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Observations From The OECD’s Phase 4 U.S. Review Report

oecd

Recently, the OECD released its Phase 4 review of the United State’s implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention … in effect a review of the FCPA, its enforcement, and related issues.

The first question one needs to ask themselves is whether they care what “experts from Argentina and the United Kingdom” (as stated by the OECD “the report and its recommendations reflect the findings of experts from Argentina and the United Kingdom”) think about the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, U.S. law enforcement (DOJ and SEC) policies and practices, and U.S. jurisprudence.

In any event, the Phase 4 Report “explores issues such as detection, enforcement, corporate liability, and international cooperation, as well as covering unresolved issues from prior reports.” (See here for a 2010 post summarizing the OECD’s Phase 3 review).

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SEC Director Of Enforcement Ceresney On …

Ceresney

Yesterday’s post highlighted comments made by Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates at a recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act event and this post provides equal time to comments made by SEC Director of Enforcement Andrew Ceresney at the same event.

Similar to the DOJ speech, much of Ceresney’s speech represents the same old, same old something even he acknowledged during his speech.

When reading Ceresney’s comments about the importance of individual FCPA prosecutions keep in mind the following facts. In 2016 there have been 21 SEC corporate FCPA enforcement actions and 15 actions (72%) have not resulted (at least yet) in any related FCPA charges against company employees. This figure is generally consistent with the overall figure since 2008 in which approximately 80% of SEC corporate FCPA enforcement actions have not resulted in any related FCPA charges against company employees.

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Friday Leftovers

Scrutiny alerts, corruption in China, quotable, and for the reading stack.  It’s all here in the Friday leftover version of the roundup.

Scrutiny Alerts

Caribbean News Now reports here as follows.

“A complaint has been filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the United States under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in relation to a contract purporting to grant oil exploration rights over some eight million acres of Saint Lucia’s maritime territory.  The 46-page complaint, which Caribbean News Now has seen, names Saint Lucia’s prime minister, Dr Kenny Anthony, and RSM Production Company (RSM), a Texas company, along with its president Jack J. Grynberg. Caribbean News Now has also seen a written notification confirming receipt of the document by the DOJ.

[…]

Specifically, the complaint notes that, in or about February 2000, Anthony, as then minister of finance, planning and sustainable development, signed a contract with RSM that purported to grant the company an “Exploration License” in respect of territorial maritime resources belonging to Saint Lucia amounting to 8,726,263 acres.  However, under Saint Lucia’s Minerals Vesting Act, all minerals in, on or under any land in Saint Lucia are vested in and controlled by the Crown and only the governor general may grant a licence to prospect for and/or mine such minerals.  Further, although the contract provides that RSM shall pay a royalty to “the Government” (as required by section 5 of the Minerals Vesting Act), it goes on to state that the liability of RSM in this respect shall be discharged by paying such royalty to the minister and not the government.”

Reuters reports here as follows.

“The U.S. Justice Department is probing Morgan Stanley for its hiring practices in China as part of an industry-wide investigation by the government into whether banks’ employment of politically connected Chinese breached U.S. bribery laws, according to people familiar with the matter.  As part of the industry sweep, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sent letters to Morgan Stanley and other banks, including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, seeking information about their hiring practices, according to several people familiar with the matter.  The SEC has asked the financial services firms to provide information about their hiring of the relatives of government officials in China …”.

This is not a surprising development following the New York Times August story regarding JPMorgan (see here for the prior post).

Corruption in China

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China recently held a roundtable on “Corruption in China Today: Consequences for Governance, Human Rights, and Commercial Rule of Law.”  As stated on the Commission’s website:

“Corruption takes many forms in China, from corrupt officials at all levels using their public office for private gain and seizing land for development to corrupt state-owned enterprises gaming the system to their advantage. Corruption also continues to be among the root causes of rights abuses against Chinese citizens. Senior leaders acknowledge that corruption threatens the legitimacy of the Communist Party and contributes to citizen dissatisfaction, and President Xi Jinping has stated that fighting corruption is a high priority. But Chinese authorities continue to crack down on independent and citizen-led efforts to combat corruption. Panelists will discuss corruption among Chinese high-level officials and recent anti-corruption efforts, and explore corruption’s role in human rights violations. Panelists also will examine corruption linked to state-owned and other enterprises and explore the implications for commercial rule of law.”

