James Stewart’s first Common Sense column for Business Day at the New York Times (here) profiles the February 2011 FCPA enforcement action against Tyson Foods involving Mexican veterinarians. (See here for the prior post).
The column is silent as to the relevant fact (as indicated in the DOJ's charging document) that Mexican law permitted certain of the veterinarians at issue to charge the facility in which they work a fee for their services in addition to their official salary.
But that is besides the point, because Stewart's column once again raises the valid issue that so many FCPA enforcement actions involve corporate resolutions only - with no related individual prosecutions.
Stewart writes as follows. "It would seem self-evident that if Tyson engaged in a conspiracy and violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, then someone at Tyson did so as well." Stewart further noted as follows. "But surely bribery, not to mention other forms of corporate wrongdoing, would be more effectively deterred if someone was actually held accountable for it."
Spot on.
In my November 2010 prepared statement (here) to the Senate Judiciary Committee I stated as follows.
"Key to achieving deterrence in the FCPA context is prosecuting individuals, to the extent the individual’s conduct legitimately satisfies the elements of an FCPA anti-bribery violation. For a corporate employee with job duties that provide an opportunity to violate the FCPA, it is easy to dismiss corporate money being used to pay corporate FCPA fines and penalties. It is not easy to dismiss hearing of an individual with a similar background and job duties being criminally indicted and sent to federal prison for violating the FCPA."
I further observed that during this era of the FCPA’s resurgence, the DOJ has consistently stated that prosecuting individuals is a “cornerstone” of its FCPA enforcement strategy. Yet, I asked, why is DOJ’s FCPA enforcement program largely a corporate fine-only program devoid of individual prosecutions?
As highlighted in this prior post, 70% of DOJ FCPA enforcement actions in 2010 have not involved (at least thus far) DOJ prosecutions of company employees.
What do the numbers look like thus far at the mid-point of 2011?
So far this year there have been six DOJ FCPA enforcement actions against companies (Maxwell Technlogies, Tyson Foods, Johnson & Johnson, Comverse Technologies, JGC of Japan, and Tenaris).
None of these FCPA enforcement actions have resulted (at least thus far) in DOJ prosecutions of company employees. Nor has the SEC brought civil charges against any employees of these companies. Nor has the SEC charged any employees (at least thus far) in the three SEC only FCPA enforcement actions this year (IBM, Ball Corporation, and Rockwell Automation).
As I noted in my Senate testimony, the high percentage of corporate FCPA enforcement actions that do not result in related enforcement actions against individuals legitimately causes one to wonder whether the conduct given rise to the corporate enforcement action was engaged in by ghosts.
Yet, I submit, there is an equally plausible reason why no individuals have been charged in some of the above-mentioned enforcement actions (and others) and that involves the quality of the corporate enforcement action.
Given the prevalence of NPAs and DPAs in the FCPA context and the ease in which DOJ offers these alternative resolution vehicles to companies subject to an FCPA inquiry, companies often agree to enter into such resolution vehicles regardless of the DOJ’s legal theories or the existence of valid and legitimate defenses. It is simply easier, more cost efficient, and more certain for a company to agree to a NPA or DPA than it is to be criminally indicted and mount a valid legal defense – even if the DOJ or SEC's theory of prosecution is questionable. [See here for a prior post detailing a former DOJ prosecutor's concern regarding NPAs and DPAs as to these issues].
Individuals, on the other hand, face a deprivation of personal liberty, and are more likely to force the DOJ or SEC to satisfy its high burden of proof as to all FCPA elements.
Regardless of what you think about the possible reasons, the fact remains FCPA enforcement is, despite enforcement agency rhetoric, largely corporate enforcement only.
While on the topic of individual prosecutions, it must be noted that the bulk of such recent prosecutions are in the manufactured Africa Sting case where 22 individuals were criminally charged. Last week (see here for the prior post) Judge Richard Leon declared a mistrial in the trial of the first 4 defendants. The FCPA Blog had a stellar post yesterday (here) titled "Feds Should Forget Shot Show Defendants" and stated that instead of future sting operations to dig up FCPA individual defendants, the DOJ should focus "instead on the real bad apples [companies that have admitted to violating the FCPA and paid big fines] who paid real bribes to real foreign officials."
Spot on.
Showing posts with label Non-Prosecution Agreement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Non-Prosecution Agreement. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Report Cards
Imagine I give a test to the 37 students in my class. However, because of reasons uniquely relevant to many of the students, not all students are equally capable of passing the test.
I hope all would view this test to be a bit empty.
This post summarizes the OECD Working Group on Bribery Annual Report and Transparency International's Annual Progress Report of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.
For reasons discussed below, these two report cards suffer from the same dynamic described in the above hypothetical.
In many OECD member countries there is no such thing as corporate criminal liability - or even if there is - such corporate liability can only be based on the actions of high-ranking executives or officers. This of course is materially different than in the U.S. where, under respondeat superior principles, a business organization can face legal liability (civil and criminal) based on the actions of any employee to the extent the employee was acting within the scope of his or her duties and to the extent the conduct was intended to benefit, at least in part, the organization.
In most OECD member countries prosecuting authorities have two choices - to prosecute or not to prosecute - there is no such thing as non-prosecution or deferred prosecution agreements (NPAs/DPAs). Not so in the U.S. where the majority of these alternative resolution vehicles are used to resolve FCPA enforcement actions. As the OECD itself stated in its Phase 3 Report of U.S. enforcement of the FCPA - "it seems quite clear that the use of these agreements is one of the reasons for the impressive FCPA enforcement record in the U.S." (See here for the prior post). Former DOJ FCPA enforcement chief Mark Mendelsohn was asked directly – if the DOJ “did not have the choice of deferred or non prosecution agreements, what would happen to the number of FCPA settlements every year,” and he stated as follows: “if the Department only had the option of bringing a criminal case or declining to bring a case, you would certainly bring fewer cases.”
In certain other OECD member countries, there is a compliance defense relevant to the prosecution of bribery and corruption offenses. (See here for the prior post).
Given these differing dynamics (among others), it is fairly obvious why OECD member countries have varying degrees of enforcement of bribery and corruption offenses.
With that in mind, on to the report cards.
Transparency International Progress Report 2011 - Enforcement of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention
On May 24th, Transparency International (TI) released (here) its seventh annual Progress Report on Enforcement of the OECD Convention.
The report "shows no improvement in the enforcement of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention in the past year and warns that this could signal a dangerous loss of momentum in the fight against corruption."
The report covers 37 countries and "shows that there are still only seven countries with active enforcement, nine with moderate enforcement, and 21 with little or no enforcement." Huguette Labelle, Chair of TI, stated that "the collective commitment to stamp out foreign bribery made by all OECD parties is undermined when a large number of countries have inadequate enforcement."
The introduction of the report includes the following statement.
"Continued lack of enforcement in 21 countries a decade after the Convention entered into force, notwithstanding repeated OECD reviews, clearly indicates lack of political commitment by their governments. And in some of those with moderate enforcement, the level of commitment is also uncertain. This is a danger signal because the OECD Convention depends on the collective commitment of all parties to ending foreign bribery."
The reports "major conclusions" include the following: "risk of loss of momentum" and "lack of political commitment."
As to the former, the report states as follows. "The Convention has not yet reached the point at which the prohibition of foreign bribery is consistently enforced. With little or no enforcement by half of the signatory governments, backsliding by enforcing governments is a serious threat. This concern is aggravated in a troubled global economy in which companies are scrambling for business. Business organisations have increasingly criticised anti-bribery enforcement as a competitive obstacle. The present position of the Convention is unstable, and unless forward momentum is recovered, the progress made in the past decade could unravel."
As to the "lack of political commitment", the report states as follows. "Reviews conducted by TI experts indicate that the principal cause of lagging enforcement is lack of political commitment by government leaders. In countries where there is committed political leadership, the OECD’s rigorous monitoring programme has helped improve laws and enforcement programmes. However, in the absence of political will, even repeated OECD reviews have little effect."
Once again, Canada received a public lashing from TI.
Under the heading "lack of progress in Canada," the report states as follows. "Canada is the only G7 country in the little or no enforcement category, and has been in this category since the first edition of this report in 2005. It is also the only OECD member that does not provide nationality jurisdiction, which presents a serious obstacle to enforcement. [...] TI welcomes that the government of Canada has publicly reported the number of investigations for the first time. It is promising that 23 foreign bribery investigations are under way. If these investigations lead to prosecutions, Canada may finally move out of the little or no enforcement category." (A future post will summarize the recent Canadian enforcement action against Niko Resources).
TI's 2010 report (see here for the prior post) included reference to many big picture enforcement issues such as the use of negotiated settlements (NPAs and DPAs), judicial scrutiny of enforcement actions, and the proper amount of fines and penalties. However, TI's 2011 report was silent as to many big picture issues.
OECD Working Group on Bribery Annual Report
On April 20th, the OECD Working Group on Bribery released its annual report (here). The release (here) states as follows. "Most governments are not meeting their international commitments to clamp down on bribery and corruption in international business, with only five signatories to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention having sanctioned individuals or companies in the past year."
I hope all would view this test to be a bit empty.
This post summarizes the OECD Working Group on Bribery Annual Report and Transparency International's Annual Progress Report of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.
For reasons discussed below, these two report cards suffer from the same dynamic described in the above hypothetical.
In many OECD member countries there is no such thing as corporate criminal liability - or even if there is - such corporate liability can only be based on the actions of high-ranking executives or officers. This of course is materially different than in the U.S. where, under respondeat superior principles, a business organization can face legal liability (civil and criminal) based on the actions of any employee to the extent the employee was acting within the scope of his or her duties and to the extent the conduct was intended to benefit, at least in part, the organization.
In most OECD member countries prosecuting authorities have two choices - to prosecute or not to prosecute - there is no such thing as non-prosecution or deferred prosecution agreements (NPAs/DPAs). Not so in the U.S. where the majority of these alternative resolution vehicles are used to resolve FCPA enforcement actions. As the OECD itself stated in its Phase 3 Report of U.S. enforcement of the FCPA - "it seems quite clear that the use of these agreements is one of the reasons for the impressive FCPA enforcement record in the U.S." (See here for the prior post). Former DOJ FCPA enforcement chief Mark Mendelsohn was asked directly – if the DOJ “did not have the choice of deferred or non prosecution agreements, what would happen to the number of FCPA settlements every year,” and he stated as follows: “if the Department only had the option of bringing a criminal case or declining to bring a case, you would certainly bring fewer cases.”
In certain other OECD member countries, there is a compliance defense relevant to the prosecution of bribery and corruption offenses. (See here for the prior post).
Given these differing dynamics (among others), it is fairly obvious why OECD member countries have varying degrees of enforcement of bribery and corruption offenses.
With that in mind, on to the report cards.
Transparency International Progress Report 2011 - Enforcement of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention
On May 24th, Transparency International (TI) released (here) its seventh annual Progress Report on Enforcement of the OECD Convention.
The report "shows no improvement in the enforcement of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention in the past year and warns that this could signal a dangerous loss of momentum in the fight against corruption."
The report covers 37 countries and "shows that there are still only seven countries with active enforcement, nine with moderate enforcement, and 21 with little or no enforcement." Huguette Labelle, Chair of TI, stated that "the collective commitment to stamp out foreign bribery made by all OECD parties is undermined when a large number of countries have inadequate enforcement."
The introduction of the report includes the following statement.
"Continued lack of enforcement in 21 countries a decade after the Convention entered into force, notwithstanding repeated OECD reviews, clearly indicates lack of political commitment by their governments. And in some of those with moderate enforcement, the level of commitment is also uncertain. This is a danger signal because the OECD Convention depends on the collective commitment of all parties to ending foreign bribery."
The reports "major conclusions" include the following: "risk of loss of momentum" and "lack of political commitment."
As to the former, the report states as follows. "The Convention has not yet reached the point at which the prohibition of foreign bribery is consistently enforced. With little or no enforcement by half of the signatory governments, backsliding by enforcing governments is a serious threat. This concern is aggravated in a troubled global economy in which companies are scrambling for business. Business organisations have increasingly criticised anti-bribery enforcement as a competitive obstacle. The present position of the Convention is unstable, and unless forward momentum is recovered, the progress made in the past decade could unravel."
As to the "lack of political commitment", the report states as follows. "Reviews conducted by TI experts indicate that the principal cause of lagging enforcement is lack of political commitment by government leaders. In countries where there is committed political leadership, the OECD’s rigorous monitoring programme has helped improve laws and enforcement programmes. However, in the absence of political will, even repeated OECD reviews have little effect."
Once again, Canada received a public lashing from TI.
Under the heading "lack of progress in Canada," the report states as follows. "Canada is the only G7 country in the little or no enforcement category, and has been in this category since the first edition of this report in 2005. It is also the only OECD member that does not provide nationality jurisdiction, which presents a serious obstacle to enforcement. [...] TI welcomes that the government of Canada has publicly reported the number of investigations for the first time. It is promising that 23 foreign bribery investigations are under way. If these investigations lead to prosecutions, Canada may finally move out of the little or no enforcement category." (A future post will summarize the recent Canadian enforcement action against Niko Resources).
TI's 2010 report (see here for the prior post) included reference to many big picture enforcement issues such as the use of negotiated settlements (NPAs and DPAs), judicial scrutiny of enforcement actions, and the proper amount of fines and penalties. However, TI's 2011 report was silent as to many big picture issues.
OECD Working Group on Bribery Annual Report
On April 20th, the OECD Working Group on Bribery released its annual report (here). The release (here) states as follows. "Most governments are not meeting their international commitments to clamp down on bribery and corruption in international business, with only five signatories to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention having sanctioned individuals or companies in the past year."
Friday, June 10, 2011
Friday Roundup
Another FCPA hearing on Capital Hill next week, news regarding Goldmann Sachs, questioning the use of NPAs and DPAs, an informative read regarding India, and something for your "foreign official" file.
Its all here in the Friday roundup.
House Hearing
Next Tuesday, June 14th, the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security of the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing titled "Foreign Corrupt Practices Act." According to this report by Christopher Matthews of Main Justice the hearing is expected to focus on the following issues: successor liability, a potential compliance defense, "foreign official," and corporate mens rea issues.
The witness list for the hearing is as follows (see here).
Hon. Michael Mukasey (Former Attorney General, Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP - see here); Mr. Greg Andres (Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice); Mr. George Terwilliger (Partner, White & Case LLP - see here); and Ms. Shana-Tara Regon (Director, White Collar Crime Policy, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers - see here).
Predictably, some are blasting the very existence of the hearing. For instance, Political Correction, a project of Media Matters Action Network (a self-described progressive research and information center dedicated to analyzing and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media), describes the hearing here as "Rep. Lamar Smith's Fight to Make Bribery Easier For Big Business."
The House hearing follows a November 30th Senate hearing titled "Examining Enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act." See here for a prior post.
This post, prior to the 2010 hearing provided some guiding words, and if those were not enough, how about this statement from William Brock, U.S. Trade Representative, on April 18, 1983 during a hearing before the House Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
"Mr. Chairman, no one minimizes the complexity of the issue before you today. Just because the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act spotlights a sensitive subject, some people wish to turn a ‘blind eye’ to its shortcomings rather than risk being accused of being ‘soft on bribery.’ That is too easy a way out. Retreating from controversy will not cure the law’s deficiencies. Such inaction will no more eliminate the need for FCPA reforms today than it can eliminate the criticism of the Act brought over the past several years. After five and on half years experience with this law, after legitimate problems have been identified and examined, we have a responsibility to respond. Is there any U.S. law that ought to be above such review and clarification – especially one as complex as the FCPA.”
Well said.
Goldman Inquiry
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported - "Eyes on Goldman-Libya Dealings" - that the SEC is "examining whether Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and other financial firms might have violated bribery laws in dealings with Libya's sovereign wealth fund." The inquiry appears to be focused on a "$50 million fee Goldman initially agreed to pay [but one that was never paid to] the Libyan sovereign-wealth fund as part of a proposal ... to help the fund recoup losses."
A Goldman spokesman is quoted as follows. "We are confident that nothing we did or proposed was or could have been a breach of any rule or regulation. We retained outside counsel, as is our normal practice for any transaction to ensure that we were compliant with all applicable rules."
Can the FCPA be implicated by payments never made?
Yes. The anti-bribery provisions prohibit "an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of payment ...".
What about payments to foreign governments?
No. The anti-bribery provisions only apply to offers, payments, promises of payment, or authorizations of payments to "foreign officials."
However, according to the WSJ article the inquiry appears to focus on whether the contemplated payment would have been passed on to an outside adviser firm "run at the time by the son-in-law of the head of Libya's state-owned oil company."
For more on the Goldman inquiry, see here from Ashby Jones (WSJ Law Blog) and here from Samuel Rubenfeld (WSJ Corruption Currents).
