Category: SEC Enforcement Action

SEC Charges Former Executive Director Of Goldman Sachs International With FCPA Offenses For Arranging A Bribery Scheme In Ghana On Behalf Of A Turkish Energy Company

Yesterday, the SEC announced the filing of a civil complaint charging Asante Berko (pictured – a former Executive Director of Goldman Sachs International) with Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations and other charges for “orchestrating a bribery scheme to help a client [a Turkish energy company] win a government contract to build and operate an electrical power plant” in Ghana.

The Turkish energy company would appear to be Aksa Enerji (see here and here).

Of note, the SEC alleged that the “Holding Company” – that is Goldman Sachs – violated the FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions. However the SEC’s release states that Goldman Sachs “is not being charged.”

In summary fashion, the complaint alleges:

Largest SEC Only FCPA Enforcement Actions

So-called “issuers” under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (that is companies with shares traded on a U.S. exchange or otherwise with reporting obligations to the Securities and Exchange Commission) are subject to both Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice FCPA enforcement.

However, many FCPA enforcement actions against issuers are SEC only and lack a DOJ component. Although FCPA enforcement agencies rarely have to “prove” an FCPA case against issuers (rather issuers typically resolve an enforcement action through a resolution vehicle not subjected to any meaningful judicial scrutiny), theoretically the DOJ in a criminal action has a much higher burden of proof (beyond a reasonable doubt) compared to the SEC in a civil action (preponderance of the evidence).

Regardless of the reasons for SEC enforcement actions against issuers that lack a DOJ component, set forth below are the 20 largest SEC only FCPA enforcement actions.

Commission Payments To Chinese Lab Personnel And Doctors Leads To Enforcement Action

[This post is part of a periodic series regarding “old” FCPA enforcement actions]

In 2005,  the DOJ and SEC brought a coordinated enforcement action against Diagnostic Products Corp. (DPC – a California-based company which provided immunodiagnostic systems and immunochemistry kits) and its wholly-owned subsidiary DPC (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. (See here and here).

The conduct at issue focused on DPC Tianjin making cash commission payments to laboratory personnel and doctors employed by hospitals owned by the Chinese government to obtain and retain certain business involving the sale of immunodiagnostic systems, immunochemistry kits, and other medical equipment.

The overall settlement amount was approximately $4.8 million (a $2 million criminal fine and approximately $2.8 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest paid to the SEC).

The DOJ’s First FCPA DPA Involved Monsanto

[This post is part of a periodic series regarding “old” FCPA enforcement actions]

In early January 2005, the DOJ used a deferred prosecution agreement for the first time to resolve a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement action. The “guinea pig” was Monsanto.

This post highlights the DOJ and parallel SEC enforcement action against the company (aggregate settlement amount of $1.5 million) based on conduct in Indonesia.