Among the panelists were Professor Daniel Chow (Ohio State) (see here for his statement).  In 2012,  I was pleased to play a role, along with   Professor Chow and the staff of the Ohio State Law Journal, in organizing “The FCPA at Thirty-Five and Its Impact on Global Business,” a full-day symposium at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.  (See here).

Quotable

On his Corruption, Crime & Compliance site, Michael Volkov states:

“The idea of legal ‘marketing’ has been diluted in the last few years.  As businesses become smarter consumers of legal services, in-house counsel and Chief Compliance Officers are much better at deciphering legal mumbo jumbo.  Perhaps the best example of legal marketing as an oxymoron, was the roll-out of the UK Bribery Act.  Legal marketing was premised on one idea –fear and fear alone.  Client alert after client alert warned companies about the impending doom, the effective date of the UK Bribery Act.  Not to pat myself on the back (assuming my arm is long enough), but I wrote that the UK Bribery Act was a real non-event in the world anti-corruption compliance and that it was unlikely to have any real impact.  To this day, those words still ring true.  After writing the ‘truth’ about the UK Bribery Act, I received a call from the firm’s London partners and was chastised for undermining their entire ‘marketing’ program.  (In stark contrast, many clients wrote me and thanked me for my ‘honesty.'”

Spot-on.

Nearly three years ago, I wrote:

“The U.K. Bribery Act … has been the subject of much discussion and much over-hype in my opinion.  It has been called the FCPA ‘on steroids’ (here) and if one subscribes to the industry marketing material, you might be left with the impression that the end of the world is near.  […]   In sum, I don’t see how companies already subject to the FCPA and already thinking about compliance in a pro-active manner, have much to worry about when it comes to the U.K. Bribery Act because of the adequate procedures defense.  I will be surprised if U.K. enforcement of the Bribery Act reaches the level of U.S. enforcement of the FCPA …”.

See here for my post the day the U.K. Bribery Act went live in July 2011.

See here for my post “Marketing The FCPA … The FCPA Risks Of … Well, Just About Everything.”

For the Reading Stack

The most recent issue of the always-informative FCPA Update from Debevoise & Plimpton is here.  Among other things, the issue summarizes recent remarks of DOJ and SEC officials regarding the FCPA and FCPA enforcement.

*****

A good weekend to all.

Friday Roundup

A roundup of comments made yesterday by Charles Duross (DOJ FCPA Unit Chief) and Kara Brockmeyer (SEC FCPA Unit Chief) at the ABA’s National Institute on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in Washington, D.C.

Resources

Duross stated that the DOJ has “20 full-time prosecutors” focused on the FCPA, an “embarrassment of riches” in terms of resources compared to the past he said.  He indicated that the DOJ’s FCPA unit also makes frequent use of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, particularly in litigated cases.  Duross countered the notion that his unit sits “back on our hands” waiting for the next case to come in.  He stated that DOJ FCPA attorneys are “actively encouraged to follow-up on leads” and cited the BizJet enforcement action as an example where the case involved a voluntary disclosure, individuals cooperating, and charging individuals under seal (see here for a prior post).

According to Brockmeyer, the SEC FCPA Unit “has about three dozen” staff dedicated full-time to the FCPA.  This number is in addition to other enforcement attorneys in SEC offices outside of DC who may also work on FCPA cases.  Her best guess is that approximately 75% of SEC FCPA cases are handled in Washington, D.C. with the rest of the cases handled by regional offices (such as Fort Worth, Salt Lake City, etc.) with coordination from D.C.

Law Enforcement Partners

According to Duross, domestic law enforcement partners include U.S. Attorneys Offices and the FBI.  He also mentioned the IRS as a partner in FCPA cases and indicated that the Haiti Teleco case was an “IRS case from start to finish” and thus it was not surprising that the prosecutions in that case included money laundering charges.

Challenges

Despite an “embarrassment of riches” in terms of resources compared to the past, Duross indicated that the FCPA Unit, like other DOJ offices, “could always use more resources.”  He cited the following challenges in bringing FCPA cases:  foreign evidence collection, foreign laws concerning data privacy, foreign blocking statutes, and multi-jurisdictional issues.  As to the later, Duross stated that with increasing frequency more than one sovereign is involved in bribery and corruption investigations and that this is a “fact of life.”  He indicated that the U.S. has encouraged foreign jurisdictions to increase their involvement in this area and that since “we invited them to the party” “we must now deal with it.”

Brockmeyer cited the same general challenges as Duross in terms of enforcing the FCPA.