NPAs / DPAs
Non-prosecution and deferred prosecution agreements ought to be abolished. I've argued here and in other places that these agreements have traded one negative externality of white collar prosecution (the much over-hyped Arthur Anderson effect) for a host of others, including the alarming lack of any meaningful judicial scrutiny to ensure that NPAs and DPAs are truly based on facts and appropriate legal theories to support the charges “alleged.”
Mark Mendelsohn, the former head of the DOJ's FCPA unit during its era of resurgence, stated in a September 2010 interview with Corporate Crime Reporter, that a “danger” with NPAs and DPAs “is that it is tempting” for the DOJ “to seek to resolve cases through DPAs or NPAs that don‟t actually constitute violations of the law.”
Asked directly – if the DOJ “did not have the choice of deferred or non prosecution agreements, what would happen to the number of FCPA settlements every year,” Mendelsohn stated as follows: “if the Department only had the option of bringing a criminal case or declining to bring a case, you would certainly bring fewer cases.”
Add W. Neil Eggleston, a former DOJ enforcement attorney currently a partner at Debevoise (here), to the growing list of former DOJ enforcement attorneys critical of these alternative resolution vehicles.
In this recent interview with Corporate Crime Reporter, Eggleston stated as follows. “I worry that [NPAs and DPAs] will become a substitute for a prosecutor deciding – this is not an appropriate case to bring – there is no reason to subject this corporation to corporate criminal liability. In the old days, they would have dropped the case. Now, they have the back up of seeking a deferred or non prosecution agreement, when in fact the case should not have been pursued at all. That’s what I’m worried about – an easy out.”
Well said.
India
If India is a country of concern or focus of yours, you will want to check out the most recent quarterly newsletter of the India Committee of the ABA Section of International Law. (See here).
Guest editor James Parkinson of BuckleySandler (here) provides the following articles, among others, in the newsletter: one devoted to the FCPA risks of doing business in India; another devoted to India's demand-side statute - the Prevention of Corruption Act; another focused on reducing corruption risks in India through compliance programs; and another calling for India to join the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.
"Foreign Official"
And finally, because your "foreign official" file would be incomplete without it, here is a transcript of the May 9th oral argument in the Carson "foreign official" challenge. See here and here for previous posts.
*****
A good weekend to all.
Its all here in the Friday roundup.
House Hearing
Next Tuesday, June 14th, the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security of the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing titled "Foreign Corrupt Practices Act." According to this report by Christopher Matthews of Main Justice the hearing is expected to focus on the following issues: successor liability, a potential compliance defense, "foreign official," and corporate mens rea issues.
The witness list for the hearing is as follows (see here).
Hon. Michael Mukasey (Former Attorney General, Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP - see here); Mr. Greg Andres (Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice); Mr. George Terwilliger (Partner, White & Case LLP - see here); and Ms. Shana-Tara Regon (Director, White Collar Crime Policy, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers - see here).
Predictably, some are blasting the very existence of the hearing. For instance, Political Correction, a project of Media Matters Action Network (a self-described progressive research and information center dedicated to analyzing and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media), describes the hearing here as "Rep. Lamar Smith's Fight to Make Bribery Easier For Big Business."
The House hearing follows a November 30th Senate hearing titled "Examining Enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act." See here for a prior post.
This post, prior to the 2010 hearing provided some guiding words, and if those were not enough, how about this statement from William Brock, U.S. Trade Representative, on April 18, 1983 during a hearing before the House Subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
"Mr. Chairman, no one minimizes the complexity of the issue before you today. Just because the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act spotlights a sensitive subject, some people wish to turn a ‘blind eye’ to its shortcomings rather than risk being accused of being ‘soft on bribery.’ That is too easy a way out. Retreating from controversy will not cure the law’s deficiencies. Such inaction will no more eliminate the need for FCPA reforms today than it can eliminate the criticism of the Act brought over the past several years. After five and on half years experience with this law, after legitimate problems have been identified and examined, we have a responsibility to respond. Is there any U.S. law that ought to be above such review and clarification – especially one as complex as the FCPA.”
Well said.
Goldman Inquiry
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported - "Eyes on Goldman-Libya Dealings" - that the SEC is "examining whether Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and other financial firms might have violated bribery laws in dealings with Libya's sovereign wealth fund." The inquiry appears to be focused on a "$50 million fee Goldman initially agreed to pay [but one that was never paid to] the Libyan sovereign-wealth fund as part of a proposal ... to help the fund recoup losses."
A Goldman spokesman is quoted as follows. "We are confident that nothing we did or proposed was or could have been a breach of any rule or regulation. We retained outside counsel, as is our normal practice for any transaction to ensure that we were compliant with all applicable rules."
Can the FCPA be implicated by payments never made?
Yes. The anti-bribery provisions prohibit "an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of payment ...".
What about payments to foreign governments?
No. The anti-bribery provisions only apply to offers, payments, promises of payment, or authorizations of payments to "foreign officials."
However, according to the WSJ article the inquiry appears to focus on whether the contemplated payment would have been passed on to an outside adviser firm "run at the time by the son-in-law of the head of Libya's state-owned oil company."
For more on the Goldman inquiry, see here from Ashby Jones (WSJ Law Blog) and here from Samuel Rubenfeld (WSJ Corruption Currents).
NPAs / DPAs
Non-prosecution and deferred prosecution agreements ought to be abolished. I've argued here and in other places that these agreements have traded one negative externality of white collar prosecution (the much over-hyped Arthur Anderson effect) for a host of others, including the alarming lack of any meaningful judicial scrutiny to ensure that NPAs and DPAs are truly based on facts and appropriate legal theories to support the charges “alleged.”
Mark Mendelsohn, the former head of the DOJ's FCPA unit during its era of resurgence, stated in a September 2010 interview with Corporate Crime Reporter, that a “danger” with NPAs and DPAs “is that it is tempting” for the DOJ “to seek to resolve cases through DPAs or NPAs that don‟t actually constitute violations of the law.”
Asked directly – if the DOJ “did not have the choice of deferred or non prosecution agreements, what would happen to the number of FCPA settlements every year,” Mendelsohn stated as follows: “if the Department only had the option of bringing a criminal case or declining to bring a case, you would certainly bring fewer cases.”
Add W. Neil Eggleston, a former DOJ enforcement attorney currently a partner at Debevoise (here), to the growing list of former DOJ enforcement attorneys critical of these alternative resolution vehicles.
In this recent interview with Corporate Crime Reporter, Eggleston stated as follows. “I worry that [NPAs and DPAs] will become a substitute for a prosecutor deciding – this is not an appropriate case to bring – there is no reason to subject this corporation to corporate criminal liability. In the old days, they would have dropped the case. Now, they have the back up of seeking a deferred or non prosecution agreement, when in fact the case should not have been pursued at all. That’s what I’m worried about – an easy out.”
Well said.
India
If India is a country of concern or focus of yours, you will want to check out the most recent quarterly newsletter of the India Committee of the ABA Section of International Law. (See here).
Guest editor James Parkinson of BuckleySandler (here) provides the following articles, among others, in the newsletter: one devoted to the FCPA risks of doing business in India; another devoted to India's demand-side statute - the Prevention of Corruption Act; another focused on reducing corruption risks in India through compliance programs; and another calling for India to join the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.
"Foreign Official"
And finally, because your "foreign official" file would be incomplete without it, here is a transcript of the May 9th oral argument in the Carson "foreign official" challenge. See here and here for previous posts.
*****
A good weekend to all.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tenaris Resolves FCPA Enforcement - SEC Uses a DPA For the First Time
Once upon a time there was a law enforcement system in this country where companies that committed crimes or engaged in other wrongdoing were prosecuted criminally and/or civilly and where companies that did not commit crimes or did not engage in other wrongdoing were not prosecuted. That system has to a large extent been abandoned by the DOJ years ago – particularly in the FCPA context – and now that system appears to be crumbling at the SEC as well.
In December 2010, the SEC entered into its first non-prosecution agreement - albeit not in the FCPA context (see here for the prior post) and yesterday the SEC announced its first deferred prosecution agreement - of any kind - against Tenaris to resolve an FCPA enforcement action.
As has generally happened with the DOJ’s enforcement of the FCPA, the SEC’s enforcement of the FCPA will now be even further removed from judicial scrutiny and resolutions will now more frequently be negotiated over private conference room tables.
This is a troubling development on many fronts and it gives the public little confidence that our laws are enforced in a consistent and transparent manner or that regulators and companies are being held accountable.
With that introduction, let's take a look at the Tenaris enforcement action.
Tenaris (here) "is a leading supplier of tubes and related services for the world’s energy industry and certain other industrial applications." Tenaris is headquartered in Luxembourg and its American Depository Receipts ("ADRs") are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In FCPA-speak, that makes Tenaris an "issuer."
The enforcement action involved both a DOJ and SEC component. Total settlement amount was $8.9 million ($3.5 million criminal penalty via a DOJ non prosecution agreement; $5.4 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest via a SEC deferred prosecution agreement ... its feels odd just writing that).
Both enforcement actions involve commission payments to an Uzbekistan agent to receive confidential bidding documents in connection with tenders conducted by alleged Uzbekistan state-owned or state-controlled companies. The enforcement actions state that Tenaris employees "were aware or substantially certain that all or a portion" of the commission payments would be offered by the Agent to employees at the SOEs and that certain of the payments were paid via a wire transfer through a New York bank account.
DOJ
The NPA (here - dated March 14, 2011) begins as follows.
The DOJ "will not criminally prosecute" Tenaris and its subsidiaries and affiliates for any crimes "related to Tenaris's knowing violations of the anti-bribery and books and records provisions of the FCPA ... arising from and related to the making of improper payments by employees and agents of Tenaris to officials of OJSC O'ztashqineftgaz ("OAO"), an Uzbekistan state-controlled oil and gas production company, and the accounting and record-keeping associated with these improper payments."
The NPA has a term of two years and Tenaris admitted, accepted, and acknowledged responsibility for the below described conduct. As is typical in FCPA NPAs or DPAs, Tenaris agreed "not to make any public statement contradicting" the described conduct.
According to the NPA, Tenaris has more than 24,000 employees around the world and it conducts operations in 12 countries and its customers include the world's leading oil and gas companies. The NPA states that Tenaris's operations included supplying steel pipe and related servics in the Caspian Sea region, including Uzbekistan. This region accounted for approximately 1% of Tenaris's total global sales and services from 2003 to 2008. Tenaris's Caspian Sea business was run from offices in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
According to the NPA, "Tenaris obtained oilfeld services business in the Caspian Sea region in part by bidding on contracts solicited by state-owned companies or governmental agencies to provide pipeline used in the development and production of oil and natural gas. Tenaris often used agents to assist in biddig on government contracts in the Caspian Sea region."
The conduct at issue focused on OAO contracts between 2006 and 2007. According to the NPA, OAO "was a wholly owned subsidiary of Uzbekneftegaz, the state holding company of Uzbekistan's oil and gas industry" and during the relevant time period "Uzbekneftegaz and OAO were wholly owned by the Government Uzbekistan." The NPA then states, "OAO was an agency and instrumentality of the Government of Uzbekistan and its employees were foreign officials within the meaning of the FCPA."
According to its website (here) the current ownership of OAO is as follows: "government’s share – 51%; foreign investors’ share – 37.27%; free market trade share – 11.73%."
According to the NPA, in December 2006, Tenaris "was introduced to a potential agent ("OAO Agent") to help Tenaris bid on additional contracts with OAO" and "as an incentive to retain the OAO Agent, the OAO Agent offered Tenaris access to confidential bidding information of competitors obtained from officials in OAO's tender department, who would allow Tenaris to submit revised bids after reviewing the confidential information." The NPA states that "Tenaris would use the confidential competitor bid information to submit revised bids in order to increase the likelihood of Tenaris being awarded the underlying contract."
According to the NPA, Tenaris "agreed to pay the OAO Agent a fee of 3.5% for these services" and that Employees A, B, C, and D (non-U.S. citizens but "employees and agents" of Tenaris) "were aware or substantially certain that all or a portion of such money would be offered by the OAO Agent to one or more OAO employees."
The NPA then lists approximately $19.4 million in contracts Tenaris obtained using this system and states that certain of the commission payments to the OAO Agent were paid via wire transfer through a New York bank account.
Under the heading "Additional Improper Conduct to Avoid Detection," the NPA states that in November 2007 the above referenced employees learned of complaints from company competitors as to the bidding process on certain of the contracts and that an investigation by Uzbekekspertiza JSC (a Uzbekistani government agency) might commence. According to the NPA, "in an effort to avert the potential investigation of the bidding process, the OAO Agent recommended to Tenaris that the OAO Agent make an improper payment to Uzbekekspertiza officials to refrain from recommending the investigation against Tenaris or re-opening the bidding process to Tenaris's competitors" and that the employees "agreed to pay the recommended payment" to the officials to avert the investigation. However, the NPA states as follows: "the investigation did not uncover evidence that any such payment was made."
As to books and records, the NPA states that "the books, records and accounts reflecting Tenaris's transactions ... were incorporated into Tenaris's consolidated year-end financial statements" and that "Tenaris knowingly failed to make and keep books, records, and accounts that accurately and fairly reflected Tenaris's transactions ... and the payments to the OAO Agent."
Based on the above conduct, Tenaris agreed to pay a $3.5 million criminal penalty. The NPA states as follows. "This substantially reduced monetary penalty reflects the DOJ's determination to meaningfully credit Tenaris for its extraordinary cooperation with the Department, including its timely and voluntary disclosure, its subsequent investigation, and the effective manner in which Tenaris conveyed information to the [DOJ and the SEC]."
Inquiring minds want to know - how much was the penalty "substantially reduced?"
According to the NPA, the DOJ agreed to resolve the action via an NPA based, in part, on the following factors.
(a) Tenaris's timely, voluntary, and complete disclosure of the conduct at issue;
(b) Tenaris's extensive, thorough, real-time cooperation with the DOJ and the SEC;
(c) subsequent to its voluntary disclosure of certain conduct unrelated to Uzbekistan, but prior to discovery of the unlawful conduct related to Uzbekistan, Tenaris's voluntary investigation of the Company's business operations throughout the world, specifically including the thorough and effective manner in which this investigation was carried out and information was disclosed to the DOJ and SEC;
(d) Tenaris's remedial efforts already undertaken and to be undertaken, including voluntary enhancements to its compliance program; and
(e) Tenaris's commitment to implement enchanced compliance measures described in the NPA.
Based on (c) above, inquiring minds want to know - what did Tenaris originally voluntarily disclose?
Under the heading, "Disclosure and Investigation of Improper Activity," the NPA states as follows.
"In or about March 2009, a third party disclosed to Tenaris information indicating that certain sales agency payments were made by Tenaris in relation to business in a country other than Uzbekistan. These payments appeared to be for an improper purpose. In response to this information, Tenaris's Audit Committee retained outside counsel to investigate the allegations. Thereafter, in a Form 20-F filed with the SEC on or about June 30, 2009, Tenaris disclosed information related to these allegations. Tenaris also made a prompt, full disclosure of the information to the [DOJ] and the [SEC] concerning the allegations. In or around July 2009, counsel for Tenaris met with the [DOJ and SEC] and disclosed preliminary findings of the internal investigation. Such disclosure was related to facts known to Tenaris at the time but was not related to transactions in Uzbekistan. Tenaris's counsel also informed the [DOJ and the SEC] that it would conduct a thorough, world-wide investigation of its business operations and internal controls and would report the findings to the [DOJ and SEC]. Tenaris's investigation plan included significant collection and review of a substantial quantity of electronic and paper records from the company and third parties from multiple locations around the world, translation of all relevant materials into English, subsequent interviews of relevant personnel including senior executives and third parties, and review and testing of internal controls and compliance procedures. In or around June 2010, Tenaris disclosed the factual findings from its internal investigation in a thorough, complete and useful manner to the [DOJ and SEC]. As a result of its internal investigation, Tenaris discovered facts and transactions in Uzbekistan that constitute the violations set forth above. Tenaris voluntaly engaged in certain remediation efforts to include termination and disciplinary measures of the persons involved. Tenaris also thoroughly reviewed its pre-existing compliance program and applicable internal controls, and undertook voluntary, affirmative steps to update and improve its compliance program and to implement enhanced compliance measures and controls. Tenaris also agreed to provide real and meaningful cooperation with the [DOJ and SEC] and any law enforcement agency in connection with this matter."
Again, inquiring minds want to know - what did Tenaris originally voluntarily disclose?
See here for the DOJ's release announcing the enforcement action.
SEC
The SEC DPA (here) is based on the same core conduct described above.
As to internal controls, the SEC DPA states as follows.
"... Tenaris's system of internal controls failed to detect or prevent payments to OAO officials in an effort to obtain and retain business in Uzbekistan, including a failure to ensure that proper and effective due diligence was conducted on the Agent for the OAO contracts, and that the review process for authorization or approval of payments to the Agent failed to detect or prevent the illegal payments to OAO officials. Tenaris's policies, procedures and training related to anticorruption and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") compliance in place at that time warranted further strengthening to ensure effective compliance with the related laws."
