All articles by Jaclyn Jaeger – Page 94
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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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Blog
FinCEN fines Sparks Nugget casino $1 million for AML violations
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) recently slapped a $1 million civil money penalty on Sparks Nugget casino for willfully violated the anti-money laundering provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act. “Despite the fact that it hosted convicted embezzlers and had been repeatedly alerted to suspicious transactions by its own BSA ...
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Las Vegas Sands pays $9 million for FCPA violations
Las Vegas Sands has agreed to pay a $9 million penalty to the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by failing to properly authorize or document millions of dollars in payments to a consultant facilitating business activities in China and Macao.
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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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Article
Preparing for a HIPAA compliance audit
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights has officially kicked off its second phase of audits for covered entities and their business associates to review compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act’s privacy, security, and breach notification rules. CW’s Jaclyn Jaeger says healthcare CCOs ...
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VimpelCom discloses more details on FCPA damages
Amsterdam-based VimpelCom, a global telecommunication services provider, said last week in its annual report with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it has set aside $105 million for legal expenses associated with its $795 million settlement reached last month with U.S. and Dutch prosecutors for paying bribes to a government ...
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Blog
SFO general counsel Alun Milford offers details on inner workings of SFO
Image: During remarks at the European Compliance and Ethics Institute conference in Prague, Alun Milford, general counsel for the U.K. Serious Fraud Office, provided some rare insight into the inner workings of the SFO. He also provided some hints on cases that are on the horizon, including “a LIBOR-fixing trial ...
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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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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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Article
A global glimpse at whistleblower protections in OECD countries
More OECD countries have put in place dedicated whistleblower protection laws in the past five years than in the previous quarter century, according to analysis by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. But what’s a compliance officer to do when whistleblower protection laws in foreign countries directly contradict whistleblower ...
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Blog
Zimmer Biomet: FCPA probe remains ongoing
Medical device maker Zimmer Biomet Holdings (formerly Biomet) is still under investigation by the Justice Department and SEC for possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act regarding its operations in Brazil and Mexico. As a result, a three-year deferred prosecution agreement that Biomet entered into with the Justice Department ...
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Blog
France fines Google $112,000 over right to be forgotten
France’s data protection regulator has fined Google €100,000 (U.S. $112,000) after it refused to comply with the regulator’s order to remove URLs from search results everywhere. The fine follows a May 2014 ruling by the European Union Court of Justice, affording European citizens the right to ask search engine providers ...
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Blog
Novartis to pay $25 million in FCPA case
Switzerland pharmaceutical giant Novartis yesterday reached a $25 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for violating the books and records and internal accounting controls provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act concerning its operations in China.
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Article
Scalia’s absence a blow to companies?
Image: Many companies are left wondering what the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (left) means for business cases moving forward and for the handful of others that remain suspended in a state of legal limbo. “The mere uncertainty created by Justice Scalia’s absence may cause businesses to ...
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Compliance risks in M&A transactions
Image: 2015 was a record-breaking year for global mergers and acquisitions, but inherent in those deals are numerous compliance risks, such as potential Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations and deal-breaking cultural clashes. Involving compliance personnel at the earliest stages of an M&A transaction can significantly reduce unforeseen liabilities. “You don’t ...
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Blog
Former Goldman compliance employee settles SEC insider trading case
A former Goldman Sachs compliance employee settled his case with the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve insider trading charges filed against him last year. Judge Valerie Caproni of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York last week entered a final judgment against defendant Yue Han, ...
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Blog
Toshiba faces U.S. accounting probe
Tokyo-based electronics maker Toshiba confirmed that it is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission over alleged accounting irregularities. Toshiba’s disclosure about the U.S. investigation follows media reports that U.S. regulators are investigating allegations that Toshiba’s U.S.-based nuclear business division, Westinghouse, hid $1.3 ...
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Blog
Alere receives subpoena in foreign bribery probe
Alere, a global diagnostic device and service provider, said yesterday a filing the Securities and Exchange Commission that it received a grand jury subpoena from the Department of Justice requiring the production of documents relating to its sales practices in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.