Case Origins

Brockmeyer indicated that the SEC FCPA Unit tracks its inventory of cases and she shared the following.  30% – 40% of cases come from corporate voluntary disclosures.  According to Brockmeyer, the number of voluntary disclosures has been steady compared to prior years, but as a percentage of the overall enforcement pie it is shrinking because the overall enforcement pie is growing.   Other sources Brockmeyer identified included whistleblower tips (including more sophisticated and detailed tips), enforcement attorneys reading the news, that a “pretty significant number of investigations” began as “spin-offs” of other investigations, and that “increasing number of referrals” are from foreign law enforcement authorities.”

Duross said that the DOJ FCPA Unit does not formally track its inventory like the SEC but his “general sense” was that voluntary disclosures are less than 50% of the inventory of cases.  According to Duross, voluntary disclosure as a source of FCPA cases “is less than people tend to think it is.”  According to Duross, the number of voluntary disclosures has remained steady, but most “get declined and nobody ever hears about them.”

Duross said that over the past several years, FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors (outside of the FCPA unit) have become more sophisticated about the FCPA and that more cases are coming to the FCPA Unit’s attention from others in the field who may spot FCPA issues in their other cases.  Brockmeyer agreed with this comment and stated that SEC enforcement attorneys handling typical accounting fraud cases are also now looking for indicia of FCPA issues.

Related to the above issue, both Brockmeyer and Duross talked about so-called “industry sweeps” (see here for the prior post).

According to Brockmeyer, an industry sweep is not a situation where an existing case may suggest a wider problem in an industry and lead to investigations of others.  Nevertheless, she did indicate that “very occasionally” the SEC does engage in industry sweeps, but “not as often as people think,” where the SEC, in its role as a regulator, sends out “high-level requests for information” to certain industries in which the SEC thinks there are FCPA risk factors.  As to the predication leading to such an inquiry, Brockmeyer said that such a sweep can result even if there is no specific tip as to the industry.  Nevertheless she stated that the SEC is not going to send out information letters “willy-nilly” because the SEC does recognize that when it sends out letters there are costs to the company’s associated with the request.

Duross agreed that following the evidence in one particular case to perhaps another company is not an “industry sweep,” it is simply following the evidence.

Future

According to Duross, the future of the DOJ FCPA’s unit is “bright,” there is a “tremendous pipeline of cases,” and that his unit continues “to do proactive cases” using all of the resources in its toolkit (i.e. wiretaps, etc.).

According to Brockmeyer, the SEC has become more focused on how compliance programs and internal controls are “intertwined.”  She indicated that companies have generally become more sophisticated when it comes to compliance programs, but that much work still needs to be done in monitoring compliance programs and how compliance can impact a company’s overall internal financial controls.

Other Issues

As to the “where else” question (see here for the prior post), Duross suggested that often company lawyers are seeking to over do it through a global search of operations for FCPA issues.  He discussed a case in which a company and its professional advisors came to a meeting with a global search plan and he said “no, no, no, that is not what I want.”  He indicated that the lawyers and other professional advisors in the room “looked unhappy,” but that the general counsel of the company was happy.  (For more on this dynamic, see this prior post).

As to a compliance defense, as I highlight in my article “Revisiting an FCPA Compliance Defense,” the DOJ already recognizes in various ways a de facto compliance defense to the FCPA.  Further support for this proposition is found in the following comment from Duross.  He indicated that a large company (he did not provide the company’s name – other than it would be recognizable to the audience) was a “serial reporter” of FCPA issues to the DOJ’s FCPA Unit.  Duross said that this company has a “good compliance program and system” in place and does “robust” internal investigations when issues arise.  Duross said that he and his unit have a “relationship of trust” with this company and its counsel and that “frankly, most of the time” the issue is “not a particularly large issue.”  According to Duross this company remediates the issue and then it “goes on its way.”

As to the media, Duross indicated that media reports (domestic and foreign) have led the DOJ to open up FCPA investigations.  He stated “what happens in China, doesn’t stay in China.”  Duross stated that while the media can be critical of the DOJ’s FCPA unit and its efforts, that is not necessarily a “bad thing” because “criticism of us can be useful and cause us to look inward.”  Duross indicated that “we should be held accountable for what we do – good and bad.”  Duross shared that one of his biggest surprises upon becoming FCPA Unit chief is realizing how the unit “operates under a microscope” which highlights the need for his unit “to have its A game” at all times.  Duross stated that media reporting of bribery and corruption issues can also spread a message of general deterrence.

