Day 26 | Operationalizing compliance through payroll
Day 25 | Compliance function in an organization
Day 24 | CCO authority and independence
Day 29 of 31 Days to a More Effective Compliance Program
FCPA Compliance and Ethics Report-Episode 30-Interview with the FCPA Professor-Part 2
We recently had a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement action that reminded me that everything old is new again in anti-corruption compliance. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) FCPA enforcement action...more
While FCPA enforcement against companies has been relatively quiet this year, despite a strong beginning to the year — the SAP case for $220 million; and the Gunvor case for $661 million — DOJ has been pushing a number of...more
In March 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the resolution of a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement action involving the Swiss trading firm G Trafigura Beheer B.V. (Trafigura), an international...more
We continue our exploration of the resolution of the FCPA enforcement action involving the Swiss trading firm Gunvor S.A. The enforcement action came in with a $661 million penalty against the company, which has pleaded...more
One of the biggest changes in the 2020 FCPA Resource Guide, 2nd edition, is the addition of a new Hallmark, entitled, Investigation, Analysis, and Remediation of Misconduct, which reads in full...more
The building blocks of any compliance program lay the foundations for a best practices compliance program. For instance, in the life cycle management of third parties, most compliance practitioners understand the need for a...more
One cannot really say enough about risk assessments in the context of anti-corruption programs. This is because every corporate compliance program should be based on a risk assessment, on an understanding of your...more
What is the value of having a Code of Conduct? In its early days, a Code of Conduct tended to be lawyer-written and lawyer-driven to wave in regulator’s face during an enforcement action as proof of ethical overall behavior....more
While 2023 was a relatively slow year in FCPA enforcement, the DOJ and SEC settlements announced throughout the year set out a list of important ethics and compliance reminders. While these may seem obvious to everyone, I...more
The 2022 Monaco Memo emphasized the basic point that the key to every company is culture. The bottom line is that corporate culture matters and corporate culture that fails to hold individuals accountable, or fails to invest...more
Matt Galvin, Counsel, Compliance & Data Analytics at the DOJ and one of the experts leading the DOJ’s data analytics initiative, highlighted in another talk, the proactive use of data to generate cases related to the FCPA and...more
2023 was a very significant year for every compliance practitioner and compliance program. While there was a paucity of corporate enforcement actions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), there were significant...more
UN Corruption Convention’s Ratification - In October 2003, the General Assembly officially ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption (“Corruption Convention”). Since that time, a total of 190 countries have...more
Last week, Nicole Argentieri, acting assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division, speaking at the ACI National FCPA reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is stepping up its own use of data analytics to...more
While the Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated at least two new Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions against U.S. companies, it has also announced several decisions not to prosecute—most recently...more
It turns out that Venice invented the modern hotline reporting system with their Lion’s Mouth reporting protocol. The symbol of Venice is the Lion St. Mark. The use of this symbol has led to the maxim straight from the lion’s...more
The Justice Department has had a slow year in FCPA enforcement (another profound grasp of the obvious). The reasons for this may be a question of timing elements in the pipeline of cases....more
Early in October at the 2023 SCCE Compliance and Ethics Institute, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco delivered a long-anticipated speech expanding and formalizing the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) new Safe Harbor for...more
Let’s move beyond the headline – trade compliance is the new FCPA. We get it. The next step is to do something about it. The Justice Department has repeated this refrain – it is one of its greatest hits. In addition, DOJ,...more
Here are some basic propositions that surround FCPA compliance. It is often underplayed that the FCPA contains more than just a bribery prohibition – the FCPA contains broad provisions, requiring accurate books and records...more
The U.S. Justice Department unveiled new policies about how it will prosecute cases of corporate misconduct, offering new incentives for companies whose misconduct includes “aggravating circumstances” to step forward and...more
Contrary to the often-repeated narrative, the Justice Department is transparent about its enforcement plans and compliance expectations. Since the issuance of the FCPA Guidance in 2012, DOJ has continued to provide guidance...more
In following the Justice Department and the Securities Exchange Commission FCPA enforcement actions, I am always reminded of the popular phrase — “reading the tea leaves.” (or “tasseography,” a fortune-telling method based on...more
In the FCPA and white collar defense community, we have seen buckets and buckets of ink spilled on the coming wave of aggressive enforcement. Justice Department officials have made so many statements about the “new” approach...more
At a New York City Bar Association event on April 27, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco described economic sanctions as “the new FCPA.” Her characterization should put corporate compliance departments on notice. ...more