Environmental and social issues driving change in the construction industry Guest Post by Colleen Theron, Director Ardea Since Russia and Qatar won their bids to host the FIFA World Cups in 2018 and 2022 respectively, the construction industry has come under the spotlight for their human rights...

Jean-Pierre Mean is an anti-corruption lawyer who played a leading role in the development of ISO 37001, a recent global standard by which companies can measure their anti-bribery and corruption policies. He is now leading the working group which looks after the implementation of the standard. Mr. Mean...

Kathryn Higgs is Director of Transparency International’s Business Integrity Program. Prior to that she was head of ethics and compliance at Tesco and chief compliance officer at Balfour Beatty. In an exclusive interview with LexisNexis, she says that technology has increased the risk of bribery...

The makers of Jim Beam whisky have paid $8 million to settle allegations of bribing government officials to enter the Indian market. The settlement is a timely reminder of the continued threat of FCPA enforcement action , and the particular risks posed by third parties in the food and drink industry...

Just three years ago, Teva Pharmaceuticals, a drug-maker in Israel, disclosed to both the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice that an on-going internal probe had revealed possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and/or local laws. Ultimately...

Danske Bank and Siemens have appointed chief compliance officers to their boards of directors this summer. We explore why compliance has become accepted as a critical function in any company. At the next board meeting of Denmark’s biggest bank, a chief compliance officer will be at...

No industry is impervious to bribery and corruption risk, but companies linked to energy industries, in particular, face elevated risks in order to reap the equally-high rewards. It’s a topic we’ve touched on in blog posts on Unaoil and Petrobras . But anti-bribery and corruption regulations...

The global compliance landscape is becoming ever more complex, and some of the most significant recent developments in ABC and AML legislation have happened in the UK. All companies who operate in the UK need to be aware of these laws, as well as growing consumer expectations of ethical behavior, if...

The U.S. Corporate Enforcement Policy, which incentivises companies to self-disclose bribery and corruption when they come across it, now applies to U.S. companies which are merging with or acquiring foreign companies. That’s according to a recent speech by a senior official at the Department of...

Companies are exposed to regulatory, financial, reputational and strategic risks, and the number of countries and NGOs with compliance expectations is on the rise. The best way to proactively manage these expectations? Risk-based due diligence and ongoing monitoring. 1—Regulatory risks...

Petrobras has reached a $1.78 billion settlement with the DOJ and SEC over bribes to politicians and political parties in Brazil. This is the first time an enforcement action over FCPA violations has exceeded a billion dollars. The amount is bigger than the nearest two settlements combined, and the case...

As the aftermath of corporate corruption and ethics scandals continue to play out in news headlines and courtrooms, spurring a continued search for expert advice and best practices on mitigating compliance risk . So, when a former compliance expert at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a Harvard...

A few years ago, we highlighted bribery and corruption vulnerabilities in the Energy sector, noting that “Companies linked to energy industries, in particular, face elevated risks in order to reap the equally high rewards.” But more recent events highlight the need for companies in this sector...

Forget about the turtles. Today is International Ninja Day, but what we’re on about has more to do with regulatory risk than teenagers or (as far as we know) mutants. Why does International Ninja Day make us think ‘compliance program’? International Ninja Day was the brainchild of...

2018 has been a record year of penalties issued for breaches of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Settlements totaling more than $2.96 billion were agreed by corporations found to be in breach of the Act. The year saw further indications of the FCPA’s global reach, witnessed the first judgments...

If serious trivia seems like a contradiction, maybe you need to be more quizzical when it comes to anti-corruption compliance. January 4 is the one day of the year when there’s an excuse to be trivial—even in an area as serious as compliance in anti-bribery and corruption , anti-money laundering...

From AI to blockchain, companies are rapidly adopting new technologies which use data to drive business insights and manage risks more effectively . Our third volume of The Trust Issue explores how technology can also improve a company’s transparency and increase the trust it receives from customers...

Despite recent Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement actions, there are signs of more positive engagement with governance and compliance in Latin America. Emerging markets offer attractive opportunities for investors, but businesses aiming to capitalize will need to prioritize robust due diligence...

Is it time for universities—and the foundations that fundraise on their behalf—to adopt the rigorous due diligence and risk monitoring processes that global companies use? Based on the latest bribes-for-admission scandal to hit the headlines, the answer is a resounding, “YES!”...

The telecommunications sector has taken some hits in recent years when it comes to anti-bribery and corruption compliance . Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a settlement related to FCPA violations by Russia’s largest...

This year is the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the OECD’s Anti-Bribery Convention. So, we went to Paris to meet Patrick Moulette, Head of the OECD Anti-Corruption Division. He explained that the global spread of negotiated settlements, particularly Deferred Prosecution Agreements, prompted...

There were only three FCPA enforcement actions in the first quarter of 2019, but the small number obscures a bigger threat to corporate bottom lines—fines totalling $1.1 billion. This figure eclipses the total settlements in Q1 2018—also for three corporate enforcement actions—of a...

There’s no room for clowning about when it comes to risk management and maintaining the integrity of international business. According to records of ancient Chinese history, the armies of the Chu and Song states were facing each other in readiness for battle in 630 BC when a Chu warrior, Xiong...

In March, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued revised guidance for the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act’s (FCPA) Corporate Enforcement Policy (CEP) concerning the adoption of rules and regulations around the use of ephemeral messaging platforms, such as Snapchat, WeChat or Telegram for business...

Caroline Black is a partner in the white-collar crime team at the London-based law firm Dechert LLP. She has worked on several large multi-jurisdictional anti-corruption and bribery cases and advised major companies on putting in place adequate compliance and due diligence procedures. Speaking to LexisNexis...