Scrutiny Alerts

A roundup of the latest scrutiny alerts.  As Christopher Matthews at the Wall Street Journal’s Risk & Compliance Journal stated “if you’re a corruption probe enthusiast, the hits just keep coming out of China these days.”

Danone

As noted in this article, Dumex Baby Food Co., a subsidiary of France’s Danone SA, is “launching a probe of its infant-formula marketing after China’s state broadcaster alleged the formula maker pays hospital staff to use its products and influence sales.”  Danone has ADRs that are traded in the U.S.

Novortis

Novortis, already on the scrutiny list see here, was the focus of recent media articles (see here) suggesting that “it would investigate allegations published in a Chinese newspaper that its eye care unit Alcon bribed doctors.”  Novortis has ADRs that are traded in the U.S.

Gabriel Resources

Gabriel Resources, a Canada based company with shares traded “over the counter” in the U.S., was the focus of this article concerning allegations of bribery in Romania in connection with a proposed gold mine.

*****

A good weekend to all.

Friday Roundup

Scrutiny updates and alerts, a double standard, upcoming events, and for the reading stack.  It’s all here in the Friday roundup.

Scrutiny Updates and Alerts

JPMorgan

In this initial post concerning JPMorgan’sFCPA scrutiny in China I noted that hiring the son or daughter of an alleged “foreign official” is not inherently illegal, absent certain red flags.

In this recent article, Bloomberg reports on the existence of a potential red flag.  The article states:

“A probe of JPMorgan’s hiring practices in China has uncovered red flags across Asia, including an internal spreadsheet that linked appointments to specific deals pursued by the bank, people with knowledge of the matter said. […] The bank has opened an internal investigation that has flagged more than 200 hires for review, said two people with knowledge of the examination, results of which JPMorgan is sharing with regulators. The scrutiny began in Hong Kong and has now expanded to countries across Asia, looking at interns as well as full-time workers, two people said. The employees include influential politicians’ family members who worked in JPMorgan’s investment bank, as well as relatives of asset-management clients, the people said. […] The spreadsheet, which links some hiring decisions to specific transactions pursued by the bank, may be viewed by regulators as evidence that JPMorgan added people in exchange for business, according to one person with knowledge of the review.”

The article also notes that the DOJ has joined the SEC in the probe.

In this article, the New York Times reports:

“The [JPMorgan hiring] program was originally called “Sons and Daughters.” And although it was supposed to protect JPMorgan Chase’s business dealings in China, the program went so off track that it is now the focus of a federal bribery investigation in the United States, interviews and a confidential government document show.  JPMorgan started the program in 2006 as the friends and family of China’s ruling elite were clamoring for jobs at the bank, according to the interviews with former bank employees and financial executives in China and the United States. The program’s existence, which has not been previously reported, suggests that the bank’s hiring of such  employees was widespread.  Saying they wanted to weed out nepotism and avoid bribery charges in the United States, JPMorgan employees in Asia started the program to hire well-connected candidates on a separate track from ordinary applicants, the employees and executives said. Without the program and its heightened scrutiny of the candidates, the employees argued, JPMorgan might improperly hire the children of Chinese officials to win business.  But in the months and years that followed, the two-tiered process that could have prevented questionable hiring practices instead fostered them, according to the interviews as well as the confidential government document. Applicants from prominent Chinese families, interviews show, often faced few job interviews and relaxed standards. While many candidates met or exceeded the bank’s requirements, some had subpar academic records and lacked relevant expertise.”

According to this Wall Street Journal article, there is now a full-fledged industry sweep of hiring practices. The article states:

“U.S. authorities are questioning numerous banks and hedge funds on their international hiring practices for interns and other employees, according to people with knowledge of the situation. The Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission are seeking information to determine if there have been any violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act …”.

Vision-China Media

JPMorgan’s scrutiny is focused on the alleged hiring of relatives of alleged Chinese “foreign officials” into non-executive positions.

That’s one thing.

It is quite another when the CEO of an issuer under the FCPA “is the daughter-in-law of a senior figure in the Chinese Communist Party.”

As detailed in this Wall Street Journal article, this is the situation at Vision-China Media, a company with shares traded on NASDAQ.  As noted in the article, “how many Chinese companies listed in the U.S. enjoy political ties is unknown.  That makes it all but impossible to quantify whether and how such relationships might dictate a business’s profitability or stock-market performance.”

