FCPA Flash – A Conversation With Michael Levy Regarding The SEC’s “Unlawful” Enforcement Of The FCPA’s Accounting Provisions
The FCPA Flash podcast provides in an audio format the same fresh, candid, and informed commentary about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and related topics as readers have come to expect from written posts on FCPA Professor.
This FCPA Flash episode is a conversation with Michael Levy (Paul Hastings). Levy recently authored a dandy article titled “The SEC’s Unlawful and Dangerous Expansion of the Exchange Act” in which he asserts that in certain recent enforcement actions the SEC has expanded the FCPA’s books and records and internal controls provisions in an “unlawful” manner and in a way that gives the SEC “capacious authority to regulate by enforcement almost any aspect of the operations of any issuer.” During the podcast, Levy elaborates on these issues and provides suggestions for how SEC enforcement can get back on track given that no issuer has ever put the SEC to its burden of proof in the FCPA’s 40-year history.
Friday Roundup
Funny, also funny, corruption in the anti-corruption industry, the head of the DOJ’s FCPA Unit writes, reasons for the general increase in FCPA enforcement, scrutiny alert, asset recovery, and for the reading stack. It’s all here in the Friday roundup.
Funny
This recent FCPA Blog post asked “what’s the most important FCPA case ever” and stated: “The Africa Sting showed how far the feds would go to make a splashy FCPA case. But the final lesson was that using a big sting to concoct a supposed industry-wide conspiracy was a bad idea. The judge didn’t buy it, and neither did a couple of juries.”
Funny that the post doesn’t mention that the the person at the center of this failed, manufactured case was its current Contributing Editor and training partner Richard Bistrong.
Friday Roundup
Quotable, SEC Annual Report, it’s called the rule of law – deal with it, across the pond, more ISO 37001 puff pieces, monitor related, for your viewing pleasure, and for the reading stack. It’s all here in the Friday roundup.
Quotable
To those still hyperventilating about Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement in the Trump administration (see here and here), perhaps this might calm you down. As reported here by Wall Street Journal Risk & Compliance: “[FCPA Unit Chief Daniel Kahn dismissed the suggestion that President Donald Trump‘s previous criticism of the FCPA has had any effect on the department’s enforcement of the law. Mr. Kahn said he “spanned both administrations,” referring to Mr. Trump’s predecessor, President Barack Obama, adding, “I am continuing to do what I do.”
The Challenges Of Detection And Prevention
The recent Sutherland Springs church massacre. The recent New York City bike path attack. Before that, the bridge attack in London. Before that, the shooting at the Fort Lauderdale airport. Before that, the shooting at an Orlando nightclub.
These recent instances, and several other similar acts of violence, have little in common with alleged Foreign Corrupt Practices Act offenses.
Except there is often a common thread in terms of the challenges of detection and prevention.
Jay Jorgensen On Walmart’s Enhanced Ethics & Compliance Program
Recently Jay Jorgensen (Walmart Executive V.P. and Global Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer) delivered a keynote address at The FCPA at 40 symposium hosted by Texas A&M University School of Law on October 12th.
Portions of Jorgensen’s address are published below with permission. Jorgensen’s entire keynote address will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Texas A&M Law Review. In the excerpted portion, Jorgensen talks about the transformation of Walmart’s ethics and compliance program with a focus on anti-corruption. Specifically, Jorgensen discusses Walmart’s approach to: third-party due diligence and payments; licenses and permits; donations and charitable contributions; financial controls; and enhanced training.