One of the undertakings Tenaris agreed to in the DPA was the following.
"To conduct effective training regarding anticorruption and compliance with the FCPA for (1) all current officers and managers, (2) all employees working in Finance, Accounting, Internal Audit, Sales, and Government Relations, (3) all other employees working in positions Tenaris deems to involve activities implicated by Tenaris's policies regarding anticorruption and compliance with the FCPA, on or before December 31, 2011, and (4) all such future employees within 90 days oftheir affiliation with Tenaris."
Under the terms of the two-year DPA, Tenaris, without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations (the same way defendants are ordinarly allowed to resolve SEC enforcement actions), agreed to pay $5.4 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest.
Pursuant to the DPA, Tenaris agreed "not to contest or contradict the factual statements" supporting the Statement of Facts. As noted in this prior post when the SEC announced its intention to make use of NPAs and DPAs, "[a]n admission or an agreement not to contest the relevant facts underlying the alleged offenses" is a key factor the SEC will consider in determining whether a company should receive a deferred prosecution agreement.
Like the SEC's prior NPA, the Tenaris DPA is very similar to DOJ DPAs and NPAs.
In a release (here) the SEC touted its first use of a DPA.
Robert Khuzami (Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement) stated as follows. “The Tenaris foreign bribery scheme was unacceptable and unlawful, but the company’s response demonstrated high levels of corporate accountability and cooperation. The company’s immediate self-reporting, thorough internal investigation, full cooperation with SEC staff, enhanced anti-corruption procedures, and enhanced training made it an appropriate candidate for the Enforcement Division’s first Deferred Prosecution Agreement. Effective enforcement of the securities laws includes acknowledging and providing credit to those who fully and completely support our investigations and who display an exemplary commitment to compliance, cooperation, and remediation.”
Cheryl Scarboro (Chief of the SEC's FCPA Unit) stated as follows. “Tenaris’s conduct was clearly in violation of the FCPA. The company’s employees bribed government officials in Uzbekistan to obtain government contracts. But when Tenaris discovered the illegal conduct, it took noteworthy steps to address the violations and significantly enhance its anti-corruption policies and practices to remediate weaknesses in its internal controls.”
Robert Giuffra, Jr. of Sullivan & Cromwell (here) represented Tenaris.
In December 2010, the SEC entered into its first non-prosecution agreement - albeit not in the FCPA context (see here for the prior post) and yesterday the SEC announced its first deferred prosecution agreement - of any kind - against Tenaris to resolve an FCPA enforcement action.
As has generally happened with the DOJ’s enforcement of the FCPA, the SEC’s enforcement of the FCPA will now be even further removed from judicial scrutiny and resolutions will now more frequently be negotiated over private conference room tables.
This is a troubling development on many fronts and it gives the public little confidence that our laws are enforced in a consistent and transparent manner or that regulators and companies are being held accountable.
With that introduction, let's take a look at the Tenaris enforcement action.
Tenaris (here) "is a leading supplier of tubes and related services for the world’s energy industry and certain other industrial applications." Tenaris is headquartered in Luxembourg and its American Depository Receipts ("ADRs") are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In FCPA-speak, that makes Tenaris an "issuer."
The enforcement action involved both a DOJ and SEC component. Total settlement amount was $8.9 million ($3.5 million criminal penalty via a DOJ non prosecution agreement; $5.4 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest via a SEC deferred prosecution agreement ... its feels odd just writing that).
Both enforcement actions involve commission payments to an Uzbekistan agent to receive confidential bidding documents in connection with tenders conducted by alleged Uzbekistan state-owned or state-controlled companies. The enforcement actions state that Tenaris employees "were aware or substantially certain that all or a portion" of the commission payments would be offered by the Agent to employees at the SOEs and that certain of the payments were paid via a wire transfer through a New York bank account.
DOJ
The NPA (here - dated March 14, 2011) begins as follows.
The DOJ "will not criminally prosecute" Tenaris and its subsidiaries and affiliates for any crimes "related to Tenaris's knowing violations of the anti-bribery and books and records provisions of the FCPA ... arising from and related to the making of improper payments by employees and agents of Tenaris to officials of OJSC O'ztashqineftgaz ("OAO"), an Uzbekistan state-controlled oil and gas production company, and the accounting and record-keeping associated with these improper payments."
The NPA has a term of two years and Tenaris admitted, accepted, and acknowledged responsibility for the below described conduct. As is typical in FCPA NPAs or DPAs, Tenaris agreed "not to make any public statement contradicting" the described conduct.
According to the NPA, Tenaris has more than 24,000 employees around the world and it conducts operations in 12 countries and its customers include the world's leading oil and gas companies. The NPA states that Tenaris's operations included supplying steel pipe and related servics in the Caspian Sea region, including Uzbekistan. This region accounted for approximately 1% of Tenaris's total global sales and services from 2003 to 2008. Tenaris's Caspian Sea business was run from offices in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
According to the NPA, "Tenaris obtained oilfeld services business in the Caspian Sea region in part by bidding on contracts solicited by state-owned companies or governmental agencies to provide pipeline used in the development and production of oil and natural gas. Tenaris often used agents to assist in biddig on government contracts in the Caspian Sea region."
The conduct at issue focused on OAO contracts between 2006 and 2007. According to the NPA, OAO "was a wholly owned subsidiary of Uzbekneftegaz, the state holding company of Uzbekistan's oil and gas industry" and during the relevant time period "Uzbekneftegaz and OAO were wholly owned by the Government Uzbekistan." The NPA then states, "OAO was an agency and instrumentality of the Government of Uzbekistan and its employees were foreign officials within the meaning of the FCPA."
According to its website (here) the current ownership of OAO is as follows: "government’s share – 51%; foreign investors’ share – 37.27%; free market trade share – 11.73%."
According to the NPA, in December 2006, Tenaris "was introduced to a potential agent ("OAO Agent") to help Tenaris bid on additional contracts with OAO" and "as an incentive to retain the OAO Agent, the OAO Agent offered Tenaris access to confidential bidding information of competitors obtained from officials in OAO's tender department, who would allow Tenaris to submit revised bids after reviewing the confidential information." The NPA states that "Tenaris would use the confidential competitor bid information to submit revised bids in order to increase the likelihood of Tenaris being awarded the underlying contract."
According to the NPA, Tenaris "agreed to pay the OAO Agent a fee of 3.5% for these services" and that Employees A, B, C, and D (non-U.S. citizens but "employees and agents" of Tenaris) "were aware or substantially certain that all or a portion of such money would be offered by the OAO Agent to one or more OAO employees."
The NPA then lists approximately $19.4 million in contracts Tenaris obtained using this system and states that certain of the commission payments to the OAO Agent were paid via wire transfer through a New York bank account.
Under the heading "Additional Improper Conduct to Avoid Detection," the NPA states that in November 2007 the above referenced employees learned of complaints from company competitors as to the bidding process on certain of the contracts and that an investigation by Uzbekekspertiza JSC (a Uzbekistani government agency) might commence. According to the NPA, "in an effort to avert the potential investigation of the bidding process, the OAO Agent recommended to Tenaris that the OAO Agent make an improper payment to Uzbekekspertiza officials to refrain from recommending the investigation against Tenaris or re-opening the bidding process to Tenaris's competitors" and that the employees "agreed to pay the recommended payment" to the officials to avert the investigation. However, the NPA states as follows: "the investigation did not uncover evidence that any such payment was made."
As to books and records, the NPA states that "the books, records and accounts reflecting Tenaris's transactions ... were incorporated into Tenaris's consolidated year-end financial statements" and that "Tenaris knowingly failed to make and keep books, records, and accounts that accurately and fairly reflected Tenaris's transactions ... and the payments to the OAO Agent."
Based on the above conduct, Tenaris agreed to pay a $3.5 million criminal penalty. The NPA states as follows. "This substantially reduced monetary penalty reflects the DOJ's determination to meaningfully credit Tenaris for its extraordinary cooperation with the Department, including its timely and voluntary disclosure, its subsequent investigation, and the effective manner in which Tenaris conveyed information to the [DOJ and the SEC]."
Inquiring minds want to know - how much was the penalty "substantially reduced?"
According to the NPA, the DOJ agreed to resolve the action via an NPA based, in part, on the following factors.
(a) Tenaris's timely, voluntary, and complete disclosure of the conduct at issue;
(b) Tenaris's extensive, thorough, real-time cooperation with the DOJ and the SEC;
(c) subsequent to its voluntary disclosure of certain conduct unrelated to Uzbekistan, but prior to discovery of the unlawful conduct related to Uzbekistan, Tenaris's voluntary investigation of the Company's business operations throughout the world, specifically including the thorough and effective manner in which this investigation was carried out and information was disclosed to the DOJ and SEC;
(d) Tenaris's remedial efforts already undertaken and to be undertaken, including voluntary enhancements to its compliance program; and
(e) Tenaris's commitment to implement enchanced compliance measures described in the NPA.
Based on (c) above, inquiring minds want to know - what did Tenaris originally voluntarily disclose?
Under the heading, "Disclosure and Investigation of Improper Activity," the NPA states as follows.
"In or about March 2009, a third party disclosed to Tenaris information indicating that certain sales agency payments were made by Tenaris in relation to business in a country other than Uzbekistan. These payments appeared to be for an improper purpose. In response to this information, Tenaris's Audit Committee retained outside counsel to investigate the allegations. Thereafter, in a Form 20-F filed with the SEC on or about June 30, 2009, Tenaris disclosed information related to these allegations. Tenaris also made a prompt, full disclosure of the information to the [DOJ] and the [SEC] concerning the allegations. In or around July 2009, counsel for Tenaris met with the [DOJ and SEC] and disclosed preliminary findings of the internal investigation. Such disclosure was related to facts known to Tenaris at the time but was not related to transactions in Uzbekistan. Tenaris's counsel also informed the [DOJ and the SEC] that it would conduct a thorough, world-wide investigation of its business operations and internal controls and would report the findings to the [DOJ and SEC]. Tenaris's investigation plan included significant collection and review of a substantial quantity of electronic and paper records from the company and third parties from multiple locations around the world, translation of all relevant materials into English, subsequent interviews of relevant personnel including senior executives and third parties, and review and testing of internal controls and compliance procedures. In or around June 2010, Tenaris disclosed the factual findings from its internal investigation in a thorough, complete and useful manner to the [DOJ and SEC]. As a result of its internal investigation, Tenaris discovered facts and transactions in Uzbekistan that constitute the violations set forth above. Tenaris voluntaly engaged in certain remediation efforts to include termination and disciplinary measures of the persons involved. Tenaris also thoroughly reviewed its pre-existing compliance program and applicable internal controls, and undertook voluntary, affirmative steps to update and improve its compliance program and to implement enhanced compliance measures and controls. Tenaris also agreed to provide real and meaningful cooperation with the [DOJ and SEC] and any law enforcement agency in connection with this matter."
Again, inquiring minds want to know - what did Tenaris originally voluntarily disclose?
See here for the DOJ's release announcing the enforcement action.
SEC
The SEC DPA (here) is based on the same core conduct described above.
As to internal controls, the SEC DPA states as follows.
"... Tenaris's system of internal controls failed to detect or prevent payments to OAO officials in an effort to obtain and retain business in Uzbekistan, including a failure to ensure that proper and effective due diligence was conducted on the Agent for the OAO contracts, and that the review process for authorization or approval of payments to the Agent failed to detect or prevent the illegal payments to OAO officials. Tenaris's policies, procedures and training related to anticorruption and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") compliance in place at that time warranted further strengthening to ensure effective compliance with the related laws."
One of the undertakings Tenaris agreed to in the DPA was the following.
"To conduct effective training regarding anticorruption and compliance with the FCPA for (1) all current officers and managers, (2) all employees working in Finance, Accounting, Internal Audit, Sales, and Government Relations, (3) all other employees working in positions Tenaris deems to involve activities implicated by Tenaris's policies regarding anticorruption and compliance with the FCPA, on or before December 31, 2011, and (4) all such future employees within 90 days oftheir affiliation with Tenaris."
Under the terms of the two-year DPA, Tenaris, without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations (the same way defendants are ordinarly allowed to resolve SEC enforcement actions), agreed to pay $5.4 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest.
Pursuant to the DPA, Tenaris agreed "not to contest or contradict the factual statements" supporting the Statement of Facts. As noted in this prior post when the SEC announced its intention to make use of NPAs and DPAs, "[a]n admission or an agreement not to contest the relevant facts underlying the alleged offenses" is a key factor the SEC will consider in determining whether a company should receive a deferred prosecution agreement.
Like the SEC's prior NPA, the Tenaris DPA is very similar to DOJ DPAs and NPAs.
In a release (here) the SEC touted its first use of a DPA.
Robert Khuzami (Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement) stated as follows. “The Tenaris foreign bribery scheme was unacceptable and unlawful, but the company’s response demonstrated high levels of corporate accountability and cooperation. The company’s immediate self-reporting, thorough internal investigation, full cooperation with SEC staff, enhanced anti-corruption procedures, and enhanced training made it an appropriate candidate for the Enforcement Division’s first Deferred Prosecution Agreement. Effective enforcement of the securities laws includes acknowledging and providing credit to those who fully and completely support our investigations and who display an exemplary commitment to compliance, cooperation, and remediation.”
Cheryl Scarboro (Chief of the SEC's FCPA Unit) stated as follows. “Tenaris’s conduct was clearly in violation of the FCPA. The company’s employees bribed government officials in Uzbekistan to obtain government contracts. But when Tenaris discovered the illegal conduct, it took noteworthy steps to address the violations and significantly enhance its anti-corruption policies and practices to remediate weaknesses in its internal controls.”
Robert Giuffra, Jr. of Sullivan & Cromwell (here) represented Tenaris.
Monday, May 16, 2011
One Win, One Loss
The conviction last week of Lindsey Manufacturing Inc. (see here for the prior post) was indeed the first instance of a company being tried and convicted on FCPA violations - as noted in the DOJ's release (here).
However, contrary to numerous media reports, it was not the first instance of a company putting the DOJ to its burden of proof in an FCPA trial.
That first occurred in 1990-1991 when Harris Corporation (and certain of its executives) prevailed in an FCPA trial.
Thus, the DOJ's record in corporate FCPA trials is one win, one loss.
This post summarizes the Harris Corporation enforcement action and includes information gleaned from original source newspaper accounts.
*****
In 1990, Harris Corporation ("Harris"), John D. Iacobucci, and Ronald L. Schultz were charged in a criminal indictment (here) filed in U.S. District Court - Northern District of California.
As alleged in the indictment, Harris was a Delaware publicly-traded corporation headquartered in Melbourne, Florida and through its Digital Telephone Systems ("DTS") division it manufactured telephone switching systems. Iacobucci was the Vice President and General Manager of DTS and Schultz was, at various times, Director of Human Relations and Facilities at DTS, Director of Administration at DTS and responsible for Contracts Administration.
Robert O'Hara (an unindicted co-conspirator - more on O'Hara below) was the President and sole stock-holder of Polo Associations Corporation, Inc. - a Delaware corporation created by O'Hara "to engage in the business of advising telecommunications companies of ways to obtain business in Latin American countries, particularly Colombia."
The conduct at issue involved "The Empress Nacional de Telecomunicaciones or Telecom" an alleged "instrumentality of the Government of Colombia responsible for the operation of telex services, maritime communications, and long distance and international telephone and telegraph services within the country of Colombia." According to the indictment, "Telecom was an instrumentality of the Government of Colombia within the meaning of the FCPA." However, as detailed below, none of the improper payments at issue were alleged to have been paid to Telecom officials.
The indictment charged that Harris, Iacobucci, Schultz and O'Hara conspired to violate the FCPA by paying and authorizing the payment of money to O'Hara "while knowing that a portion of such money" would be offered or given, directly or indirectly, to "foreign officials, that is, officials of the Government of Colombia" in order to influence the officials to award government telecommunications contracts to Harris in violation of the FCPA. The indictment further charged a conspiracy to violate the FCPA's books and records provisions.
According to the indictment, part of the conspiracy was that Harris retained O'Hara "as a consultant based upon the representation of O'Hara that he had connections with officials of the Government of Colombia that he would use to assist" Harris in obtaining telecommunications contracts. According to the indictment, Harris agreed to pay O'Hara a 10% commission of the value of any telecommunications contracts entered into between Harris and Telecom.
The indictment does not allege that any payments went to officials of Telecom, but rather that payments went to a "member of the Camara de Representates (CDR), the national legislative of Colombia;" a local Colombian company "that was owned in part by a foreign official, that is, a member of the CDR;" and "various officials of the Government of Colombia."
The indictment alleged specific meetings and documents that set into motion the bribery scheme.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, the indictment also charged substantive FCPA anti-bribery and FCPA books and records offenses.
