe an Indian government official.
SEC closes FCPA probe into Ciena
Ciena says the SEC advised the company it does not intend to recommend an enforcement action in connection with a previously disclosed investigation into potential violations of the FCPA.
SEC’s Clayton calls out dearth of global assistance in battling corruption
Is the SEC tired of being a global cop? In a speech Monday, SEC Chair Jay Clayton rallied against a “continuing lack of global commitment” to combatting offshore corruption.
Odebrecht to make $50M in charitable contributions under settlement
Brazil-based construction and engineering company Odebrecht has committed to make $50 million in total charitable contributions as part of a settlement reached to resolve allegations of bribery.
DOJ closes FCPA probe into Misonix
The DOJ has now closed its investigation into medical device company Misonix—about a month after the SEC closed its probe—without bringing enforcement actions. The FCPA investigation still resulted in some extensive anti-corruption compliance reforms.
Avianca discloses internal FCPA investigation
Avianca Holdings disclosed in a securities filing that it is investigating possible violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act concerning free and discounted airline tickets and upgrades given to government officials in certain countries.
Suspecting illicit assets, British police freeze record $121M
The U.K.’s National Crime Agency announced it has frozen eight bank accounts containing more than £100m (U.S. $121 million), which it suspects derived from bribery and corruption overseas. This represents the largest amount of money frozen to date.
A critical review of the SFO’s DPA process
Companies considering entering a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.K. Serious Fraud Office might instead want to take their chances with a trial following the outcomes of a trio of recent high-profile corruption cases.
International Flavors and Fragrances discloses bribery investigation
International Flavors and Fragrances says it is investigating potential improper payments made in Russia and Ukraine by an Israeli-based company it acquired last year.
New legislation would criminalize extortion by foreign officials
The Justice Department might get some new powers under legislation proposed by the U.S. House of Representatives that criminalizes extortion by foreign officials.
3M discloses FCPA probe
3M said it is conducting an internal investigation into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act concerning suspicious travel activities and related recordkeeping issues with regard to marketing efforts in China.
Appeals Court upholds bribery conviction of Alstom Network
The Criminal Division of the U.K. Court of Appeal has upheld the April 2018 conviction of Alstom Network UK over a bribery case concerning an infrastructure contract in Tunisia.
Webcast: Anti-Bribery and Corruption Challenges, Trends and New Lines of Defense
Experts from Refinitiv and ProcessUnity discuss the types of risks facing companies today; how to tackle third-party risks using data, technology, and automation; and best practices for implementing processes and procedures for integrated, ongoing due diligence.
Five compliance lessons from Walmart’s FCPA settlement
Walmart’s FCPA settlement serves as a cautionary tale for chief compliance officers everywhere of what not to do, but also on how to successfully redress underlying problems.