On May 29, 2013, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) joined with French enforcement authorities to announce charges against French-based oil and gas company Total S.A. The SEC entered into a cease-and-desist order against Total, wherein Total agreed to pay disgorgement and prejudgment interest of $153 million. The DOJ filed a criminal information against Total, but promised to dismiss the case if Total behaved for the next three years. This is known as a deferred prosecution agreement. The price tag for the settlement was an additional $245.2 million. According to the DOJ, “French enforcement authorities announced earlier today that they had requested that Total, Total’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and two additional individuals be referred to the Criminal Court for violations of French law, including France’s foreign bribery law.” The alleged conduct in this case is egregious, requiring little comment or insight. U.S. authorities stated:
Historic U.S., China Agreement on Auditor Access Announced: Is This a Crack in the Wall Separating The Cross-Border Enforcement Cooperation Impasse?
On May 15, 2013, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged CEO Dejun Zou and board chair Amy Qiu, husband-and-wife executives at China-based RINO International Corporation, alleging that they engaged in a scheme to overstate the company’s revenues and divert $3.5 million in proceeds from a securities offering for their personal use. This would be a routine case – except it involves a China-based company, a jurisdiction that the SEC has found difficult to regulate. For some time now, the SEC has been hamstrung in gaining access to information from China. Today’s historic announcement by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) may be the first major step in alleviating such difficulties.
Unprecedented FCPA Wake-Up Call for U.S. Broker Dealers and Foreign Banks: Has the Perfect FCPA Storm Finally Arrived for U.S. Financial Markets?
On May 7, 2013, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York unsealed extraordinary criminal charges against two registered representatives of a U.S. broker-dealer and a high-level Venezuelan government official for engaging in a “Massive International Bribery Scheme.” What makes this fraud scheme remarkable is that it involves the activities of a U.S. broker-dealer, its client, a foreign-owned and controlled bank, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and several suspicious transactions that potentially should have raised concerns—a perfect storm. This case may be the catalyst that jump-starts a government FCPA sweep of Wall Street that has been predicted since 2011, but not realized.
Click here to view the full alert.
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Indictments Related to LATAM Are Unsealed
On April 5, 2013, the Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed charges against four former executives of BizJet International Sales and Support, Inc., the U.S.-based subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik, AG, a company that provides aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services for alleged bribery payments in Latin America. This news comes less than 30 days since our last blog entry, that quoted the warning by Department of Justice, FCPA Assistant Chief James Koukios, who said that the DOJ has “a lot of cases in the hopper” pertaining to Latin America.What can we learn from the latest case unsealed by the DOJ?
Foreign Traders Beware: Trading in US Markets Will Expose You to US Insider Trading Laws
On March 29, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the settlement of what appeared to be a routine insider trading case involving two traders. For foreign traders, the case is a wake-up call that the SEC is watching and will take action against violators, wherever they are in the world. Moreover, the case reveals the SEC’s patience in finding the insider traders and their courage in taking action. Indeed, the case may also serve as an investigatory template for the SEC’s global policing of U.S. securities laws in connection with insider trading violations by foreign traders.
Go on the Offense with the FCPA
Most companies fear the FCPA and the harm it will do to their companies. In a recent article published for the Asian-Mena Counsel, I offer a modest proposal – go on the offense with the FCPA and reap millions in potential increased enterprise value.
Here is the secret: if your company sees a potential exit strategy in the near future and you operate in certain regions of the world, you could command, and US suitors would be willing to pay, a premium for your company, into the millions, provided that you have meaningful a FCPA compliance regime. Make a strategic move to make your company FCPA compliant and reap the rewards.
For a more detailed review, please see:
http://www.duanemorris.com/articles/static/wolfe_gehring_asiamena_0512.pdf