Welcome to Dorsey & Whitney’s monthly Anti-Corruption Digest. In this digest, we draw together news of enforcement activity throughout the world and aim to reduce your information overload. Our London, Minneapolis, New York and Washington DC offices edit the digest and select the most important material so that you can use this digest as a single source of information.
In this edition, among the many topics discussed, we report on SciClone Pharmaceuticals’ agreement to pay $12.8 million to the SEC to settle charges that its China operations violated anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA; LAN Airlines’ consent to cease and desist proceedings by the SEC relating to an alleged $1.15 million payment to a consultant; SAP’s agreement to pay the SEC $3.7 million to settle charges that it violated the internal controls provisions of the FCPA; and PTC Inc.’s agreement to pay $29 million in fines and disgorgement fees to settle allegations that its subsidiaries provided Chinese officials with vacations in return for contracts worth $11.8 million.
Updates from the UK include a report on the acquittal of six brokers who stood accused of conspiring to manipulate LIBOR; the $2 million fine imposed on Sweett Group for failing to prevent bribes that were paid in order to secure a $100 million construction contract for the company; a report by the National Audit Office into the receipt of gifts and hospitality by government officials; and news that the Director of the SFO has had his contract extended by two years.
Global reports include news from Brazil that SBM Offshore paid $125,000 to settle accusations that members of its board bribed Directors of Petrobras in order to obtain contracts between 1997 and 2012; the sentencing of an advisor to a former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic to five years in prison having been found guilty of corruption; the acquittal of an individual by the Italian courts in a matter involving an attempt to bribe a police officer; the resignation of a minister in Japan following allegations that he received cash from a construction company in return for favors; VimpelCom’s $795 million to settlement with U.S. and Dutch authorities regarding an alleged bribery matter in Uzbekistan; plus anti-corruption developments in Algeria, China, Kenya, Venezuela and more from around the globe.
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Corruption issues are also addressed in the Anti-Fraud Network’s newsletters: see http://www.antifraudnetwork.com for current and archived material; see also the Computer Fraud website at http://computerfraud.us and SEC Actions at http://www.secactions.com.
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