PetroChina

Various outlets (see here for the Wall Street Journal article) have reported that three senior executives of PetroChina “are under investigation by authorities for ‘severe disciplinary violations’ and have resigned.”  The article notes that “while neither PetroChina nor its parent [company China National Petroleum Corp.] have released specifics of the probes, the phrase ‘severe disciplinary violations’ is typically used by Chinese officials when investigating cases of corruption.”

The interesting thing about this of course is that PetroChina executives are – in the eyes of the enforcement agencies – “foreign officials” under the FCPA while at the same time being executives of an issuer subject to the FCPA given that PetroChina’s ADRs trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

EADS / ThyssenKrupp

Reuters reports here:

“A joint venture of EADS and ThyssenKrupp and offices of Rheinmetall were raided this week in Germany on suspicion of paying bribes related to an order of submarine equipment from Greece, a spokesman for the state prosecutor in Bremen said on Saturday. The Atlas Elektronik joint venture and Rheinmetall Defence Electronics were searched as they are suspected of paying 18 million euros ($24 million) in bribes and of avoiding taxes, the prosecutor’s spokesman said.  […]  EADS and ThyssenKrupp both confirmed the raid on their unit, which they bought from BAE Systems. […]  ThyssenKrupp said it had discovered the matter itself “as part of a compliance investigation” and notified the authorities in 2010 about it.”

Although neither EADS or ThyssenKrupp have shares traded on a U.S. exchange, the shares of both companies trade “over-the-counter” in the U.S.  In the FCPA Guidance, the DOJ and SEC state – “any company with a class of securities quoted in the over-the-counter market in the United States and required to file periodic reports with SEC, is an issuer.”  A certain other FCPA enforcement action (see here) began with a raid on offices by German law enforcement authorities.

In other raid news.

BSGR-Related

Reuters reports (here):

“Swiss police on Thursday searched the Geneva offices of Onyx Financial Advisors,  a company providing management services for BSGR, the mining arm of Israeli  billionaire Beny Steinmetz’s business empire.”

As highlighted in this previous post, French citizen Frederic Cillins was criminally charged by the DOJ for allegedly attempting to obstruct an ongoing FCPA investigation into whether a mining company paid bribes to win lucrative mining rights in the Republic of Guinea. Cillins has been linked to BSGR.

Double Standard?

A back to school edition of the double standard?

FCPA enforcement actions have included allegations of the following things of value being given to alleged foreign officials:  a bottle of wine (see here), a watch (see here), a camera (see here), kitchen appliances and business suits (see here), television sets, laptops and appliances (see here), and tea sets and office furniture (see here).  Likewise, the December 2012 enforcement action (see here for the prior post) against Eli Lilly included allegations (no joke) that meals, visits to bath houses, spa treatments, and cigarettes were provided to Chinese physicians.

Given these enforcement agency allegations, my radar went off when reading this recent Wall Street Journal article about U.S. school supplies.  According to the article, a popular website “that posts more than 300,000 back-to-school lists from around the country and is sponsored” by major corporate brands offers teachers (the vast majority of which in this country are public employees) and schools freebies and other goodies if the teachers put company product on the list.  As the article notes “getting on teacher lists is crucial, because parents tend to buy the suggested brands even though they aren’t mandatory.”

Upcoming Events

The ABA’s Sixth Annual National Institute on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act will take place in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 18-20th (see here for program details).  I am pleased to be participating.  The following panel is particularly delicious.

Existing Limitations on the Scope of the FCPA: Is Anyone Paying Attention?

Most reform arguments have focused on narrowing the scope of the statute or providing new defenses. A better question, however, might be whether the statute’s existing limitations and defenses are being properly articulated and applied in enforcement actions. It is arguable that in several recent enforcement actions, the government’s factual allegations do not satisfy the FCPA’s elements or hide the ball on critical elements, deliberately blur different provisions of the statute, or seek remedies inconsistent with the letter and goals of the statute. Given that only two corporations have taken the government to trial on FCPA cases and individual cases do not always create opportunities to resolve these issues, the question is posed: Who is policing the police in FCPA matters?

In sum, that is the thesis of my 2010 article “The Facade of FCPA Enforcement.”

Securities Docket will be hosting Securities Enforcement Forum 2013 in Washington, D.C. on October 9th (see here for program details).

Reading Stack

The latest volume of the FCPA Update from Debevoise & Plimpton.

The latest Anti-Corruption Digest from Dorsey & Whitney.

*****

A good long weekend to all.

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