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FCPA Flash Podcast – A Conversation With Moe Fodeman Regarding The Och-Ziff Restitution Order

By on November 23, 2020 in FCPA Flash, Och-Ziff Capital, Och-Ziff Capital Management, Restitution
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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 Moe Fodeman (who along with colleagues at Wilson Sonsini) successfully represented certain investors who were deemed “victims” of Och-Ziff’s bribery and secured a $138 million restitution order under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act. During the podcast, Fodeman discusses the chronology leading up to the restitution claim, how (and why) the DOJ resisted “victim” status for his clients, and what impact, if any, the restitution award may have on future actions.

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Potpourri

By on July 29, 2020 in Basil Al Jarah, Edward Thiessen, FCPA Sentences, Och-Ziff Capital, Och-Ziff Capital Management, Restitution, Sculptor Capital Management, Serious Fraud Office, SFO, Stephen Whiteley, Unaoil, United Kingdom, Victims, Ziad Akle
Potpourri

Agreement in Principle

As highlighted in prior posts here and here in 2016 hedge fund Och-Ziff resolved a $412 million Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement action concerning improper business practices in various African countries.

As highlighted in this 2018 post, former shareholders of Canadian mining company Africo Resources Ltd. (“Claimants”) sough restitution pursuant to the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act for losses allegedly incurred as a result of Och-Ziff’s bribery of corrupt officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Petroecuador Faces Uphill Climb In Seeking “Victim” Status

By on December 18, 2019 in Foreign Official, Foreign Officials, Frank Roberto Chatburn Ripalda, Restitution, Victims
uphill

In recent years, several entities employing alleged “foreign officials” who receive bribe payments from individuals prosecuted for Foreign Corrupt Practices Act offenses have sought “victim” status under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act.

(See here for more on the unsuccessful attempt by Instituto Constarricense de Electricidad of Costa Rica in connection with the Alcatel-Lucent FCPA enforcement action; see here for more on the unsuccessful attempt by a subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. in connection with individual FCPA enforcement actions involving the entity).

In the latest attempt, Petroecuador is seeking “victim” status in connection with the FCPA enforcement action against Frank Chatburn (see here for more on the underlying enforcement action).

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Forced To Brief The Issue, The DOJ Requests That The Court Order Och-Ziff To Pay Its “Victims” Between $150 – $188 Million

By on December 4, 2019 in Africo Resources Ltd., Och-Ziff Capital, Och-Ziff Capital Management, Restitution
Bucket full of money

As highlighted in this 2018 post, in the aftermath of the 2016 Och-Ziff Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement action (see here and here for prior posts) former shareholders of Canadian mining company Africo Resources Ltd. (“Claimants”) sough restitution pursuant to the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act for losses allegedly incurred as a result of Och-Ziff’s bribery of corrupt officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The DOJ opposed the request arguing, among other things, that Claimants had not show direct or proximate causation of quantifable harm from Och-Ziff’s conduct and that damages were too speculative.

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The Supreme Court’s Recent Unanimous Decision In A Restitution Case Provides Yet Another Reason Not To Voluntarily Disclose

By on June 5, 2018 in Internal Investigation Issues, Restitution, Victims, Voluntary Disclosure
supremecourt

The scenario is relatively common. Whether in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act context or otherwise, an individual acts contrary to the law and when his or her conduct is discovered various business organizations impacted by the illegal activity conduct an internal investigation.

The question arises: if the individual engaged in the illegal activity is convicted, may the impacted business organizations recover from the individual internal investigation expenses under the Mandatory Victims Restitution Act (MVRA) and, if so, under what circumstances? In recent years, circuit courts have split on the relevant issues.

Last week though the Supreme Court provided clarity in Lagos v. U.S. In the unanimous decision authored by Justice Breyer, the court concluded that the words “investigation” and “proceedings” in the MVRA are limited to government investigations and criminal proceedings. After excerpting the case, this post highlights how business organizations can best position themselves for MVRA restitution in certain FCPA matters by not voluntarily disclosing.

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