Best FCPA Lawyers Global Practice Survey 2013
One hundred law firm partners, in-house counsel, and executives revealed candid insights about client service and enforcement trends in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act arena.
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UPDATED: Tuesday, May 21 at 9:22 p.m. EDT
Okada Says Wynn Has ‘Unclean Hands’ in FCPA-linked Suit
The former director said he acted in good faith and did not harm Wynn.
A Troubling Survey on Corruption
Over all, 20 percent of the respondents from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India said they knew of incidents at their own companies within the previous year that could be construed as cooking the books.
Senate, House Bills Diverge on Need to Clarify U.S.-Mexico Oil Agreement
Disagreement on whether an oil-and-gas accord signed last year between the U.S. and Mexico will conflict with the new Dodd-Frank transparency rule for extractive industries.
BSGR Says Employees Arrested in Guinea, Accused of Corruption
The company called on Tony Blair to help rescue the employees, accused of “passive corruption.”
Alcoa Agent’s Bribery Trial Moved to November
After a chain of events that British media is prohibited from reporting due to laws protecting defendants from pre-trial publicity, Victor Dahdaleh is now to stand trial in November in London.
Cilins Pleads Not Guilty to Bribery-Linked Obstruction Charges in Mining Case
The French national is charged obstructing a grand jury investigation into whether mining company BSG Resources Ltd. paid bribes in Africa.
Wal-Mart Discloses $73 million in FCPA-Related Costs for Q1
Spending on the internal bribery probe and related compliance issues was much higher in the first three months of 2013 than earlier anticipated.
Judge Won’t Strike Wal-Mart Files in Shareholder Suit
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. can’t block investors from using publicly disclosed internal files in lawsuits that claim directors failed to properly oversee executives accused of bribing Mexican officials, a judge said.
Bribes Were ‘Corporate Policy’ at BizJet, Judge Says
The sentencing hearings for Neal M. Uhl and Peter R. DuBois were partially closed to the public last month as the government discussed their motions to lessen their Foreign Corrupt Practices Act sentences.
Barclays Probed over Payments to Saudi King’s Son
A prominent member of the Saudi royal family is at the heart of a US criminal probe into whether Barclays made improper payments in the kingdom, with investigators scrutinising two separate incidents linked to a son of King Abdullah.
Bio-Rad Continues Probe of Possible FCPA Violations
The government’s look into possible FCPA investigations is also ongoing.
Self-Monitoring and Hybrids More Common As U.S. Credits FCPA Compliance
As companies put a greater emphasis on compliance, the imposition of an outside monitor has become less common.
Bourke Loses Bid for Re-hearing En Banc; Ordered to Prison
The judge recommended that the hand bag designer serve his sentence at FCI Englewood in Colorado, near his family.
News Corp Reports $42M in Quarterly Investigation Costs
News Corp.’s legal bills from the bribery and hacking investigations are down a third over the same period last year.
Debevoise Joins Fulcrum in ENRC Corruption Review
U.K.-listed miner Eurasian Natural Resources Corp. has hired two law firms to review the conclusions of an internal investigation into whistleblower allegations conducted by law firm Dechert LLP, as ENRC is investigated over allegations of fraud and corruption.
Okada-Linked Bribery Probe ‘Not in Infancy,’ Prosecutor Says
Discovery has been stayed in a related civil suit.
Deferred Prosecutions Bring More Flexibility to UK Cases
DPAs are a reality, but the details are still being hammered out.
After SEC Inspection, Alleged FCPA Violations Emerge at NY Brokerage
Two employees at Direct Access Partners LLC and an executive from a state-owned bank in Venezuela were arrested last Friday in Miami on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other charges.
MTS Systems Turns Probe Results Over to U.S.
After presenting the internal probe’s findings to the U.S., the Minnesota company said it could not predict any outcome.
Bourke At Last Due in Prison for Azerbaijan Bribery Scheme
Frederic Bourke, co-founder of the luxury-handbag maker Dooney & Bourke, is set to enter prison this week for conspiring 15 years ago in what prosecutors called “one of the most audacious” bribery schemes ever attempted in the former Soviet Union.
Paul Novak Given 15 Months for Bribery in Willbros Case
Novak was the third defendant to plead guilty over bribes paid to win business for the Houston pipeline contractors Willbros Group Inc.
Remediation Key to Avoiding Monitor, Criminal Division’s Buretta Says
Prosecutors evaluate a company’s problems and its conduct since to decide whether a monitor is necessary.
Acting Criminal Division Head Defends Settlements with Banks
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman said corporate settlements provide a “roadmap” to criminal conduct that helps prosecutors pursue individuals.
Criminal Division’s McInerney Defends Deferred Prosecution Agreements
Denis McInerney, deputy assistant attorney general, said settlements were helping the government police corporate crime as never before.
