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
Shruti J. Shah
Contributing Editor
Russell A. Stamets
Contributing Editor
Richard Bistrong
Contributing Editor
Eric Carlson
Contributing Editor
People who’ve violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act fall into two categories: those who had criminal intent from the start, and those who stumbled into the offense.
It’s the second group — the regular folks who’ve done a bad thing — who are so tragic.… Continue Reading
The U.S. legal system doesn’t provide for an FCPA compliance defense, which would relieve a company of liability for FCPA violations if it can prove that it created and maintained an effective FCPA compliance program at the time the violation occurred.… Continue Reading
Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile SA agreed Friday to pay $30.5 million to resolve criminal and civil Foreign Corrupt Practices Act charges that it bribed Chilean politicians to influence government policies and plans.… Continue Reading
This year the DOJ required disgorgement of ill-gotten gains as a predicate for preferential treatment under the new FCPA enforcement Pilot Program, regardless of whether the participating company was publicly or privately owned. … Continue Reading
On October 14, after four years of work involving the active participation of experts from 37 countries, the International Organization for Standardization issued ISO 3700, its standard for anti-bribery management systems.… Continue Reading
As reported by the FCPA Blog Tuesday, the SEC and DOJ entered into parallel resolutions with Analogic Corporation and Analogic’s wholly-owned Danish subsidiary BK Medical ApS in connection with violations of the books and records and accounting controls provisions of the FCPA.… Continue Reading
Leslie R. Caldwell, Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal DivisionThe DOJ’s FCPA Guidance and Enforcement Plan places significant emphasis on organizational culture. The section describing “an effective compliance and ethics program” includes “whether the company has established a culture of compliance, including an awareness among employees that any criminal conduct, including the conduct underlying the investigation, will not be tolerated.”… Continue Reading
On April 5 the DOJ’s Fraud Section of the Criminal Division released a policy document called The Fraud Sections’ Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement Plan and Guidance. The new Guidance is an attempt to bring greater transparency to the benefits corporations will achieve by voluntarily disclosing FCPA problems and fully cooperating with investigations of these problems. … Continue Reading
The international business community wins when companies across supply and marketing chains work to the same high standards. There is less risk and more predictability, which promotes confidence among business partners.… Continue Reading
Heads up: The six-month anniversary in your new position will arrive in a flash.
If you were hired as part of your organization’s response to a serious corruption allegation, you may still be in fire-fighting mode at this point, but starting to emerge for air.… Continue Reading
Corporate compliance enthusiasts have one more item on their To Do list this winter: be sure to review and comment on ISO 37001, the draft standard for anti-bribery management systems.
The International Standards Organization has been working on ISO 37001 since 2013, and the goal is a final standard approved and available by the end of 2016.… Continue Reading
As mentioned in a prior post, ex post protective measures for whistleblowers are insufficient on their own. Considering the economic benefits brought by effective reporting mechanisms, private firms need to adopt proactive measures that will avoid whistleblower victimization and lead to meaningful organizational change.… Continue Reading