News and commentary about white-collar crime, enforcement, and compliance
Harry Cassin
Publisher and Editor
Andy Spalding
Senior Editor
Jessica Tillipman
Senior Editor
Bill Steinman
Senior Editor
Richard L. Cassin
Editor at Large
Elizabeth K. Spahn
Editor Emeritus
Cody Worthington
Contributing Editor
Julie DiMauro
Contributing Editor
Thomas Fox
Contributing Editor
Marc Alain Bohn
Contributing Editor
Bill Waite
Contributing Editor
Russell A. Stamets
Contributing Editor
Richard Bistrong
Contributing Editor
Eric Carlson
Contributing Editor
As of March 27, the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine since the Russian invasion started reached nearly 3.9 million. Most of the refugees — mainly women and children — are now in neighboring Poland, Romania, Moldova, Belarus, Slovakia, and Hungary.… Continue Reading
The World Bank debarred a Canadian agricultural equipment distribution company Wednesday for 30 months for fraud involving a project in Afghanistan.… Continue Reading
According to the inaugural ECA Corruption Survey of business executives, in-house legal counsel, and other professionals operating in the Europe-Caucasus-Asia (ECA) region, 71 percent of respondents said that their country’s anti-corruption laws are ineffective and 62 percent said corruption is a significant obstacle to doing business.… Continue Reading
Since Belarus’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it has maintained strong economic and cultural ties with Russia and has been dependent on Russia’s economic support.
Recent conclusions by international finance institutions, such as the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), however, suggest that the Belarusian government is demonstrating an eagerness to revive its relationship with the West and an intention to open its market to foreign businesses.… Continue Reading
Because of frequent negative press coverage of Belarus, I always try to highlight positive developments with respect to my homeland. That’s a tendency that I typically share with the Belarusian government.… Continue Reading
In the prior post, I published part of a note from an acquaintance in Belarus who used to work in a medical supply firm. It described a centralized, top-down procurement system susceptible to widespread graft.… Continue Reading
Last month I wrote posts on the FCPA Blog about my birthplace, Belarus. I talked about perceived corruption there and my optimistic outlook for the country as a destination for foreign direct investment.… Continue Reading
Alexander Lukashenko, president of Belarus since 1994. (Image courtesy of the Belarus Digest)In a previous post, I shared some personal experiences that cause me to believe Belarus has lower-than-advertised levels of corruption, offering a solid foundation for investment.… Continue Reading
I’ve read the back-and-forth posts on the FCPA Blog about Colombia with great interest. In addition to teaching me something new, the discussion inspired me to promote another country that rarely makes it to the top of the foreign direct investment list — Belarus.… Continue Reading
In an SEC filing this week, Spanish pharmaceutical firm Grifols SA said the DOJ issued an ‘official declination to all inquiries related to the possible violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) that were underway since July 2009.’… Continue Reading