Original source newspaper reports from the time detail as follows.
Theodore S. Greenberg, deputy chief of the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division, stated upon issuance of the indictment - "The department continues to view violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act as serious matters and will pursue them accordingly."
A statement from John Hartley, Chairman and Chief Executive of Harris, stated as follows. "We believe that these charges are based upon a distorted view of the facts, and they represent a radical departure from existing enforcement policies. We have cooperated fully with the Justice Department in its investigation of the allegations, providing clear evidence refuting the charges."
At the time of the indictment, Harris Corp. was ranked 57th among Department of Defense contractors in terms of total dollar volume of contracts awarded.
Harris, Iacobucci, and Schultz put the DOJ to its burden of proof and the criminal trial began on March 4, 1991. The San Francisco Examiner stated that "the trial is significant because the Justice Department prosecutes only a few such foreign bribery cases a year."
The same article contained the following background on the case. "The government's case is based on the testimony of a whistle-blower who handed over company documents to the FBI and a consultant who has pleaded guilty to helping Harris Corp. falsify its records. [...] The defendants insist that they authorized only legitimate consulting payments to secure Colombia's business and claim that the government's case rests on trumped-up charges by a disgruntled employee. [...] At a pretrial hearing, U.S. District Judge Charles A. Legge rejected a request by defense attorneys to exclude dozens of Harris Corp. documents from the trial. They claim that [the whistleblower] stole the documents on behalf of the FBI. [...] A key prosecution witness is Robert O'Hara, a consultant who is based in New York. He pleaded guilty in August to a charge of aiding Harris Corp. with falsifying its financial records."
On March 19, 1991, Judge Legge, "after hearing the prosecution's case ... granted a verdict of acquittal ... the defense was not called upon to present its case." The San Francisco Chronicle stated as follows. "Shortly after the government rested its case, U.S. District Judge Charles Legge of San Francisco ruled from the bench that 'no reasonable jury' could convict the company nor its executives on any of the five bribery-related counts for which they were indicted. Citing insufficient evidence, Legge said the government had failed to show any intent by the defendants to enter into a criminal conspiracy. Legge also said it was the first time in his six years on the federal bench that he had dismissed a criminal case at mid-trial for lack of evidence." The Chronicle called the dismissal a "stunning defeat for the Justice Department" after a 12-member jury heard two weeks of testimony by prosecution witnesses.
The Chronicle further stated as follows. "The acquittal also reinforced the Justice Department's poor track record of prosecutions in overseas bribery cases. Federal prosecutors have won only two dozen convictions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 since the law was adopted more than a decade ago."
Hartley (the above referenced Chairman and Chief Executive of Harris) stated as follows. "We're very pleased that our Digital Telephone Systems Division and its employees have been vindicated, but we believe the charges should never have been brought in the first place. The Justice Department's case was based upon a distorted view of the facts and represented a radical departure from existing enforcement policies. As a result, American taxpayers have been burdened with unnecessary litigation costs, and Harris has incurred more than $3 million in legal fees, spent many hundreds of hours of our people's time, and suffered a substantial disruption of the corporation's business to prove an absence of wrongdoing that should have been apparent from the beginning. The case has also placed a heavy strain on our two employees named in the indictment."
Michael Fayad, a lawyer for Harris, stated as follows. "[Judge Legge] decided to dismiss the case for all of the same reasons we had pointed out to the Department of Justice early on, prior to indictment ... that there was no bribe, no contract, no agreement to pay a bribe, no corrupt intent."
Charles Bryer, Schultz's lawyer, stated as follows. "The case was paper-thin, built on a con man's story and a disgruntled employee's vengeance. We were conned to pay some money that we thought was going to be used for a legitimate purpose."
According to newspaper accounts, DOJ prosecutor Scott MacKay said the government brought the case in good faith - "We're disappointed with the judge's ruling. We feel that we presented a good case, but we accept the judge's ruling."
Today, Harris Corporation is alive and well. See here for its webpage.
As to O'Hara, as suggested above, he pleaded guilty to related charges in the Eastern District of N.Y. before the Harris et. al trial. However, after the California directed verdict of acquittal, but before his sentencing, O'Hara sought to withdraw his guilty plea. The trial court judge denied his motion and concluded that the acquittal of O'Hara's alleged co-conspirators was not a "fair and just reason" sufficient to allow O'Hara to withdraw his guilty plea. O'Hara appealed and the Second Circuit affirmed (See 960 F.2d 11).
*****
If non-prosecution and deferred prosecution agreements existed in 1990, would Harris have resolved the enforcement action via such a resolution vehicle? Likely yes. Yet Harris and the individual defendants all prevailed at trial.
Was there anything wrong with this prior era when NPAs and DPAs were not an option in an FCPA enforcement action? I submit no and believe that abolishing NPAs and DPAs in the FCPA context should be subject to serious debate and discussion. For more on this issue (see here).
However, contrary to numerous media reports, it was not the first instance of a company putting the DOJ to its burden of proof in an FCPA trial.
That first occurred in 1990-1991 when Harris Corporation (and certain of its executives) prevailed in an FCPA trial.
Thus, the DOJ's record in corporate FCPA trials is one win, one loss.
This post summarizes the Harris Corporation enforcement action and includes information gleaned from original source newspaper accounts.
*****
In 1990, Harris Corporation ("Harris"), John D. Iacobucci, and Ronald L. Schultz were charged in a criminal indictment (here) filed in U.S. District Court - Northern District of California.
As alleged in the indictment, Harris was a Delaware publicly-traded corporation headquartered in Melbourne, Florida and through its Digital Telephone Systems ("DTS") division it manufactured telephone switching systems. Iacobucci was the Vice President and General Manager of DTS and Schultz was, at various times, Director of Human Relations and Facilities at DTS, Director of Administration at DTS and responsible for Contracts Administration.
Robert O'Hara (an unindicted co-conspirator - more on O'Hara below) was the President and sole stock-holder of Polo Associations Corporation, Inc. - a Delaware corporation created by O'Hara "to engage in the business of advising telecommunications companies of ways to obtain business in Latin American countries, particularly Colombia."
The conduct at issue involved "The Empress Nacional de Telecomunicaciones or Telecom" an alleged "instrumentality of the Government of Colombia responsible for the operation of telex services, maritime communications, and long distance and international telephone and telegraph services within the country of Colombia." According to the indictment, "Telecom was an instrumentality of the Government of Colombia within the meaning of the FCPA." However, as detailed below, none of the improper payments at issue were alleged to have been paid to Telecom officials.
The indictment charged that Harris, Iacobucci, Schultz and O'Hara conspired to violate the FCPA by paying and authorizing the payment of money to O'Hara "while knowing that a portion of such money" would be offered or given, directly or indirectly, to "foreign officials, that is, officials of the Government of Colombia" in order to influence the officials to award government telecommunications contracts to Harris in violation of the FCPA. The indictment further charged a conspiracy to violate the FCPA's books and records provisions.
According to the indictment, part of the conspiracy was that Harris retained O'Hara "as a consultant based upon the representation of O'Hara that he had connections with officials of the Government of Colombia that he would use to assist" Harris in obtaining telecommunications contracts. According to the indictment, Harris agreed to pay O'Hara a 10% commission of the value of any telecommunications contracts entered into between Harris and Telecom.
The indictment does not allege that any payments went to officials of Telecom, but rather that payments went to a "member of the Camara de Representates (CDR), the national legislative of Colombia;" a local Colombian company "that was owned in part by a foreign official, that is, a member of the CDR;" and "various officials of the Government of Colombia."
The indictment alleged specific meetings and documents that set into motion the bribery scheme.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, the indictment also charged substantive FCPA anti-bribery and FCPA books and records offenses.
Original source newspaper reports from the time detail as follows.
Theodore S. Greenberg, deputy chief of the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division, stated upon issuance of the indictment - "The department continues to view violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act as serious matters and will pursue them accordingly."
A statement from John Hartley, Chairman and Chief Executive of Harris, stated as follows. "We believe that these charges are based upon a distorted view of the facts, and they represent a radical departure from existing enforcement policies. We have cooperated fully with the Justice Department in its investigation of the allegations, providing clear evidence refuting the charges."
At the time of the indictment, Harris Corp. was ranked 57th among Department of Defense contractors in terms of total dollar volume of contracts awarded.
Harris, Iacobucci, and Schultz put the DOJ to its burden of proof and the criminal trial began on March 4, 1991. The San Francisco Examiner stated that "the trial is significant because the Justice Department prosecutes only a few such foreign bribery cases a year."
The same article contained the following background on the case. "The government's case is based on the testimony of a whistle-blower who handed over company documents to the FBI and a consultant who has pleaded guilty to helping Harris Corp. falsify its records. [...] The defendants insist that they authorized only legitimate consulting payments to secure Colombia's business and claim that the government's case rests on trumped-up charges by a disgruntled employee. [...] At a pretrial hearing, U.S. District Judge Charles A. Legge rejected a request by defense attorneys to exclude dozens of Harris Corp. documents from the trial. They claim that [the whistleblower] stole the documents on behalf of the FBI. [...] A key prosecution witness is Robert O'Hara, a consultant who is based in New York. He pleaded guilty in August to a charge of aiding Harris Corp. with falsifying its financial records."
On March 19, 1991, Judge Legge, "after hearing the prosecution's case ... granted a verdict of acquittal ... the defense was not called upon to present its case." The San Francisco Chronicle stated as follows. "Shortly after the government rested its case, U.S. District Judge Charles Legge of San Francisco ruled from the bench that 'no reasonable jury' could convict the company nor its executives on any of the five bribery-related counts for which they were indicted. Citing insufficient evidence, Legge said the government had failed to show any intent by the defendants to enter into a criminal conspiracy. Legge also said it was the first time in his six years on the federal bench that he had dismissed a criminal case at mid-trial for lack of evidence." The Chronicle called the dismissal a "stunning defeat for the Justice Department" after a 12-member jury heard two weeks of testimony by prosecution witnesses.
The Chronicle further stated as follows. "The acquittal also reinforced the Justice Department's poor track record of prosecutions in overseas bribery cases. Federal prosecutors have won only two dozen convictions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 since the law was adopted more than a decade ago."
Hartley (the above referenced Chairman and Chief Executive of Harris) stated as follows. "We're very pleased that our Digital Telephone Systems Division and its employees have been vindicated, but we believe the charges should never have been brought in the first place. The Justice Department's case was based upon a distorted view of the facts and represented a radical departure from existing enforcement policies. As a result, American taxpayers have been burdened with unnecessary litigation costs, and Harris has incurred more than $3 million in legal fees, spent many hundreds of hours of our people's time, and suffered a substantial disruption of the corporation's business to prove an absence of wrongdoing that should have been apparent from the beginning. The case has also placed a heavy strain on our two employees named in the indictment."
Michael Fayad, a lawyer for Harris, stated as follows. "[Judge Legge] decided to dismiss the case for all of the same reasons we had pointed out to the Department of Justice early on, prior to indictment ... that there was no bribe, no contract, no agreement to pay a bribe, no corrupt intent."
Charles Bryer, Schultz's lawyer, stated as follows. "The case was paper-thin, built on a con man's story and a disgruntled employee's vengeance. We were conned to pay some money that we thought was going to be used for a legitimate purpose."
According to newspaper accounts, DOJ prosecutor Scott MacKay said the government brought the case in good faith - "We're disappointed with the judge's ruling. We feel that we presented a good case, but we accept the judge's ruling."
Today, Harris Corporation is alive and well. See here for its webpage.
As to O'Hara, as suggested above, he pleaded guilty to related charges in the Eastern District of N.Y. before the Harris et. al trial. However, after the California directed verdict of acquittal, but before his sentencing, O'Hara sought to withdraw his guilty plea. The trial court judge denied his motion and concluded that the acquittal of O'Hara's alleged co-conspirators was not a "fair and just reason" sufficient to allow O'Hara to withdraw his guilty plea. O'Hara appealed and the Second Circuit affirmed (See 960 F.2d 11).
*****
If non-prosecution and deferred prosecution agreements existed in 1990, would Harris have resolved the enforcement action via such a resolution vehicle? Likely yes. Yet Harris and the individual defendants all prevailed at trial.
Was there anything wrong with this prior era when NPAs and DPAs were not an option in an FCPA enforcement action? I submit no and believe that abolishing NPAs and DPAs in the FCPA context should be subject to serious debate and discussion. For more on this issue (see here).
Thursday, January 27, 2011
DOJ Enforcement of the FCPA - Year in Review
A few weeks ago I ran a SEC FCPA enforcement year in review (here).
Today I highlight facts and figures from the DOJ's FCPA enforcement program in 2010.
And what it year it had.
As noted in this recent DOJ release, "the Criminal Division’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement involved imposition of $1 billion in penalties in FY 2010, the largest in the history of FCPA enforcement."
In comparison, in 2000 the DOJ did not bring one FCPA enforcement action. The past decade has thus witnessed a remarkable transformation – not as to the FCPA itself (the statute has not changed since 1998), but as to FCPA enforcement and theories of prosecution both at the DOJ and the SEC.
As the DOJ’s former Assistant Chief for FCPA enforcement candidly stated (here), “the government sees a profitable program, and it’s going to ride that horse until it can’t ride it anymore.”
This post highlights the 16 DOJ corporate FCPA enforcement actions from 2010. Not included are BAE (an enforcement action (see here) in which the DOJ did not even charge FCPA offenses) or Lindsey Manufacturing (see here) given that the company was indicted and thus the enforcement action remains open.
Of the 16 enforcement actions, 6 of the actions were in Panalpina related actions; 2 were the related Bonny Island, Nigeria actions; and 2 were the related Alliance One and Universal actions. Thus, if one looks at unique enforcement actions (the best way to analyze FCPA facts and figures in my opinion), the DOJ broght 9 unique corporate FCPA enforcement actions in 2010.
In the 16 corporate FCPA enforcement actions from 2010, the DOJ brought in $870 million in criminal fines - thrown in the $400 million BAE enforcement action if you insist and the number is $1.27 billion.
Tack on the SEC's recovery (both civil penalties and disgorgement) in 2010 corporate FCPA enforcement actions of approximately $530 million and one finds $1.8 billion in corporate FCPA fines, penalties and disgorgement in 2010.
DOJ FCPA enforcement in 2010 was both large ($240 million in criminal fines against both Technip and Snamprogetti, $93.6 million in criminal fines against Daimler) and small ($32,000 against Mercator Corporation in the bizarre James Giffen related case involving two snowmobiles, and $1.7 million against RAE Systems).
The numbers present some interesting results.
Despite aggressive DOJ rhetoric and despite the DOJ seeking a sentencing guidelines enhancement applicable to FCPA offenses (see here) in 10 of 12 FCPA enforcement actions where an analysis was possible, the DOJ agreed to a criminal fine below the minimum range suggested by the sentencing guidelines.
In these 10 cases, the average was approximately 25% below the minimum guidelines range and the distribution range was 55% below the minimum guidelines range (Pride International) and 5% below the minimum guidelines range (Panalpina).
The only two corporate FCPA enforcement actions from 2010 where the company paid a criminal fine within the guidelines range were Alliance One (the company voluntarily disclosed and receive a non-prosecution agreement) and Alcatel-Lucent.
[Note - why are only 12 of the 16 enforcement actions included in the above analysis? I excluded Innospec because the company's claimed inability to pay (but see here) resulted in an invalid fine to guidelines analysis; I excluded Mercator Corp. because the DOJ and the company could not even agree on what guidelines to use; and I excluded Noble Corp. and RAE Systems (both enforcement actions resolved via an NPA) because the DOJ never set forth a guidelines range in the agreement or related documents].
During the November 2010 Senate FCPA hearing (see here) an issue discussed was the general lack of individual DOJ FCPA prosecutions.
How many corporate FCPA enforcement actions involved related individual prosecutions of company employees (not talking agents here such as in Innospec) by the DOJ (recognizing that such prosecutions may be forthcoming in the future)?
Of the 17 corporate DOJ enforcement actions or indictments (Lindsey Manufacturing is back in the mix here) 12 of the 17 enforcement actions (70%) have not involved (at least thus far) DOJ prosecutions of company employees. Included in the 12 enforcement actions are the top 3 from 2010 from a criminal fine perspective: Technip, Snamprogetti, and Daimler.
What about non-prosecution and deferred prosecutions vs. old fashioned law enforcement (i.e., if a company committed a crime the DOJ charged it and if the company did not commit a crime the DOJ did not charge it)?
2010 saw 15 such resolution vehicles (4 NPAs) and (11 DPAs).
As Gibson Dunn highlighted in this recent report, FCPA enforcement actions comprised approximately 50% of all DOJ NPA or DPA agreements.
Among the criticisms noted in the Gibson Dunn report is that "by continually entering DPAs and NPAs, the DOJ can shield its expansive interpretation of important statutes from judicial review." As to the FCPA the report states, "because FCPA allegations against corporations rarely, if ever, go to trial, and DPAs and NPAs are subject to only minimal judicial scrutiny, the DOJ's sometimes expansive interpretations of the FCPA is never truly tested."
