Category: General

General

3 Oct, 2022

Oracle’s FCPA Violations: A Lesson in Managing Third-Party Distributor Risks (Part II of II)

Oracle’s SEC settlement for $23 million underscores the power of the FCPA provisions mandating effective internal controls and accurate books and records.  As everyone knows, these provisions can be applied to a wide-range of conduct beyond foreign bribery.  The SEC recognizes the power of these provisions and have used them in a variety of settings. Oracle has now fallen under the enforcement sword twice —...

General

3 Oct, 2022

Oracle Joins Ranks of FCPA Recidivists: Settles SEC Case for $23 Million (Part I of II)

Oracle Corporation settled its second FCPA case in ten years.  Oracle agreed to pay $23 million to resolve allegations that its subsidiaries in Turkey, India and the United Arab Emirates maintained slush funds to bribe foreign officials.  Ten years ago in 2012, Oracle paid the SEC $2 million creating millions of dollars in off-the-books accounts at its India subsidiary. Oracle agreed to pay $8 million...

General

30 Sep, 2022

Criminal Division AAG Polite Reinforces New DOJ Corporate Enforcement Policy (Part IV of IV)

The Justice Department is putting every business on notice — aggressive white collar criminal enforcement is here to stay. In a one-two punch, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced a revised Corporate Enforcement Policy, and Criminal Division Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite followed up with a speech outlining the steps the Criminal Division intends to take to implement the new Corporate Enforcement Policy, including important...

General

29 Sep, 2022

DOJ’s Revised Corporate Enforcement Policy Expands on Previous Factors: History of Misconduct; Voluntary Self-Disclosure; and Compliance Monitors (Part III of IV)

The Lisa Monaco Memo is a new and important restatement of the Justice Department’s approach to corporate crime.  It is a worthy read and it sets out a number of new requirements and procedures for DOJ prosecutors investigating corporate crime.  In this posting, we return to review a few remaining important issues. Evaluating a Corporation’s History of Misconduct — DOJ’s original announcement in October 2021...

General

27 Sep, 2022

DOJ Imposes New Standards for Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs: Compensations Structures that Promote Compliance (Part II of IV)

The Monaco Memo is a watershed moment as part of DOJ’s evolution and advocacy for effective ethics and compliance programs.  We have seen prior moments of significant action — DOJ’s adoption of the FCPA Guidance, DOJ’s issuance of its Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs, and now the Monaco Memo which takes compliance into a new world with new opportunities and challenges. The Monaco Memo starts...

General

26 Sep, 2022

DOJ Issues Sweeping New Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policy — A New Era of Compliance Begins with Increased Focus on Compensation and Incentives (Part I of IV)

The Biden Administration promised a new, aggressive approach to corporate crime.  Well, the Justice Department just delivered a new, comprehensive policy that raises a number of issues, some of which are likely to be controversial.  The new policy incorporates reforms announced last October that largely centered on prior corporate criminal and civil records; appointment of independent compliance monitors and expanding review of responsible persons in...

General

22 Sep, 2022

Focusing on an Effective Employee Reporting and Investigation System

We often hear about the “essential” elements of an effective ethics and compliance programs.  It is natural for professionals to define specific elements of an ethics and compliance framework.  This is an important way to break down a program for assessment purposes. While analyzing the specific functions in a program, it is important to avoid a narrow review of each element. Instead, as in most...

General

20 Sep, 2022

GOL’s Bribery Schemes Orchestrated by Board Director (Part II of II)

GOL’s bribery schemes present some interesting lessons.  Interestingly, at the center of the bribery scheme was a member of GOL’s board of directors.  The bribery scheme was motivated by potential legislation that would benefit GOL and other Brazilian airlines.  In 2011, Brazil proposed an economic stimulus consisting, in part, with reduced payroll taxes for labor-intensive industries.  To support this reduction, GOL’s director agreed to pay...

General

20 Sep, 2022

DOJ and SEC Secure $41 Million Settlement from Brazilian Airline for FCPA Violations (Part I of II)

The Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission reached a $41 million settlement with GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. (“GOL”) to resolve criminal and civil foreign bribery charges. GOL entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (“DPA”) with DOJ in exchange for payment of a $17 million criminal penalty.  DOJ credited $1.7 million of that penalty against a $3.4 million fine that GOL...

General

19 Sep, 2022

OFAC Releases Preliminary Guidance on Price Caps for Russian Origin Crude Oil and Petroleum Products

Alexander Cotoia, Regulatory Complaince Manager at The Volkov Law Group, re-joins us for a posting on OFAC’s preliminary guidance relating to its price caps for Russian origin oil and petroleum products. Alex can be contacted at [email protected]. On September 9, 2022, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (“OFAC”) released “Preliminary Guidance” concerning a ban on maritime transportation services involving...

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