Rolls-Royce Chief Leaves Division Hit with Corruption Probe
The aircraft engine maker said Mark King, who joined the company in 1986, would leave at the end of June.
ADM Estimates $25 Million for FCPA Settlements
The food processing company anticipates a resolution this year.
Justice Department Charges Another Alstom Exec in Indonesia Bribery
William Pomponi, a former sales executive at a Connecticut subsidiary of Alstom, is the third individual to face foreign bribery charges over a power project in Indonesia.
Justice Department Returns More Than $1.5 Billion to Fraud Victims
Payouts go to victims of Enron, Qwest Communications and other major accounting fraud cases of the last decade.
Grand Jury Adds Obstruction Charges in BSG Resources Probe
Cilins, an agent of BSG Resources Ltd., is now also charged with directing false statements to the FBI and providing false documents to hide his alleged crimes.
African Development Bank Launches Bonny Island Probe
The Houston oil services company KBR Inc. said it coud not determine the implications of any possible debarments.
Circuit Court Denies Jurisdiction for Dodd-Frank Oil Payments Lawsuit
The decision passes the oil payments transparency lawsuit to the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
SFO Opens Formal Corruption Probe of ENRC in London
The Serious Fraud Office says it will examine allegations of fraud and corruption in the company’s operations in Kazakhstan and Africa.
Ralph Lauren Corp.’s Market Disclosure of Foreign Bribery Settlement
On April 22, Ralph Lauren Corp. filed a current report with the Securities and Exchange Commission recording its non-prosecution agreements with both the SEC and Justice Department to resolve allegations of bribery in Argentina.
Time Served for Farrell, the Final Kozeny Conspirator
Farrell was an ‘exemplary cooperator’ in testifying against co-conspirator Frederic A. Bourke, prosecutors said.
Risk of Okada’s Deals Unclear Until Arkin Investigation, Wynn Claims
Wynn Resorts Ltd. asserts that it had scant details on suspicious business deals by former director Kazuo Okada until a 2011 investigation by Arkin Group LLC.
Wal-Mart to Tie Exec Pay to Compliance
With federal investigations underway, Wal-Mart attempts to showcase company reforms by tying compliance to executive pay.
Chertoff Assails Freeh in Bribery-Linked Casino Suit
The former chief of homeland security says the former FBI director was a hired gun.
Ceresney Joins Canellos as SEC Enforcement Co-Chief
The Enforcement Division duo replace Robert S. Khuzami, who stepped down in February.
FCPA Blogs Roundup: ‘Spy’ in the U.K. Shares Intelligence on Bribery Act
Tough enforcement is coming soon, a British insider says, citing a law making its way through Parliament.
Judge Denies DOJ Bid to Seize Obiang Jet, for Now
The Justice Department may refile its complaint alleging more specific facts to tie the $38.5 million to jet to illegal activities.
TeliaSonera Board Hires Firm to Review Eurasian Transactions
The telecom company is under investigation in Sweden over allegations of bribery in Uzbekistan.
FBI Affidavit Links Israeli-Owned Mining Company to $12M Bribe Offer
The revelation emerged from a fast-moving grand jury investigation that came to light this week when Frédéric Cilins, 50, identified as an agent of BSG Resources, was arrested in Florida on Sunday in a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act probe.
SNC-Lavalin Subsidiary Debarred for 10 years by World Bank
The subsidiary’s parent is not debarred, unless it violates the terms of a negotiated resolution.
Scheindlin Signs Off on Sharef Bribery Settlement with SEC
A federal judge on Monday approved a $275,000 settlement between a former Siemens AG board member and the Securities and Exchange Commission, likely marking the close of the government’s civil pursuit of former Siemens employees for alleged bribery in Argentina.
Parker Drilling Settles Bribery Allegations for Nearly $16M
The Houston-based oil drilling company enters a deferred prosecution agreement more than four years after disclosing an internal probe.
Serious Fraud Office’s Rappo Joins Steptoe & Johnson
Patrick Rappo, who was co-head of anti-corruption enforcement at the U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office, is now a partner in the firm’s London office.
BizJet Offers Glimpse of Hunt for Bribery Fugitives
Did Jald Jensen slip through the fingers of Panamanian police?
Philips Settles with SEC for $4.5M over Polish Bribery
Six years after its offices were searched in Poland, the Dutch electronics maker Philips resolves the SEC’s foreign bribery allegations for $4.5 million.
U.S. Investigating Panasonic Unit for Possible Bribery Problem
The company reportedly received a subpoena from the U.S. government last month.
SEC Policy Creates Patchwork of Admissions, Non-Admissions in FCPA Cases
Though companies now are required to admit to facts alleged by the Justice Department to settle parallel civil investigations, other similar conduct goes unacknowledged.