Spot on!
As evident from the material below, a typical way for DOJ to resolve corporate FCPA enforcement actions in 2010 was for the parent company to enter into an NPA or DPA and for a subsidiary (usually a foreign subsidiary) to plea to a criminal charge. Daimler, Alliance One, Universal, ABB, Panalpina, Pride International, Royal Dutch Shell, and Alcatel-Lucent all involved such hybrid resolution vehicles.
In the SEC year in review piece, I noted that 97% of the $529,967,294 collected in SEC FCPA enforcement actions in 2010 appears to be in enforcement actions that were voluntarily or otherwise publicly disclosed and not the result of original investigation by either the SEC or DOJ.
What does this number look like for DOJ FCPA enforcement actions in 2010 - recognizing that by disclosure I am talking about voluntary disclosure in the traditional sense (i.e. the company disclosing the conduct at issue to the enforcement agencies) as well as other forms of public disclosure (such as identification in the U.N. Oil for Food Report, the result of a whistleblower complaint to U.S. authorities, the result of prior foreign law enforcement agency investigations, or based on disclosures by other companies)?
Of the $870 million in criminal fines collected by the DOJ in FCPA enforcement actions, 97% would appear to fit this description as well.
Thus, much like the SEC, the DOJ also appears to be a reactive agency when it comes to corporate FCPA enforcement.
Set forth below are facts and figures from each 2010 DOJ corporate FCPA enforcement action.
Innospec (March 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions; wire fraud; and FCPA anti-bribery and books and records violations.
Resolution Vehicle: Plea.
Guidelines Range: $101.5 - $203 million.
Penalty: $14.1 million (based on claimed inability to pay).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Yes - three years.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Daimler (March 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Daimler AG (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's books and records provisions and violating the FCPA's books and records provisions); DaimlerChrysler China Ltd. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions); DaimlerChrysler Automotive Russia SAO (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions); Daimler Export and Trade Finance GmbH (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Daimler AG (deferred prosecution agreement); DaimlerChrysler China Ltd. (deferred prosecution agreement); DaimlerChrysler Automotive Russia SAO (plea); Daimler Export and Trade Finance GmbH (plea).
Guidelines Range: $116 - $232 million.
Penalty: $93.6 million (20% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Yes - three years.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Technip (June 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions.
Resolution Vehicle: Deferred prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: $318.4 - $636.8 Million
Penalty: $240 million (25% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Yes - two years.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Snamprogetti (July 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and aiding and abetting FCPA anti-bribery violations.
Resolution Vehicle: Deferred prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: $300 Million - $600 Million
Penalty: $240 million (20% below the minimum guidelines range)
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Alliance One (August 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Alliance One International AG (conspiracy to violate the FCPA, violations of the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions, and violations of the FCPA's books and records provisions); Alliance One Tobacco Osh LLC (conspiracy to violate the FCPA, violations of the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and books and records provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Alliance One International Inc. (non-prosecution agreement); Alliance One International AG (plea); Alliance One Tobacco Osh LLC (plea).
Guidelines Range: $8.4 - $16.8 million.
Penalty: $9.45 million.
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Yes - three years.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: Yes.
Universal Corp. (August 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Universal Leaf Tabacos Ltd. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Universal Corporation (non-prosecution agreement); Universal Leaf Tabacos Ltd. (plea).
Guidelines Range: $6.3 - $12.6 million
Penalty: $4.4 million (30% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Yes - three years.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Mercator Corp. (August 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: FCPA anti-bribery violations.
Resolution Vehicle: Plea.
Guidelines Range: The parties disagreed as to whether the 2009 or 2008 guidelines applied. If 2009, $650,000 - $1.3 million; If 2008, $30,000 to $60,000.
Penalty: $32,000.
Disclosure: Unclear.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: Yes (but Giffen pleaded to a misdemeanor tax violation).
ABB Ltd. (September 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: ABB Inc. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions); ABB Ltd. - Jordan (conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to violate the FCPA's books and records provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: ABB Ltd. (deferred prosecution agreement); ABB Inc. (plea); ABB Ltd. - Jordan (plea).
Guidelines Range: $30.42 - $60.2 million.
Penalty: $19 million (approximately 38% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Company agreed to follow the recommendations of an independent compliance consultant.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: Yes.
Lindsey Manuf. (October 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions.
Resolution Vehicle: N/A
Guidelines Range: N/A
Penalty: N/A
Disclosure: Unclear.
Monitor: N/A
Individuals Charged by DOJ: Yes.
Panalpina (November 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Panalpina World Transport (Holding) Ltd. (conspiracy to violate and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions) ; Panalpina Inc. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's books and records provisions and aiding and abetting certain customers in violating the FCPA books and records provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Panalpina World (deferred prosecution agreement); Panalpina Inc. (plea).
Guidelines Range: 72.8 million to $145.6 million.
Penalty: 70.6 million (approximately 5% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Pride International (November 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Pride International Inc. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions); Pride Forasol S.A.S. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions, violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions, and aiding and abetting violations of the FCPA's books and records provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Pride International Inc. (deferred prosecution agreement); Pride Forasol (plea).
Guidelines Range: $72.5 - $145 million.
Penalty: $32.6 million (approximately 55% below the minimum guideline range).
Voluntary Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged: No.
Tidewater (November 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Tidewater Marine International Inc. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions and violating the FCPA's books and records provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Deferred prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: $10.5 - $21 million.
Penalty: $7.4 million (30% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Transocean (November 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Transocean Inc. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions; violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions; and aiding and abetting FCPA books and record violations).
Resolution Vehicle: Deferred prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: $16.8 - $33.6 million.
Penalty: $13.4 million (20% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Noble Corp. (November 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: N/A
Resolution Vehicle: Non-prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: Not addressed.
Penalty: $2.6 million.
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Royal Dutch Shell (November 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions; aiding and abetting FCPA books and records violations).
Resolution Vehicle: Deferred prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: $34.2 - $68.4 million.
Penalty: $30 million (approximately 15% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: No.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
RAE Systems (December 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Although a non-prosecution agreement, the agreements states "knowing violations of the FCPA's books and records and internal controls provisions."
Resolution Vehicle: Non-prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: Not addressed.
Penalty: $1.7 million.
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Alcatel-Lucent (December 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Alcatel-Lucent S.A. (FCPA books and records and internal control provisions); Alcatel-Lucent France S.A., Alcatel-Lucent Trade International A.G., and Alcatel Centroamerica S.A. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery, books and records, and internal control provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Alcatel-Lucent S.A. (deferred prosecution agreement); Alcatel-Lucent France S.A., Alcatel-Lucent Trade International A.G., and Alcatel Centroamerica S.A. pleas.
Guidelines Range: $86.58 - $173.16 million.
Penalty: $92 million.
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Yes - three years.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: Yes.
Today I highlight facts and figures from the DOJ's FCPA enforcement program in 2010.
And what it year it had.
As noted in this recent DOJ release, "the Criminal Division’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement involved imposition of $1 billion in penalties in FY 2010, the largest in the history of FCPA enforcement."
In comparison, in 2000 the DOJ did not bring one FCPA enforcement action. The past decade has thus witnessed a remarkable transformation – not as to the FCPA itself (the statute has not changed since 1998), but as to FCPA enforcement and theories of prosecution both at the DOJ and the SEC.
As the DOJ’s former Assistant Chief for FCPA enforcement candidly stated (here), “the government sees a profitable program, and it’s going to ride that horse until it can’t ride it anymore.”
This post highlights the 16 DOJ corporate FCPA enforcement actions from 2010. Not included are BAE (an enforcement action (see here) in which the DOJ did not even charge FCPA offenses) or Lindsey Manufacturing (see here) given that the company was indicted and thus the enforcement action remains open.
Of the 16 enforcement actions, 6 of the actions were in Panalpina related actions; 2 were the related Bonny Island, Nigeria actions; and 2 were the related Alliance One and Universal actions. Thus, if one looks at unique enforcement actions (the best way to analyze FCPA facts and figures in my opinion), the DOJ broght 9 unique corporate FCPA enforcement actions in 2010.
In the 16 corporate FCPA enforcement actions from 2010, the DOJ brought in $870 million in criminal fines - thrown in the $400 million BAE enforcement action if you insist and the number is $1.27 billion.
Tack on the SEC's recovery (both civil penalties and disgorgement) in 2010 corporate FCPA enforcement actions of approximately $530 million and one finds $1.8 billion in corporate FCPA fines, penalties and disgorgement in 2010.
DOJ FCPA enforcement in 2010 was both large ($240 million in criminal fines against both Technip and Snamprogetti, $93.6 million in criminal fines against Daimler) and small ($32,000 against Mercator Corporation in the bizarre James Giffen related case involving two snowmobiles, and $1.7 million against RAE Systems).
The numbers present some interesting results.
Despite aggressive DOJ rhetoric and despite the DOJ seeking a sentencing guidelines enhancement applicable to FCPA offenses (see here) in 10 of 12 FCPA enforcement actions where an analysis was possible, the DOJ agreed to a criminal fine below the minimum range suggested by the sentencing guidelines.
In these 10 cases, the average was approximately 25% below the minimum guidelines range and the distribution range was 55% below the minimum guidelines range (Pride International) and 5% below the minimum guidelines range (Panalpina).
The only two corporate FCPA enforcement actions from 2010 where the company paid a criminal fine within the guidelines range were Alliance One (the company voluntarily disclosed and receive a non-prosecution agreement) and Alcatel-Lucent.
[Note - why are only 12 of the 16 enforcement actions included in the above analysis? I excluded Innospec because the company's claimed inability to pay (but see here) resulted in an invalid fine to guidelines analysis; I excluded Mercator Corp. because the DOJ and the company could not even agree on what guidelines to use; and I excluded Noble Corp. and RAE Systems (both enforcement actions resolved via an NPA) because the DOJ never set forth a guidelines range in the agreement or related documents].
During the November 2010 Senate FCPA hearing (see here) an issue discussed was the general lack of individual DOJ FCPA prosecutions.
How many corporate FCPA enforcement actions involved related individual prosecutions of company employees (not talking agents here such as in Innospec) by the DOJ (recognizing that such prosecutions may be forthcoming in the future)?
Of the 17 corporate DOJ enforcement actions or indictments (Lindsey Manufacturing is back in the mix here) 12 of the 17 enforcement actions (70%) have not involved (at least thus far) DOJ prosecutions of company employees. Included in the 12 enforcement actions are the top 3 from 2010 from a criminal fine perspective: Technip, Snamprogetti, and Daimler.
What about non-prosecution and deferred prosecutions vs. old fashioned law enforcement (i.e., if a company committed a crime the DOJ charged it and if the company did not commit a crime the DOJ did not charge it)?
2010 saw 15 such resolution vehicles (4 NPAs) and (11 DPAs).
As Gibson Dunn highlighted in this recent report, FCPA enforcement actions comprised approximately 50% of all DOJ NPA or DPA agreements.
Among the criticisms noted in the Gibson Dunn report is that "by continually entering DPAs and NPAs, the DOJ can shield its expansive interpretation of important statutes from judicial review." As to the FCPA the report states, "because FCPA allegations against corporations rarely, if ever, go to trial, and DPAs and NPAs are subject to only minimal judicial scrutiny, the DOJ's sometimes expansive interpretations of the FCPA is never truly tested."
Spot on!
As evident from the material below, a typical way for DOJ to resolve corporate FCPA enforcement actions in 2010 was for the parent company to enter into an NPA or DPA and for a subsidiary (usually a foreign subsidiary) to plea to a criminal charge. Daimler, Alliance One, Universal, ABB, Panalpina, Pride International, Royal Dutch Shell, and Alcatel-Lucent all involved such hybrid resolution vehicles.
In the SEC year in review piece, I noted that 97% of the $529,967,294 collected in SEC FCPA enforcement actions in 2010 appears to be in enforcement actions that were voluntarily or otherwise publicly disclosed and not the result of original investigation by either the SEC or DOJ.
What does this number look like for DOJ FCPA enforcement actions in 2010 - recognizing that by disclosure I am talking about voluntary disclosure in the traditional sense (i.e. the company disclosing the conduct at issue to the enforcement agencies) as well as other forms of public disclosure (such as identification in the U.N. Oil for Food Report, the result of a whistleblower complaint to U.S. authorities, the result of prior foreign law enforcement agency investigations, or based on disclosures by other companies)?
Of the $870 million in criminal fines collected by the DOJ in FCPA enforcement actions, 97% would appear to fit this description as well.
Thus, much like the SEC, the DOJ also appears to be a reactive agency when it comes to corporate FCPA enforcement.
Set forth below are facts and figures from each 2010 DOJ corporate FCPA enforcement action.
Innospec (March 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions; wire fraud; and FCPA anti-bribery and books and records violations.
Resolution Vehicle: Plea.
Guidelines Range: $101.5 - $203 million.
Penalty: $14.1 million (based on claimed inability to pay).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Yes - three years.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Daimler (March 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Daimler AG (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's books and records provisions and violating the FCPA's books and records provisions); DaimlerChrysler China Ltd. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions); DaimlerChrysler Automotive Russia SAO (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions); Daimler Export and Trade Finance GmbH (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Daimler AG (deferred prosecution agreement); DaimlerChrysler China Ltd. (deferred prosecution agreement); DaimlerChrysler Automotive Russia SAO (plea); Daimler Export and Trade Finance GmbH (plea).
Guidelines Range: $116 - $232 million.
Penalty: $93.6 million (20% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Yes - three years.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Technip (June 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions.
Resolution Vehicle: Deferred prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: $318.4 - $636.8 Million
Penalty: $240 million (25% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Yes - two years.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Snamprogetti (July 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and aiding and abetting FCPA anti-bribery violations.
Resolution Vehicle: Deferred prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: $300 Million - $600 Million
Penalty: $240 million (20% below the minimum guidelines range)
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Alliance One (August 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Alliance One International AG (conspiracy to violate the FCPA, violations of the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions, and violations of the FCPA's books and records provisions); Alliance One Tobacco Osh LLC (conspiracy to violate the FCPA, violations of the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and books and records provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Alliance One International Inc. (non-prosecution agreement); Alliance One International AG (plea); Alliance One Tobacco Osh LLC (plea).
Guidelines Range: $8.4 - $16.8 million.
Penalty: $9.45 million.
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Yes - three years.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: Yes.
Universal Corp. (August 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Universal Leaf Tabacos Ltd. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Universal Corporation (non-prosecution agreement); Universal Leaf Tabacos Ltd. (plea).
Guidelines Range: $6.3 - $12.6 million
Penalty: $4.4 million (30% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Yes - three years.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Mercator Corp. (August 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: FCPA anti-bribery violations.
Resolution Vehicle: Plea.
Guidelines Range: The parties disagreed as to whether the 2009 or 2008 guidelines applied. If 2009, $650,000 - $1.3 million; If 2008, $30,000 to $60,000.
Penalty: $32,000.
Disclosure: Unclear.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: Yes (but Giffen pleaded to a misdemeanor tax violation).
ABB Ltd. (September 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: ABB Inc. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions); ABB Ltd. - Jordan (conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to violate the FCPA's books and records provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: ABB Ltd. (deferred prosecution agreement); ABB Inc. (plea); ABB Ltd. - Jordan (plea).
Guidelines Range: $30.42 - $60.2 million.
Penalty: $19 million (approximately 38% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Company agreed to follow the recommendations of an independent compliance consultant.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: Yes.
Lindsey Manuf. (October 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions.
Resolution Vehicle: N/A
Guidelines Range: N/A
Penalty: N/A
Disclosure: Unclear.
Monitor: N/A
Individuals Charged by DOJ: Yes.
Panalpina (November 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Panalpina World Transport (Holding) Ltd. (conspiracy to violate and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions) ; Panalpina Inc. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's books and records provisions and aiding and abetting certain customers in violating the FCPA books and records provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Panalpina World (deferred prosecution agreement); Panalpina Inc. (plea).
Guidelines Range: 72.8 million to $145.6 million.
Penalty: 70.6 million (approximately 5% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Pride International (November 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Pride International Inc. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions and violating the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions); Pride Forasol S.A.S. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions, violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions, and aiding and abetting violations of the FCPA's books and records provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Pride International Inc. (deferred prosecution agreement); Pride Forasol (plea).
Guidelines Range: $72.5 - $145 million.
Penalty: $32.6 million (approximately 55% below the minimum guideline range).
Voluntary Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged: No.
Tidewater (November 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Tidewater Marine International Inc. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions and violating the FCPA's books and records provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Deferred prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: $10.5 - $21 million.
