All Anti-Bribery articles – Page 6
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Blog
SEC obtains settlement in kickback scheme
Seven individuals from broker-dealer Direct Access Partners settled charges with the SEC last week for their role in a massive kickback scheme to secure the bond trading business of a state-owned Venezuelan bank. As Compliance Week previously reported, the SEC and Department of Justice unsealed criminal charges in May 2013 ...
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ISO 37001 anti-bribery standard gains momentum
Image: The push to adopt ISO 37001, a uniform set of international anti-bribery management system standards, is gaining momentum on a global scale and ultimately will raise the bar for compliance officers looking to reinforce their anti-bribery compliance programs. “This is the first time that you will have an internationally ...
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Blog
Braid Group to pay £2.2 million in bribery case
Scotland’s prosecution service this week announced a £2.2 million civil settlement with Braid Group (Holdings), a Glasgow-based diversified global logistics company to resolve allegations that it obtained business through unlawful conduct. In a statement, Linda Hamilton, head of the Civil Recovery Unit, said that “Braid is to be commended for ...
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Blog
Criminal Division launches new FCPA pilot program
Effective today, the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division has launched a one-year “pilot program” in the Fraud Section’s FCPA Unit as part of the agency’s effort to promote both transparency and accountability. At the end of the one-year pilot period, the Fraud Section will determine whether to extend or modify ...
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FCPA enforcement ramps up in Q1 2016
If it looks like FCPA enforcement is at a low ebb, judging by the amount of activity we saw in 2015, don’t be fooled. The SEC is prosecuting FCPA cases with vigor, and if some of the current enforcement actions underway are any indicator, we will not see a significant ...
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Blog
Brazilian corruption investigation goes supernova
As billionaire construction magnate Marcelo Odebrecht prepares to turn state’s evidence in the corruption investigation that covers Petrobras, Odebrecht SA, and the Brazilian presidency itself, it seems that we might finally get some insight on just how pervasive Brazil’s so-called “cartel of corruption” really was. Is anybody ready to ...
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How employee hotlines can improve organizational well-being
According to the CDC, in 1965 more than forty percent of the U.S. population smoked. After decades of persistent education, the general population has come to realize that best practices include healthy decisions; decisions that increase well-being and reduce expenses. Today, less than twenty percent of the population are smokers ...
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Blog
German World Cup bid now under FIFA scrutiny
The ongoing FIFA corruption scandal takes on new life as some of the top names in German soccer, as well as sports apparel manufacturer Adidas, appear to be implicated in the 2006 World Cup bid. CW’s Tom Fox reports on this latest ethics investigation.
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Blog
SFO brings more charges in Alstom case
The U.K. Serious Fraud Office has brought further charges as part of its ongoing investigation of Alstom Network U.K., a U.K. subsidiary of French engineering company Alstom, this time against Alstom’s country president for the United Kingdom and managing director of Alstom Transport U.K. and Ireland. He is the seventh ...
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Indian Supreme Court ruling expands FCPA coverage
Image: A landmark judgment issued by the Indian Supreme Court could have the broader effect of significantly expanding the compliance risk that companies face under numerous anti-bribery laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. CW’s Jaclyn Jaeger examines this latest development that, according to FTI Consulting’s Anuj Bugga, “introduces ...
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Is Venezuela’s state oil company creating the next Petrobras scandal?
While Petrobras currently holds the title as the most corrupt national energy company in South America, Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) is a strong contender as well, thanks to ongoing U.S. investigations into possible FCPA violations involving U.S. companies, Swiss banks, and corrupt PDVSA officials.
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Blog
Is FIFA entitled to restitution as a victim?
Image: It appears the Fédération Internationale de Football Association is trying to shed its corrupt image in favor of playing the victim. The international governing body of football has asked the Justice Department for its share of monies it obtains through forfeiture and penalties from individuals prosecuted around the FIFA ...
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Blog
NGOs to OECD: global standards needed for foreign bribery settlements
A group of non-governmental organizations has written a letter to the OECD Working Group on Bribery urging it to develop global standards for corporate settlements based on best practice. Corruption Watch, Global Witness, Transparency International, and the UNCAC Coalition asked the OECD to address “urgently” whether the use of settlements ...
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Blog
Petrobras fallout into the private sector continues
A 19-year prison sentence handed down in connection with Brazil’s widening “Car Wash” scandal is a wake-up call for any company that has done business with Odebrecht SA, the largest construction company in Brazil and, indeed, South America. The scandal, which began with energy firm Petrobras, should enforce that it’s ...
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Article
Scrutinizing hiring practices for FCPA violations
Through recent investigations and enforcement actions, the Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice have been warning companies to proceed with caution when hiring the relatives of foreign government officials, lest they run afoul of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
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Blog
VimpelCom and the conscious indifference of a board under the FCPA
Image: The joint Justice Dept., SEC settlement with telecom giant VimpelCom resolving a longstanding FCPA violation will cost the company more than $795 million, say reports. But there’s a bright side, says CW Columnist Tom Fox. The multiple bribery schemes seem to have been supported by top management and will ...
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Blog
Platform Specialty Products self-reports FCPA probe
Platform Specialty Products, a chemical-products company, said in a regulatory filing this week that it is conducting an internal investigation to determine whether certain payments made by a recently acquired subsidiary to third-party agents in West Africa violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
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Blog
Report: Europe makes up majority of U.S. bribery investigations
The majority of U.S. investigations and enforcement actions concerning alleged bribery of foreign officials conducted against non-U.S. companies and individuals involved companies or individuals from Europe, according to a new report issued by anti-bribery group TRACE International. Companies or individuals from Europe made up approximately 71 percent of U.S. bribery ...
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Blog
Sweett Group to pay £2.25 million for Bribery Act violations
The U.K. Serious Fraud Office last month sentenced and ordered the Sweett Group to pay £2.25 million ($3.21 million) to resolve an SFO investigation into the company’s activities in the United Arab Emirates. The conviction and punishment represents the first under Section 7 of the Bribery Act and offers many ...
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Another bank under FCPA scrutiny for its hiring practices
Financial services providers face unique corruption risks when seeking to win business in international markets. This includes a traditional form of back-scratching: the hiring of children or other close family members of prominent foreign officials. Only now the SEC has made it clear that such practices can and will invite ...