Category Archives: Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
New FCPA-Related Investigations Disclosed by Mining Companies
Four mining companies have now disclosed that they are subject of investigations related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). One company first disclosed an investigation in late November, while the others disclosed their investigations in 2016, 2015 and 2013. Two of the companies are based in the United Kingdom, while the others are in […]
Potential Exists for Whistleblower Awards for FCPA Tips
The $57 million that has been paid out in 26 whistleblower awards from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) since its whistleblower protection program began has not included any Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) tips. However, because the SEC’s program is still relatively new and foreign investigations often take a great deal of time, there […]
Major Recent Developments in International Anti-Corruption
There have been some significant developments in the world of international anti-corruption laws in recent months. The following are a few examples: Greater transparency in corporate charging decisions. Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice Leslie Caldwell recently made a promise to increase transparency in the way the division issues […]
Texas Supreme Court to Weigh In on Shell Defamation Suit
The Texas Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Shell Oil Co.’s pending defamation case. Robert Writt, a former Shell employee, sued the company for defamation after Shell submitted a report to the Department of Justice about his alleged involvement in committing numerous violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act (FCPA). It’s an interesting case — […]
SEC Whistleblower Office Reaches Three-Year Anniversary
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of the Whistleblower has only been open since August 2011, yet it has already made a pretty big name for itself in protecting the rights of whistleblowers and awarding them for their contributions. Within those three years, many whistleblowers have come away with large monetary awards, which […]
Costs for FCPA Investigations Can Be Huge, Making Insurance Coverage Important
Investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) can quickly become extremely costly. In fact, Walmart recently spent more than $439 million within a two-year span on these types of investigations alone. While this is a rather extreme example, companies that have any sort of internal operations should at least be familiar with how they […]
The Bed Bug Whistleblower is Awarded Back Pay
A federal court ordered S.E.M. Villa II Inc., a nonprofit corporation that operates a retirement home in Milford, Ohio, to pay a former manager $20,000 in back pay. The former manager filed a complaint with the Clermont County General Health District alleging that S.E.M. Villa II was mishandling a bedbug infestation at the retirement home. […]
Whistleblowers Can Whistle Irish Tunes
Ireland’s minister for public expenditure and reform, Brendan Howlin, recently published the Protected Disclosures Bill, 2013, described as an important measure in the battle against corruption. Howlin said that lawmakers want to provide genuine employment and other protections to workers who were penalized or suffered harm for disclosing wrongdoing. Irish whistleblowing wrongdoing The new Irish […]
Courts Conducting the Whistleblowing
Whistleblowing is prevalent in the news. Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning captured our attention. As more claims emerge from workplaces, additional whistleblowing lawsuits are challenging the courts to define and interpret the many relevant laws. Asadi v. GE Energy (USA) Khaled Asadi raised concerns through GE Energy’s internal channels about the company engaging in bribery […]
Whistleblowing in Malta
Malta’s Parliament approved the country’s long-awaited Whistleblower Act. Effective September 15, 2013, the act provides varying programs of protection for individuals blowing the whistle on corrupt practices. The passage of the whistleblower act was the culmination of more than six years of legislative effort. Providing a new identity to the whistleblower Malta’s whistleblower act outlines […]