Penalty: $7.4 million (30% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Transocean (November 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Transocean Inc. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions; violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions; and aiding and abetting FCPA books and record violations).
Resolution Vehicle: Deferred prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: $16.8 - $33.6 million.
Penalty: $13.4 million (20% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Noble Corp. (November 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: N/A
Resolution Vehicle: Non-prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: Not addressed.
Penalty: $2.6 million.
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Royal Dutch Shell (November 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery and books and records provisions; aiding and abetting FCPA books and records violations).
Resolution Vehicle: Deferred prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: $34.2 - $68.4 million.
Penalty: $30 million (approximately 15% below the minimum guidelines range).
Disclosure: No.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
RAE Systems (December 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Although a non-prosecution agreement, the agreements states "knowing violations of the FCPA's books and records and internal controls provisions."
Resolution Vehicle: Non-prosecution agreement.
Guidelines Range: Not addressed.
Penalty: $1.7 million.
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: No.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: No.
Alcatel-Lucent (December 2010)
See here for the prior analysis and principal allegations.
Charges: Alcatel-Lucent S.A. (FCPA books and records and internal control provisions); Alcatel-Lucent France S.A., Alcatel-Lucent Trade International A.G., and Alcatel Centroamerica S.A. (conspiracy to violate the FCPA's anti-bribery, books and records, and internal control provisions).
Resolution Vehicle: Alcatel-Lucent S.A. (deferred prosecution agreement); Alcatel-Lucent France S.A., Alcatel-Lucent Trade International A.G., and Alcatel Centroamerica S.A. pleas.
Guidelines Range: $86.58 - $173.16 million.
Penalty: $92 million.
Disclosure: Yes.
Monitor: Yes - three years.
Individuals Charged by DOJ: Yes.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Friday Roundup
Save the date, Halliburton speaks on Nigeria, and the SEC's first non-prosecution agreement ... it's all here in the Friday roundup.
Save the Date
FCPA enforcement 2010 is coming to a close. The three most significant events from 2010? The three most interesting events from 2010? And a bold prediction?
That is my task on December 29th when I participate in Securities Docket's annual "Year in Review" webcast slated for 1 p.m. EST. The webcast is free and you can sign up here.
Other participants who address the same questions as to their area of expertise include Compliance Week editor Matt Kelly, Francine McKenna (re: The Auditors), Francis Pileggi (Delaware corporate law guru), Kevin LaCroix (The D&O Diary), Tracy Coenen (The Fraud Files), Lyle Roberts (The 10b-5 Daily) and Securities Docket’s Bruce Carton.
Halliburton Statement on Nigeria Charges
In last week's Friday roundup, it was noted that Nigeria dropped charges against Dick Cheney after his former employer, Halliburton, reportedly agreed to pay a $250 million fine. According to various media reports, the sum consisted of $120 million in penalties and the repatriation of $130 million.
A Halliburton spokesman was quoted as saying "we have no comment to make on this."
Halliburton has now spoken and its statement (here) contradicts the widely reported $250 million figure. The statement reads, in full, as follows:
"Halliburton announced today the resolution of the previously disclosed investigation by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) arising out of allegations of improper payments to government officials in Nigeria in connection with the construction and subsequent expansion by a joint venture known as TSKJ of a natural gas liquefaction project on Bonny Island, Nigeria, in which Halliburton's former subsidiary KBR, Inc. had an approximate 25 percent interest. Pursuant to this agreement, all lawsuits and charges against KBR and Halliburton corporate entities and associated persons have been withdrawn, the FGN agreed not to bring any further criminal charges or civil claims against those entities or persons, and Halliburton agreed to pay US$32.5 million to the FGN and to pay an additional US$2.5 million for FGN’s attorneys’ fees and other expenses. Among other provisions, Halliburton agreed to provide reasonable assistance in the FGN’s effort to recover amounts frozen in a Swiss bank account of a former TSKJ agent and affirmed a continuing commitment with regard to corporate governance. Any charges related to this settlement will be reflected in discontinued operations."
SEC's First Non-Prosecution Agreement
In January 2010, the SEC announced a series of measures (see here) "to further strengthen its enforcement program by encouraging greater cooperation from individuals and companies in the agency's investigations and enforcement actions."
"New cooperation tools" not previously available to the SEC, include, among other things:
* "Cooperation Agreements — Formal written agreements in which the Enforcement Division agrees to recommend to the Commission that a cooperator receive credit for cooperating in investigations or related enforcement actions if the cooperator provides substantial assistance such as full and truthful information and testimony."
* "Deferred Prosecution Agreements — Formal written agreements in which the Commission agrees to forego an enforcement action against a cooperator if the individual or company agrees, among other things, to cooperate fully and truthfully and to comply with express prohibitions and undertakings during a period of deferred prosecution."
and
* "Non-prosecution Agreements — Formal written agreements, entered into under limited and appropriate circumstances, in which the Commission agrees not to pursue an enforcement action against a cooperator if the individual or company agrees, among other things, to cooperate fully and truthfully and comply with express undertakings."
The SEC release noted that "similar cooperation tools have been regularly and successfully used by the Justice Department in its criminal investigations and prosecutions."
Earlier this week, the SEC announced (here) its first non-prosecution agreement against Carter's Inc. related to enforcement action against its former Executive Vice President (Joseph M. Elles) for engaging in financial fraud and insider trading.
The SEC's announcement states as follows:
"The SEC also announced that it has entered a non-prosecution agreement with Carter's under which the Atlanta-based company will not be charged with any violations of the federal securities laws relating to Elles's unlawful conduct. The non-prosecution agreement reflects the relatively isolated nature of the unlawful conduct, Carter's prompt and complete self-reporting of the misconduct to the SEC, its exemplary and extensive cooperation in the investigation, including undertaking a thorough and comprehensive internal investigation, and Carter's extensive and substantial remedial actions. This marks the first non-prosecution agreement entered by the SEC since the announcement of the SEC's new cooperation initiative earlier this year."
The NPA (here) is similar to DOJ NPAs and DPAs in the FCPA context. Carter's agreed to cooperate in the investigation of its former employee and any other related enforcement action and Carter's is prohibited from making any public statement contrary to the factual basis of the agreement (notwithstanding that the NPA does not contain a factual basis or a statement of facts). The NPA specifically states that the agreement should not "be deemed exoneration of [Carter's] or be construed as a finding by the Commission that no violation of the federal securities laws have occurred."
Although the Carter NPA is not in an FCPA enforcement action, it is likely that NPAs (and DPAs) will be frequently used by the SEC (as they are by the DOJ) in the FCPA context.
As I note in the "Facade of FCPA Enforcement" (here), DOJ NPAs and DPAs have exploded in recent years and the "lions share" of these agreements are used to resolve FCPA enforcement actions. Many observers believe that NPAs and DPAs have taken the place of declinations and that companies are pressured to enter into such agreements prematurely even before each element of the relevant charge is established.
With the SEC now using such alternative resolution vehicles, the end result will be even less judicial scrutiny (not that there is much judicial scrutiny at present) as to SEC interpretations of the FCPA and whether factual evidence actually exists to support each element of an FCPA charge.
Save the Date
FCPA enforcement 2010 is coming to a close. The three most significant events from 2010? The three most interesting events from 2010? And a bold prediction?
That is my task on December 29th when I participate in Securities Docket's annual "Year in Review" webcast slated for 1 p.m. EST. The webcast is free and you can sign up here.
Other participants who address the same questions as to their area of expertise include Compliance Week editor Matt Kelly, Francine McKenna (re: The Auditors), Francis Pileggi (Delaware corporate law guru), Kevin LaCroix (The D&O Diary), Tracy Coenen (The Fraud Files), Lyle Roberts (The 10b-5 Daily) and Securities Docket’s Bruce Carton.
Halliburton Statement on Nigeria Charges
In last week's Friday roundup, it was noted that Nigeria dropped charges against Dick Cheney after his former employer, Halliburton, reportedly agreed to pay a $250 million fine. According to various media reports, the sum consisted of $120 million in penalties and the repatriation of $130 million.
A Halliburton spokesman was quoted as saying "we have no comment to make on this."
Halliburton has now spoken and its statement (here) contradicts the widely reported $250 million figure. The statement reads, in full, as follows:
"Halliburton announced today the resolution of the previously disclosed investigation by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) arising out of allegations of improper payments to government officials in Nigeria in connection with the construction and subsequent expansion by a joint venture known as TSKJ of a natural gas liquefaction project on Bonny Island, Nigeria, in which Halliburton's former subsidiary KBR, Inc. had an approximate 25 percent interest. Pursuant to this agreement, all lawsuits and charges against KBR and Halliburton corporate entities and associated persons have been withdrawn, the FGN agreed not to bring any further criminal charges or civil claims against those entities or persons, and Halliburton agreed to pay US$32.5 million to the FGN and to pay an additional US$2.5 million for FGN’s attorneys’ fees and other expenses. Among other provisions, Halliburton agreed to provide reasonable assistance in the FGN’s effort to recover amounts frozen in a Swiss bank account of a former TSKJ agent and affirmed a continuing commitment with regard to corporate governance. Any charges related to this settlement will be reflected in discontinued operations."
SEC's First Non-Prosecution Agreement
In January 2010, the SEC announced a series of measures (see here) "to further strengthen its enforcement program by encouraging greater cooperation from individuals and companies in the agency's investigations and enforcement actions."
"New cooperation tools" not previously available to the SEC, include, among other things:
* "Cooperation Agreements — Formal written agreements in which the Enforcement Division agrees to recommend to the Commission that a cooperator receive credit for cooperating in investigations or related enforcement actions if the cooperator provides substantial assistance such as full and truthful information and testimony."
* "Deferred Prosecution Agreements — Formal written agreements in which the Commission agrees to forego an enforcement action against a cooperator if the individual or company agrees, among other things, to cooperate fully and truthfully and to comply with express prohibitions and undertakings during a period of deferred prosecution."
and
* "Non-prosecution Agreements — Formal written agreements, entered into under limited and appropriate circumstances, in which the Commission agrees not to pursue an enforcement action against a cooperator if the individual or company agrees, among other things, to cooperate fully and truthfully and comply with express undertakings."
The SEC release noted that "similar cooperation tools have been regularly and successfully used by the Justice Department in its criminal investigations and prosecutions."
Earlier this week, the SEC announced (here) its first non-prosecution agreement against Carter's Inc. related to enforcement action against its former Executive Vice President (Joseph M. Elles) for engaging in financial fraud and insider trading.
The SEC's announcement states as follows:
"The SEC also announced that it has entered a non-prosecution agreement with Carter's under which the Atlanta-based company will not be charged with any violations of the federal securities laws relating to Elles's unlawful conduct. The non-prosecution agreement reflects the relatively isolated nature of the unlawful conduct, Carter's prompt and complete self-reporting of the misconduct to the SEC, its exemplary and extensive cooperation in the investigation, including undertaking a thorough and comprehensive internal investigation, and Carter's extensive and substantial remedial actions. This marks the first non-prosecution agreement entered by the SEC since the announcement of the SEC's new cooperation initiative earlier this year."
The NPA (here) is similar to DOJ NPAs and DPAs in the FCPA context. Carter's agreed to cooperate in the investigation of its former employee and any other related enforcement action and Carter's is prohibited from making any public statement contrary to the factual basis of the agreement (notwithstanding that the NPA does not contain a factual basis or a statement of facts). The NPA specifically states that the agreement should not "be deemed exoneration of [Carter's] or be construed as a finding by the Commission that no violation of the federal securities laws have occurred."
Although the Carter NPA is not in an FCPA enforcement action, it is likely that NPAs (and DPAs) will be frequently used by the SEC (as they are by the DOJ) in the FCPA context.
As I note in the "Facade of FCPA Enforcement" (here), DOJ NPAs and DPAs have exploded in recent years and the "lions share" of these agreements are used to resolve FCPA enforcement actions. Many observers believe that NPAs and DPAs have taken the place of declinations and that companies are pressured to enter into such agreements prematurely even before each element of the relevant charge is established.
With the SEC now using such alternative resolution vehicles, the end result will be even less judicial scrutiny (not that there is much judicial scrutiny at present) as to SEC interpretations of the FCPA and whether factual evidence actually exists to support each element of an FCPA charge.
Monday, December 13, 2010
RAE Systems Held Liable For The Acts Of Its Subsidiaries' Joint Venture Partners
If every company voluntarily disclosed that its distant subsidiaries and/or its distant subsidiaries' joint venture partners provided minor things of value (such as a notebook computer, kitchen appliances, and business suits) to someone deemed a "foreign official" by the enforcement agencies, then instead of 15 to 20 core FCPA enforcement actions per year, there would probably be something like 150 to 200 FCPA enforcement actions per year.
If every issuer voluntarily disclosed that its internal controls were imperfect as to distant subsidiaries or its distant subsidiaries' joint venture partners, and that such distant entities failed to follow issuer instructions or issuer provided training and guidance, then instead of 15 to 20 core FCPA enforcement actions per year, there would probably be something like 1,500 to 2,000 FCPA enforcement actions per year (recognizing that the FCPA's books and records and internal control provisions equally apply to domestic operations).
So why did RAE Systems voluntarily disclose such conduct to the DOJ and the SEC? Would it not have been more efficient and cost-effective for the company to effectively remedy these issues internally?
Do the high professional expenses connected with voluntary disclosures (compared to effectively remedying issues internally) have anything to do with the increase in voluntary disclosures? (See here for a prior post on the issue). In RAE Systems annual report for the year ended December 31, 2009 (see here), filed in March 2010, the company disclosed that it had (at that point) incurred $4 million in professional fees in connection with the FCPA investigation.
From an enforcement standpoint, is the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act becoming an all-purpose corporate governance instrument? Should it?
These are some of the questions raised by the odd RAE Systems enforcement action.
Last Friday, the DOJ and SEC announced (see here and here) a joint enforcement against RAE System (a San-Jose, California based company with shares on the New York Stock Exchange) "a leading global provider of rapidly deployable connected, intelligent gas detection systems that enable real-time safety and security threat detection." (See here for the company website). In September, RAE Systems signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Battery Ventures. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2011.
This post summarizes the DOJ and SEC enforcement actions in which RAE Systems agreed to pay approximately $2.95 million in fines and disgorgement.
DOJ
Pursuant to a three-year non-prosecution agreement, RAE Systems acknowledged its "knowing violations of the internal controls and books and records provisions" of the FCPA "arising from and related to improper benefits corruptly paid by employees of two joint ventures majority owned and controlled by RAE Systems to foreign officials of departments, agencies, and instrumentalities" of the Chinese government." Pursuant to the NPA, RAE Systems agreed to pay a $1.7 million penalty.
According to the NPA, RAE Systems "had significant operations" in China organized "under a holding company called RAE Asia, headquartered in Hong Kong." RAE Systems "sold products and services in mainland [China] primarily through second-tier subsidiaries organized as joint ventures with local Chinese entities.
One of the joint ventures is RAE-KLH (Beijing) Co., Limited ("RAE-KLH"). RAE Systems acquired a 64% stake in RAE-KLH in 2004 and upped the stake to approximately 96% in 2006. The other joint venture is RAE Coal Mine Safety Instruments (Fushun) Co., Ltd. ("RAE-Fushun"). In 2006, RAE Systems acquired a 70% interest in RAE Fushan.
Both RAE-KLH's and RAE Fushun's financial results were included in the consolidated financial statements that RAE Systems filed with the SEC.
According to the NPA, "a significant number of RAE-KLH's and RAE Fushun's customers" in China were "government departments and bureaus and large state-owned agencies and instrumentalties." The NPA states as follows. "The Lanzhous City Honggu Mining Safety Bureau, for example, was a government customer. Other government clients included regional fire departments, emergency response departments, and entities under the supervision of the provincial environmental agency, among others. Accordingly, officers and employees of a significant number of RAE-KLH's and RAE Fushun's customers were 'foreign officials' within the meaning of the FCPA ...".
The NPA then contains a heading that states, "RAE System's Knowing Failure to Implement Systems of Effective Internal Controls at RAE-KLH and RAE Fushun Post Closing."
The NPA then cites various company documents that suggest RAE was aware that KLH sales personnel were making kickbacks or otherwise engaging in questionable sales tactics with its customers. The NPA cites a document from a RAE Systems employee from the United States who met with KLH personnel that stated "we knew this risk all along and have accepted it upon entering the JV deal."
Following the acquisition, the NPA states that "RAE Systems did provide some FCPA training to RAE-KLH personnel and did tell RAE-KLH personnel to stop paying bribes and providing other improper benefits, but such steps were half-measures." The NPA states that "RAE Systems did not impose sufficient internal controls or make sufficient changes to high-risk practices."
As to RAE-Fushun, the NPA states that "RAE Systems did not conduct pre-acquisition corruption due diligence of RAE Fushun" but that "given RAE's System's experience with KLH described above, the high-risk nature of the location, and the existence of numerous government customers, pre-acquisition corruption-focused due diligence was merited. The NPA further states "as was later confirmed, improper business practices had occurred at RAE Fushun before the acquisition and continued post-acquisition, as RAE Systems failed to implement an effective system of internal controls at RAE Fushun."
