A Bright Take on FCPA Compliance

fcpa

Here’s a splendid bit of research for all you FCPA aficionados: Business professors at the University of Chicago have quantified the economic benefit of corporate anti-corruption programs — by measuring, of all things, the nighttime use of electric lights in African villages near mining businesses subject to the law. The findings come from Hans Christensen,…

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OECD Praises U.S. on FCPA

fcpa

You know those progress reports the OECD publishes from time to time about the anti-corruption enforcement among countries around the world? Well, the group just published its latest report on the United States and gave the country generally high marks.  That should come as no surprise to compliance officers, who have witnessed the U.S. government’s…

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Liquor Case Gins Up FCPA Lessons

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Here’s something you don’t see every day: the Justice Department hit spirits manufacturer Beam Suntory with a $19.5 million fine on Tuesday for a bribery scheme in India — where the company got an extra punch in the pocketbook for failure to cooperate fully or to coordinate the Justice Department FCPA investigation with a separate…

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Goldman Sachs, FCPA, and Internal Controls

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Now that we’ve all had the weekend to contemplate the massive Goldman Sachs FCPA enforcement action from last week (because that’s how we all spend our free time, right?), let’s return to an issue that’s been on my mind since the settlement was announced.  How does a company strengthen an internal control, when that control…

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Goldman Sachs’ Giant FCPA Deal

goldman

All right compliance professionals, it’s here: Goldman Sachs has agreed to pay $4.3 billion to settle corruption charges for its role in the 1MDB scandal — making Wall Street’s premier investment bank responsible for the largest criminal penalty in FCPA history.  U.S. regulators announced the news today, although rumors of a settlement had been swirling…

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JBS, Internal Controls, and the FCPA

JBS

Meat-processing giant JBS has agreed to pay $283.3 million to settle a brazen FCPA bribery scheme, with fascinating lessons for the compliance professional if you can endure the headache-inducing facts of the case.  The Justice Department and the Securities & Exchange Commission announced the settlement Wednesday. JBS’ parent company J&F Investments, headquartered in Brazil, pleaded…

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Herbalife Pays $123M on FCPA Charges

herbalife

Herbalife, that multi-level marketing business selling dietary supplements that absolutely totally isn’t a pyramid scheme, has agreed to settle FCPA charges by paying $123 million in disgorgement and penalties and accepting a deferred-prosecution agreement for three years.  Federal prosecutors announced the settlement Friday. It includes a $55 million criminal penalty going to the Justice Department,…

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New FCPA Opinion Release

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The Justice Department has published its first FCPA Opinion Release in six years, saying a U.S. investment adviser does not need to worry about paying a $237,500 fee to the banking subsidiary of a foreign government for services rendered. FCPA Opinion Releases are short Justice Department analyses of specific fact patterns that might leave a…

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WAC-o Tale of FCPA Misconduct

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Some days the WTF-o-meter just doesn’t go high enough, and such is the case with the latest FCPA enforcement action from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Fellow compliance travelers, prepare yourselves.  The SEC dinged World Acceptance Corp., a consumer loan business based in South Carolina, for a bribery operation the company’s Mexico subsidiary ran in…

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Dissecting the Alexion FCPA Case

alexion

We can all use a refresher course in FCPA compliance issues from time to time, and the Securities and Exchange Commission served up precisely that last week with its $21.4 million enforcement action against Alexion Pharmaceuticals.  Alexion is a mid-sized pharmaceutical firm based in Boston, primarily selling Soliris, a drug used to treat several rare…

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