Tagged: FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy

17 Feb, 2019

Cognizant Technology Pays $25 Million for FCPA Violations and Earns Declination — Two Executives are Indicted for Criminal FCPA Violations (Part I of IV)

In the first corporate FCPA action of 2019, Cognizant Technology Solutions Company settled its long-running FCPA case, agreeing to pay the SEC $25 million. (SEC Settlement Here). At the same time, the Justice Department announced: (1) its declination under the FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy (Here); and (2) the indictment of its former President and General Counsel for criminal FCPA violations (Here). The charges arose from...

Podcasts

16 Dec, 2018

Episode 69 — Update on DOJ Corporate Enforcement Policies

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced a number of modifications to its policies governing prosecution of corporations for criminal and civil violations of law. In 2017, DOJ announced its FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy. Over the last year, DOJ expanded this policy to apply to non-FCPA corporate violations, as well as mergers and acquisitions. In addition, DOJ recently announced the adoption of an Anti-Piling On...

General

11 Sep, 2018

FCPA Risks and Merger and Acquisitions: The Evolving Policies (Part I of III)

Global companies that grow through a deliberate merger and acquisition strategy continue to face significant anti-corruption risks. The list of FCPA enforcement actions includes numerous examples of companies that settled FCPA matters because of post-acquisition conduct, which usually reflects inadequate post-acquisition procedures. Despite the obvious risks and the Justice Department’s and SEC’s efforts to afford some flexibility in this area, global companies usually fail to...

General

30 Aug, 2018

DOJ Issues Declination and Disgorgement Under FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy

In a recently released letter (here), the Justice Department issued a declination to the Insurance Corporation of Barbados Limited (ICBL) for violations of the FCPA under the FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy. DOJ required ICBL to pay approximately $93,000 in disgorgement. ICBL paid approximately $36,000 in bribes to Donville Innis, a Barbadian government official, in exchange for government contracts worth approximately $686,000 and $93,000 in profits....

General

20 Aug, 2018

DOJ Expands FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy

The Justice Department’s FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy was announced in November 2017 with much fanfare – it was the culmination of a step-by-step process beginning with the FCPA Pilot Program. The FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy enshrined the potential benefit of a presumption of a declination if a corporation: (1) voluntarily disclosed the misconduct; (2) implemented timely and appropriate remediation; and (3) fully cooperated with the...

General

2 Jan, 2018

2017 FCPA Year in Review (Part I of II)

With the close of 2017, FCPA enforcement continues as a major priority for the US Department of Justice. Notwithstanding fears and concerns that the new administration would turn its back on FCPA enforcement, the Justice Department’s work continues unabated and unhindered. All the doomsayers have to admit that no big changes have occurred in the Justice Department’s commitment to battle global corruption. The Numbers Looking...

General

12 Dec, 2017

Calculating the New Balance Between Disclosure and Non-Disclosure of Potential FCPA Violations

The Justice Department’s new FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy has altered the balance between disclosure and non-disclosure of FCPA violations. How is that for a profound grasp of the obvious? All kidding aside, the question is how much has the balance been changed? I am not sure there will be a significant increase in the number of companies deciding to seek the benefits under the new...

General

10 Dec, 2017

Pushing Ethics and Compliance Programs in the New FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy

The Justice Department’s aggressive enforcement program, particularly in the FCPA arena, has been the primary impetus to the growth and empowerment of the corporate compliance function. The Justice Department and SEC’s FCPA Guidance, and the specific Hallmarks of an Effective Compliance and Ethics Program is the most definitive statement on compliance expectations ever released by US prosecutors. Since 2012, the Justice Department has built on...

General

3 Dec, 2017

Five Key Takeaways from DOJ’s New FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy

In a significant FCPA enforcement development, DOJ’s Deputy Attorney General (“DAG”) Rod Rosenstein announced the implementation of a new FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy last week. (Here). The announcement was not a surprise based on earlier statements made by DAG Rosenstein. Before outlining the specific five takeaways, there are a few issues surrounding the release of the new policy that require some comment. DAG Rosenstein implemented...