Based on the above facts, the NPA states that "RAE Systems knowingly failed to implement a system of effective internal accounting controls at RAE-KLH and RAE Fushun...".
According to the NPA, the "lack of effective internal accounting controls permitted improper payments to continue at RAE-KLH and RAE-Fushun after acquisition."
As to RAE-KLH, the NPA states that certain sales representatives at RAE-KLH "used cash advances and reimbursements for improper purposes, including the corrupt giving of gifts and paying for entertainment, as well as direct or indirect payments to customers." According to the NPA, "the gifts included, among other things, a notebook computer for the son of the deputy director of a state-owned chemical plant as part of efforts to obtain business from that entity." The NPA also states that RAE-KLH made payments under contracts with a purported consultant and that some or all of the payments were funneled to officials of a state-owned enterprise and government departments.
As to RAE Fushun, the NPA likewise statements that certain sales representatives at RAE Fushun "used cash advances and reimbursements for improper purposes including the corrupt giving of gifts and paying for entertainment, as well as making direct or indirect payments, to officers and employees of customers." According to the NPA, "these gifts to certain officials of state-owned enterprises and government departments included, among other things, a variety of luxury items, such as jade, fur coats, kitchen appliances, business suits, and high-priced liquor."
The NPA then states that the "lack of effective internal controls and continued improper payments led to inaccurate books and records."
During the three-year term of the NPA, RAE Systems agreed to undertake a host of compliance reforms and to report to the DOJ on an annual basis.
The DOJ agreed to enter into the NPA "based in part, on the following factors: (a) RAE System's timely, voluntary, and complete disclosure ...; (b) RAE System's thorough, real-time cooperation with the DOJ and SEC; (c) the extensive remedial efforts already undertaken and to be undertaken by RAE Systems; and (d) RAE System's commitment to submit periodic monitoring reports to the DOJ."
SEC
The SEC's complaint (here) is based on the same core set of facts described above. It charges RAE Systems, not only with FCPA books and records and internal control violations, but anti-bribery violations as well.
The complaint begins by alleging that "from 2004 through 2008" RAE Systems violated the FCPA "by paying, through two of its joint venture entities in China, approximately $400,000 to third party agents and government officials in China to influence acts or decisions by foreign officials to obtain or retain business for RAE Systems." According to the complaint, the payments "were made primarily by the direct sales force utilized by RAE Systems" at its two Chinese joint-venture entities: RAE-KLH and RAE-Fushun.
According to the SEC, RAE System's "illicit payments to government officials and third-party agents generated revenues worth over $3 million and gross margin of $1,147,800."
The complaint states: "While the payments were made exclusively in China and were conducted by Chinese employees of RAE-KLH and RAE-Fushun, RAE Systems was aware of significant indications of ongoing bribery at RAE-KLH. At the time, RAE Systems failed to effectively investigate these indications, or red flags, and to stop the bribery from continuing. RAE System's failure to act on these significant red flags allowed, at least in part, bribery to continue at RAE-KLH."
RAE Systems was held liable for RAE-KLH's improper payments even though the SEC complaint states that "RAE Systems Instruct[ed] KLH Personnel to Stop Bribery Practices." According to the SEC, "while RAE Systems communicated these instructions to RAE-KLH personnel, RAE Systems did not impose sufficient internal controls or make any changes to the practice of sales personnel obtaining cash advances." According to the SEC, RAE System's CFO visited RAE-KLH's Chinese facilities and observed that certain cash advances may be used for "grease payments, to supplement sales employees' incomes and as bribes." In response, RAE Systems, "implemented FCPA compliance training and required each RAE-KLH employee to certify that he or she did not engage in bribery practices." However, the SEC alleged "again, however, [RAE Systems] did not impose sufficient internal controls or make changes to the practice of sales personnel obtaining cash advances."
Without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, RAE Systems agreed to pay $1,147,800 in disgorgement (plus $109,212 in prejudgment interest) and to undertake a host of FCPA compliance measures.
Cheryl Scarboro (Chief of the SEC's FCPA Unit) stated as follows. "RAE Systems develops products to detect harmful emissions, yet it did not have adequate measures in place to detect and root out internal wrongdoing. Companies that fail to respond to red flags can be held liable for the acts of their joint venture partners."
Carlos Ortiz (a former DOJ attorney now at LeClair Ryan - here) and Roy McDonald (DLA Piper - here) represented RAE Systems.
If every issuer voluntarily disclosed that its internal controls were imperfect as to distant subsidiaries or its distant subsidiaries' joint venture partners, and that such distant entities failed to follow issuer instructions or issuer provided training and guidance, then instead of 15 to 20 core FCPA enforcement actions per year, there would probably be something like 1,500 to 2,000 FCPA enforcement actions per year (recognizing that the FCPA's books and records and internal control provisions equally apply to domestic operations).
So why did RAE Systems voluntarily disclose such conduct to the DOJ and the SEC? Would it not have been more efficient and cost-effective for the company to effectively remedy these issues internally?
Do the high professional expenses connected with voluntary disclosures (compared to effectively remedying issues internally) have anything to do with the increase in voluntary disclosures? (See here for a prior post on the issue). In RAE Systems annual report for the year ended December 31, 2009 (see here), filed in March 2010, the company disclosed that it had (at that point) incurred $4 million in professional fees in connection with the FCPA investigation.
From an enforcement standpoint, is the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act becoming an all-purpose corporate governance instrument? Should it?
These are some of the questions raised by the odd RAE Systems enforcement action.
Last Friday, the DOJ and SEC announced (see here and here) a joint enforcement against RAE System (a San-Jose, California based company with shares on the New York Stock Exchange) "a leading global provider of rapidly deployable connected, intelligent gas detection systems that enable real-time safety and security threat detection." (See here for the company website). In September, RAE Systems signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Battery Ventures. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2011.
This post summarizes the DOJ and SEC enforcement actions in which RAE Systems agreed to pay approximately $2.95 million in fines and disgorgement.
DOJ
Pursuant to a three-year non-prosecution agreement, RAE Systems acknowledged its "knowing violations of the internal controls and books and records provisions" of the FCPA "arising from and related to improper benefits corruptly paid by employees of two joint ventures majority owned and controlled by RAE Systems to foreign officials of departments, agencies, and instrumentalities" of the Chinese government." Pursuant to the NPA, RAE Systems agreed to pay a $1.7 million penalty.
According to the NPA, RAE Systems "had significant operations" in China organized "under a holding company called RAE Asia, headquartered in Hong Kong." RAE Systems "sold products and services in mainland [China] primarily through second-tier subsidiaries organized as joint ventures with local Chinese entities.
One of the joint ventures is RAE-KLH (Beijing) Co., Limited ("RAE-KLH"). RAE Systems acquired a 64% stake in RAE-KLH in 2004 and upped the stake to approximately 96% in 2006. The other joint venture is RAE Coal Mine Safety Instruments (Fushun) Co., Ltd. ("RAE-Fushun"). In 2006, RAE Systems acquired a 70% interest in RAE Fushan.
Both RAE-KLH's and RAE Fushun's financial results were included in the consolidated financial statements that RAE Systems filed with the SEC.
According to the NPA, "a significant number of RAE-KLH's and RAE Fushun's customers" in China were "government departments and bureaus and large state-owned agencies and instrumentalties." The NPA states as follows. "The Lanzhous City Honggu Mining Safety Bureau, for example, was a government customer. Other government clients included regional fire departments, emergency response departments, and entities under the supervision of the provincial environmental agency, among others. Accordingly, officers and employees of a significant number of RAE-KLH's and RAE Fushun's customers were 'foreign officials' within the meaning of the FCPA ...".
The NPA then contains a heading that states, "RAE System's Knowing Failure to Implement Systems of Effective Internal Controls at RAE-KLH and RAE Fushun Post Closing."
The NPA then cites various company documents that suggest RAE was aware that KLH sales personnel were making kickbacks or otherwise engaging in questionable sales tactics with its customers. The NPA cites a document from a RAE Systems employee from the United States who met with KLH personnel that stated "we knew this risk all along and have accepted it upon entering the JV deal."
Following the acquisition, the NPA states that "RAE Systems did provide some FCPA training to RAE-KLH personnel and did tell RAE-KLH personnel to stop paying bribes and providing other improper benefits, but such steps were half-measures." The NPA states that "RAE Systems did not impose sufficient internal controls or make sufficient changes to high-risk practices."
As to RAE-Fushun, the NPA states that "RAE Systems did not conduct pre-acquisition corruption due diligence of RAE Fushun" but that "given RAE's System's experience with KLH described above, the high-risk nature of the location, and the existence of numerous government customers, pre-acquisition corruption-focused due diligence was merited. The NPA further states "as was later confirmed, improper business practices had occurred at RAE Fushun before the acquisition and continued post-acquisition, as RAE Systems failed to implement an effective system of internal controls at RAE Fushun."
Based on the above facts, the NPA states that "RAE Systems knowingly failed to implement a system of effective internal accounting controls at RAE-KLH and RAE Fushun...".
According to the NPA, the "lack of effective internal accounting controls permitted improper payments to continue at RAE-KLH and RAE-Fushun after acquisition."
As to RAE-KLH, the NPA states that certain sales representatives at RAE-KLH "used cash advances and reimbursements for improper purposes, including the corrupt giving of gifts and paying for entertainment, as well as direct or indirect payments to customers." According to the NPA, "the gifts included, among other things, a notebook computer for the son of the deputy director of a state-owned chemical plant as part of efforts to obtain business from that entity." The NPA also states that RAE-KLH made payments under contracts with a purported consultant and that some or all of the payments were funneled to officials of a state-owned enterprise and government departments.
As to RAE Fushun, the NPA likewise statements that certain sales representatives at RAE Fushun "used cash advances and reimbursements for improper purposes including the corrupt giving of gifts and paying for entertainment, as well as making direct or indirect payments, to officers and employees of customers." According to the NPA, "these gifts to certain officials of state-owned enterprises and government departments included, among other things, a variety of luxury items, such as jade, fur coats, kitchen appliances, business suits, and high-priced liquor."
The NPA then states that the "lack of effective internal controls and continued improper payments led to inaccurate books and records."
During the three-year term of the NPA, RAE Systems agreed to undertake a host of compliance reforms and to report to the DOJ on an annual basis.
The DOJ agreed to enter into the NPA "based in part, on the following factors: (a) RAE System's timely, voluntary, and complete disclosure ...; (b) RAE System's thorough, real-time cooperation with the DOJ and SEC; (c) the extensive remedial efforts already undertaken and to be undertaken by RAE Systems; and (d) RAE System's commitment to submit periodic monitoring reports to the DOJ."
SEC
The SEC's complaint (here) is based on the same core set of facts described above. It charges RAE Systems, not only with FCPA books and records and internal control violations, but anti-bribery violations as well.
The complaint begins by alleging that "from 2004 through 2008" RAE Systems violated the FCPA "by paying, through two of its joint venture entities in China, approximately $400,000 to third party agents and government officials in China to influence acts or decisions by foreign officials to obtain or retain business for RAE Systems." According to the complaint, the payments "were made primarily by the direct sales force utilized by RAE Systems" at its two Chinese joint-venture entities: RAE-KLH and RAE-Fushun.
According to the SEC, RAE System's "illicit payments to government officials and third-party agents generated revenues worth over $3 million and gross margin of $1,147,800."
The complaint states: "While the payments were made exclusively in China and were conducted by Chinese employees of RAE-KLH and RAE-Fushun, RAE Systems was aware of significant indications of ongoing bribery at RAE-KLH. At the time, RAE Systems failed to effectively investigate these indications, or red flags, and to stop the bribery from continuing. RAE System's failure to act on these significant red flags allowed, at least in part, bribery to continue at RAE-KLH."
RAE Systems was held liable for RAE-KLH's improper payments even though the SEC complaint states that "RAE Systems Instruct[ed] KLH Personnel to Stop Bribery Practices." According to the SEC, "while RAE Systems communicated these instructions to RAE-KLH personnel, RAE Systems did not impose sufficient internal controls or make any changes to the practice of sales personnel obtaining cash advances." According to the SEC, RAE System's CFO visited RAE-KLH's Chinese facilities and observed that certain cash advances may be used for "grease payments, to supplement sales employees' incomes and as bribes." In response, RAE Systems, "implemented FCPA compliance training and required each RAE-KLH employee to certify that he or she did not engage in bribery practices." However, the SEC alleged "again, however, [RAE Systems] did not impose sufficient internal controls or make changes to the practice of sales personnel obtaining cash advances."
Without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, RAE Systems agreed to pay $1,147,800 in disgorgement (plus $109,212 in prejudgment interest) and to undertake a host of FCPA compliance measures.
Cheryl Scarboro (Chief of the SEC's FCPA Unit) stated as follows. "RAE Systems develops products to detect harmful emissions, yet it did not have adequate measures in place to detect and root out internal wrongdoing. Companies that fail to respond to red flags can be held liable for the acts of their joint venture partners."
Carlos Ortiz (a former DOJ attorney now at LeClair Ryan - here) and Roy McDonald (DLA Piper - here) represented RAE Systems.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
"The Payments ... Would Not Constitute Facilitation Payments for Routine Governmental Actions Within the Meaning of the FCPA"
The above words are from the DOJ's non-prosecution agreement with Noble Corporation ("Noble"). The DOJ used this phrase twice in the NPA and one can reasonably conclude that if the DOJ felt the need to express such a statement twice, that the FCPA's facilitating payment exception is probably on the minds of many in connection with the CustomsGate enforcement actions.
Next up in the analysis of CustomsGate enforcement actions is Noble Corporation (see here). See this prior post for analysis of the GlobalSantaFe enforcement action.
The Noble enforcement action involved both a DOJ and SEC component. Total settlement amount was approximately $8.2 million ($2.6 million criminal fine via a non-prosecution agreement; $5.6 million in disgorgement and interest via a SEC complaint).
During the time period relevant to the enforcement action, Noble was a Cayman Islands company. In March 2009, a new Swiss parent company, also called Noble Corporation, was created and Noble Corporation, the Cayman Islands company, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Swiss parent company.
DOJ
As set forth in the NPA (see here), the DOJ agreed "not to criminally prosecute Noble [...] or any of subsidiaries [...] related to the making of improper payments by employees and agents of Noble and/or its subsidiaries to officials of the Nigerian Customs Service in connection with Noble's and/or its subsidiaries' import and export of goods and items relating to its operations in Nigeria from January 2003 to July 2007, and the accounting and record-keeping associated with these improper payments."
According to the Statement of Facts in the NPA, a "Nigerian Customs Agent" provided a variety of logistics and customs services for Noble Drilling (Nigeria) Ltd. ("Noble Nigeria") a wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble and the primary Noble operating company in Nigeria. The Nigerian Customs Agent submitted false documents to Nigerian customs officials on behalf of Noble Nigeria "relating to the temporary importation of rigs owned or operated by Noble Nigeria into Nigerian waters" and the Nigerian Customs Agent invoiced Noble Nigeria and was paid for its services.
The Statement of Facts describes "The Nigerian Temporary Import Process." As described, if Noble were to "permanently import a rig into Nigerian waters" the customs duties were significant, between 10-20% of the total value of the rig. Alternatively, Noble could import rigs and other items on a temporary basis in which case no customs duties would be assessed. However, as described in the Statement of Facts, "a rig, or other item, could be imported on a temporary basis only if the item: (a) was considered a high valued piece of special equipment, (b) was not available for sale in Nigeria, and (c) was being imported temporarily and was intended to be exported." If these requirements were met, "a company, through a local customs agent, could apply for a temporary import permit." ("TIP").
According to the Statement of Facts, "items imported under a TIP (and TIP extension) could not remain in Nigeria longer than the period allowed for by the TIP and/or TIP extensions. When the TIP (or TIP extension) expired, the owner "could either choose to permanently import the rig ... or export the rig and re-import it and obtain a new initial TIP." According to the Statement of Facts, "the failure to export the rig after the TIP expired could result in the assessment of Nigerian penalties of up to six times its cost."
The Statement of Facts indicate that Noble Nigeria chose to temporarily import rigs into Nigeria and that Noble Nigeria employed the Nigeria Customs Agent to apply for and secure its TIPs and TIP extension.
According to the Statement of Facts, "whenever a TIP (and related TIP extensions) expired for a rig in Nigeria, the Nigerian Customs Agent, with the knowledge of Noble Nigeria, engaged in a process of submitting false paperwork on Noble Nigeria's behalf to avoid the time, cost, and risk associated with exporting the rig and reimporting it into Nigerian waters" - the so called "paper process" or a "paper move." The Statement of Facts further assert that the "Nigeria Customs Agent, with the knowledge of Noble Nigeria, created and caused to be presented to the [Nigeria Customs Service] NCS documents that reflected that the rig had been physically exported and reimported, when, in fact, the rig had remained in Nigeria."
