I recognize that I can be a creature of habit, but when an issue – such as the SEC’s inconsistent treatment of FCPA violations – is so frequent I will keep on writing about it. So here goes the umpteenth post on this issue. (See here for other examples).
A basic rule of law principle is consistency. In other words, the same legal violation ought to be sanctioned in the same way. When the same legal violation is sanctioned in materially different ways, trust and confidence in law enforcement is diminished.
However, there sure does seem to be a lack of consistency between how the SEC resolves Foreign Corrupt Practices Act books and records and internal controls violations.