According to the Statement of Facts, the Nigeria Customs Agent included a line item in its invoices for "special handling charges" and "Noble Nigeria personnel were informed by the Nigerian Customs Agent that all or part of the 'special handling charges' would be paid by the Nigeria Customs Agents to NCS officials." Further, the Statement of Facts assert that "Noble Nigeria personnel approved the payments to the Nigerian Customs Agent with the knowledge that some or all of the payments would be paid to NCS officials."
The Statement of Facts assert that "certain Noble and Noble Nigeria managers and employees authorized paper moves on five occasions." In a separate section of the NPA titled, "Corporate Knowledge of the TIP Paper Process" the following statements are made.
"Manager A" (a U.S. citizen and a former manager in Noble's Internal Audit Department) "interviewed several Noble-Nigeria employees who explained that false paperwork had been created and submitted to NCS officials through the Nigeria Customs Agent in connection with the process of securing TIPs" and that Manager A "also learned that the Nigeria Customs Agent in the past had charged a fee of approximately $75,000 per TIP to secure the TIPS."
Manager A provided a written summary to Executive A (a U.S. citizen, an officer of Noble, and Head of Internal Audit).
Executive A discussed Manager A's findings with Executive B (a U.S. citizen, an officer of Noble, and the Vice President-Eastern Hemisphere with management responsibility for Nigerian operations). Executive A then informed the Senior Executive (a U.S. citizen, an officer of Noble, and the former Chief Financial Officer).
The Audit Committee was advised of the "paper process" as was "members of Noble's senior management."
Executive B was tasked with "ensuring the Company's compliance with all applicable rules and regulations related to the importation and exportation of assets in Nigeria...".
Corrective action was contemplated, such as permanently importing rigs or moving them to a free trade zone, but Manager A and Executive B "decided that due to the time, cost, and risk of permanently importing or moving the rigs, the paper process would be used for three rigs for which TIPs had expired."
"The Audit Committee was not advised of the decision to resume the paper process."
Without any elaboration, the Statement of Facts states that the above described payments "would not constitute facilitation payments for routine governmental actions within the meaning of the FCPA."
The Statement of Facts continue - between May 2005 and March 2006 "a total of five (5) TIPs were obtained through the submission of false documents via the paper process, and each included the payment of 'special handling fees' to the Nigeria Customs Agent. The 'special handling fees' ranged from approximately $13,800 to $17,000."
According to the Statement of Facts:
"By their approval of the payments and the process, the Senior Executive, and Executive B caused Noble to inaccurately record in its books, records, and accounts the five (5) "special handling fee" payments paid to the Nigeria Customs Agent in a "facilitation payments" account totaling approximately $74,000, when the Senior Executive, Executive A, and Executive B knew that some or all of these payments would be passed on to NCS officials to obtain TIPs. Thus, such payments could not be facilitation payments for the performance of a "routine governmental action" within the meaning of the FCPA."
The remainder of the Statement of Facts describes how Executive A failed to advise the Audit Committee and/or concealed from the Audit Committee that the paper process had resumed.
According to the Statement of Facts, "the total benefit received by Noble Nigeria for these payments in avoided costs, duties, and penalties was approximately $2,973,000."
As noted in the NPA, the DOJ agreed to enter into the NPA based, in part, on the following factors:
"The Department enters into this Non-Prosecution Agreement based, in part, on the following factors: (a) Noble's discovery of the violations through its own internal investigation; (b) Noble's timely, voluntary, and complete disclosure of the facts described in [the Statement of Facts]; (c) Noble's extensive, thorough, real-time cooperation with the Department and the SEC ...; (d) Noble's voluntary investigation of the Company's business operations throughout the world; (e) the existence of Noble's pre-existing compliance program and steps taken by Noble's Audit Committee to detect and prevent improper conduct from occurring; (f) Noble's remedial efforts to enhance its compliance program and oversight that have already been undertaken; (g) Noble's agreement to continue to implement enhanced compliance measures ...; and (h) Noble's agreement to provide annual, written reports to the Department on its progress and experience in maintaining and, as appropriate, enhancing its compliance policies and procedures ...".
As is standard process in an NPA, Noble admitted, accepted, and acknowledged its responsibility for the conduct of its employees, agents, and subsidiaries as set forth in a Statement of Facts, and further agreed "not to make any public statement contradicting" the Statement of Facts.
SEC
The SEC's complaint (here) concerns the same core set of facts as set forth in the DOJ's NPA.
In summary fashion, the SEC alleges that "through the TIPs obtained using the paper process, Noble obtained profits from continued operations of rigs in Nigeria and avoided the costs of moving rigs out of and back into Nigerian waters." According to the SEC, "Noble's total gains from this conduct were at least $4,294,933."
The SEC charged Noble with violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions, as well as the FCPA's books and records and internal control provisions.
As to the FCPA's books and records charge, the SEC alleges that "Noble Nigeria recorded the portion of the payments it made to its customs agent that certain Noble personnel believed were being passed on to Nigerian government officials in Noble's 'facilitating payment' account and in some cases to other operating expense accounts..." However, without elaborating the SEC states, "because these payments were not qualifying facilitating payments under the FCPA or otherwise legitimate expenses, Noble created false books and records by recording the payments as such."
As to the internal controls charges, the SEC alleges that "although Noble had an FCPA policy in place, Noble lacked sufficient FCPA procedures, training, and internal controls to prevent the use of the paper process and making of payments to Nigerian government officials to obtain TIPs and TIP extensions."
Without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, Noble agreed to agreed to an injunction and will pay disgorgement and prejudgment interest of $5,576,998.
Neither the DOJ nor the SEC resolution require the company to engage a compliance monitor.
Both the DOJ's NPA and the SEC's complaint specifically mention that Noble conducted a worldwide review of its operations. That no other conduct was mentioned in either the DOJ's NPA or the SEC's complaint, suggests that Noble's Nigerian import/export issues were an isolated incident, not indicative of systemic issues throughout the company's other operations.
In a press release (here) Noble's CEO stated that "ethical business conduct and strict compliance with the law remain central to Noble's operating philosophy," that the company "is pleased that these investigations have been concluded and a resolution has been reached," and that the company "is moving forward with a continuing commitment to ethical business practices and a dedication to compliance, ideas that are reflected in our core values, our policies, our training and our expectations for ethical behavior." The release notes as follows: "In May 2007, the Company self-reported to the DOJ and the SEC possible improper payments by a customs agent in connection with securing temporary import permits and extensions for the operations of Noble's rigs in Nigeria. An internal investigation was promptly conducted by independent outside counsel, and the Company has cooperated thoroughly with the independent investigator's review and the government's investigation."
In a 10-K filing yesterday, Noble stated as follows:
"We are currently operating three jackup rigs offshore Nigeria. The temporary import permits covering two of these rigs expired in November 2008 and we have pending applications to renew these permits. We have received notice that we will be allowed to obtain a new temporary import permit for one of the two rigs and are in the process of clarifying this approval. However, as of October 31, 2010, the Nigerian customs office had not acted on our application for the second unpermitted rig, but we are discussing undertaking the same process as for the first rig. We did obtain a new temporary import permit for the third rig in 2009 that had previously been operating with an expired temporary import permit, while the application was pending, by exporting and re−importing the rig. We continue to seek to avoid material disruption to our Nigerian operations; however, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain new permits or further extensions of permits necessary to continue the operation of our rigs in Nigeria. If we cannot obtain a new permit or an extension necessary to continue operations of any rig, we may need to cease operations under the drilling contract for such rig and relocate such rig from Nigerian waters. In any case, we also could be subject to actions by Nigerian customs for import duties and fines for these two rigs, as well as other drilling rigs that operated in Nigeria in the past. We cannot predict what impact these events may have on any such contract or our business in Nigeria. Furthermore, we cannot predict what changes, if any, relating to temporary import permit policies and procedures may be established or implemented in Nigeria in the future, or how any such changes may impact our business there.
Mary Spearing, a former DOJ attorney (here), represented Noble.
Next up in the analysis of CustomsGate enforcement actions is Noble Corporation (see here). See this prior post for analysis of the GlobalSantaFe enforcement action.
The Noble enforcement action involved both a DOJ and SEC component. Total settlement amount was approximately $8.2 million ($2.6 million criminal fine via a non-prosecution agreement; $5.6 million in disgorgement and interest via a SEC complaint).
During the time period relevant to the enforcement action, Noble was a Cayman Islands company. In March 2009, a new Swiss parent company, also called Noble Corporation, was created and Noble Corporation, the Cayman Islands company, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Swiss parent company.
DOJ
As set forth in the NPA (see here), the DOJ agreed "not to criminally prosecute Noble [...] or any of subsidiaries [...] related to the making of improper payments by employees and agents of Noble and/or its subsidiaries to officials of the Nigerian Customs Service in connection with Noble's and/or its subsidiaries' import and export of goods and items relating to its operations in Nigeria from January 2003 to July 2007, and the accounting and record-keeping associated with these improper payments."
According to the Statement of Facts in the NPA, a "Nigerian Customs Agent" provided a variety of logistics and customs services for Noble Drilling (Nigeria) Ltd. ("Noble Nigeria") a wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble and the primary Noble operating company in Nigeria. The Nigerian Customs Agent submitted false documents to Nigerian customs officials on behalf of Noble Nigeria "relating to the temporary importation of rigs owned or operated by Noble Nigeria into Nigerian waters" and the Nigerian Customs Agent invoiced Noble Nigeria and was paid for its services.
The Statement of Facts describes "The Nigerian Temporary Import Process." As described, if Noble were to "permanently import a rig into Nigerian waters" the customs duties were significant, between 10-20% of the total value of the rig. Alternatively, Noble could import rigs and other items on a temporary basis in which case no customs duties would be assessed. However, as described in the Statement of Facts, "a rig, or other item, could be imported on a temporary basis only if the item: (a) was considered a high valued piece of special equipment, (b) was not available for sale in Nigeria, and (c) was being imported temporarily and was intended to be exported." If these requirements were met, "a company, through a local customs agent, could apply for a temporary import permit." ("TIP").
According to the Statement of Facts, "items imported under a TIP (and TIP extension) could not remain in Nigeria longer than the period allowed for by the TIP and/or TIP extensions. When the TIP (or TIP extension) expired, the owner "could either choose to permanently import the rig ... or export the rig and re-import it and obtain a new initial TIP." According to the Statement of Facts, "the failure to export the rig after the TIP expired could result in the assessment of Nigerian penalties of up to six times its cost."
The Statement of Facts indicate that Noble Nigeria chose to temporarily import rigs into Nigeria and that Noble Nigeria employed the Nigeria Customs Agent to apply for and secure its TIPs and TIP extension.
According to the Statement of Facts, "whenever a TIP (and related TIP extensions) expired for a rig in Nigeria, the Nigerian Customs Agent, with the knowledge of Noble Nigeria, engaged in a process of submitting false paperwork on Noble Nigeria's behalf to avoid the time, cost, and risk associated with exporting the rig and reimporting it into Nigerian waters" - the so called "paper process" or a "paper move." The Statement of Facts further assert that the "Nigeria Customs Agent, with the knowledge of Noble Nigeria, created and caused to be presented to the [Nigeria Customs Service] NCS documents that reflected that the rig had been physically exported and reimported, when, in fact, the rig had remained in Nigeria."
According to the Statement of Facts, the Nigeria Customs Agent included a line item in its invoices for "special handling charges" and "Noble Nigeria personnel were informed by the Nigerian Customs Agent that all or part of the 'special handling charges' would be paid by the Nigeria Customs Agents to NCS officials." Further, the Statement of Facts assert that "Noble Nigeria personnel approved the payments to the Nigerian Customs Agent with the knowledge that some or all of the payments would be paid to NCS officials."
The Statement of Facts assert that "certain Noble and Noble Nigeria managers and employees authorized paper moves on five occasions." In a separate section of the NPA titled, "Corporate Knowledge of the TIP Paper Process" the following statements are made.
"Manager A" (a U.S. citizen and a former manager in Noble's Internal Audit Department) "interviewed several Noble-Nigeria employees who explained that false paperwork had been created and submitted to NCS officials through the Nigeria Customs Agent in connection with the process of securing TIPs" and that Manager A "also learned that the Nigeria Customs Agent in the past had charged a fee of approximately $75,000 per TIP to secure the TIPS."
Manager A provided a written summary to Executive A (a U.S. citizen, an officer of Noble, and Head of Internal Audit).
Executive A discussed Manager A's findings with Executive B (a U.S. citizen, an officer of Noble, and the Vice President-Eastern Hemisphere with management responsibility for Nigerian operations). Executive A then informed the Senior Executive (a U.S. citizen, an officer of Noble, and the former Chief Financial Officer).
The Audit Committee was advised of the "paper process" as was "members of Noble's senior management."
Executive B was tasked with "ensuring the Company's compliance with all applicable rules and regulations related to the importation and exportation of assets in Nigeria...".
Corrective action was contemplated, such as permanently importing rigs or moving them to a free trade zone, but Manager A and Executive B "decided that due to the time, cost, and risk of permanently importing or moving the rigs, the paper process would be used for three rigs for which TIPs had expired."
"The Audit Committee was not advised of the decision to resume the paper process."
Without any elaboration, the Statement of Facts states that the above described payments "would not constitute facilitation payments for routine governmental actions within the meaning of the FCPA."
The Statement of Facts continue - between May 2005 and March 2006 "a total of five (5) TIPs were obtained through the submission of false documents via the paper process, and each included the payment of 'special handling fees' to the Nigeria Customs Agent. The 'special handling fees' ranged from approximately $13,800 to $17,000."
According to the Statement of Facts:
"By their approval of the payments and the process, the Senior Executive, and Executive B caused Noble to inaccurately record in its books, records, and accounts the five (5) "special handling fee" payments paid to the Nigeria Customs Agent in a "facilitation payments" account totaling approximately $74,000, when the Senior Executive, Executive A, and Executive B knew that some or all of these payments would be passed on to NCS officials to obtain TIPs. Thus, such payments could not be facilitation payments for the performance of a "routine governmental action" within the meaning of the FCPA."
The remainder of the Statement of Facts describes how Executive A failed to advise the Audit Committee and/or concealed from the Audit Committee that the paper process had resumed.
According to the Statement of Facts, "the total benefit received by Noble Nigeria for these payments in avoided costs, duties, and penalties was approximately $2,973,000."
As noted in the NPA, the DOJ agreed to enter into the NPA based, in part, on the following factors:
"The Department enters into this Non-Prosecution Agreement based, in part, on the following factors: (a) Noble's discovery of the violations through its own internal investigation; (b) Noble's timely, voluntary, and complete disclosure of the facts described in [the Statement of Facts]; (c) Noble's extensive, thorough, real-time cooperation with the Department and the SEC ...; (d) Noble's voluntary investigation of the Company's business operations throughout the world; (e) the existence of Noble's pre-existing compliance program and steps taken by Noble's Audit Committee to detect and prevent improper conduct from occurring; (f) Noble's remedial efforts to enhance its compliance program and oversight that have already been undertaken; (g) Noble's agreement to continue to implement enhanced compliance measures ...; and (h) Noble's agreement to provide annual, written reports to the Department on its progress and experience in maintaining and, as appropriate, enhancing its compliance policies and procedures ...".
As is standard process in an NPA, Noble admitted, accepted, and acknowledged its responsibility for the conduct of its employees, agents, and subsidiaries as set forth in a Statement of Facts, and further agreed "not to make any public statement contradicting" the Statement of Facts.
SEC
The SEC's complaint (here) concerns the same core set of facts as set forth in the DOJ's NPA.
In summary fashion, the SEC alleges that "through the TIPs obtained using the paper process, Noble obtained profits from continued operations of rigs in Nigeria and avoided the costs of moving rigs out of and back into Nigerian waters." According to the SEC, "Noble's total gains from this conduct were at least $4,294,933."
The SEC charged Noble with violating the FCPA's anti-bribery provisions, as well as the FCPA's books and records and internal control provisions.
As to the FCPA's books and records charge, the SEC alleges that "Noble Nigeria recorded the portion of the payments it made to its customs agent that certain Noble personnel believed were being passed on to Nigerian government officials in Noble's 'facilitating payment' account and in some cases to other operating expense accounts..." However, without elaborating the SEC states, "because these payments were not qualifying facilitating payments under the FCPA or otherwise legitimate expenses, Noble created false books and records by recording the payments as such."
As to the internal controls charges, the SEC alleges that "although Noble had an FCPA policy in place, Noble lacked sufficient FCPA procedures, training, and internal controls to prevent the use of the paper process and making of payments to Nigerian government officials to obtain TIPs and TIP extensions."
Without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations, Noble agreed to agreed to an injunction and will pay disgorgement and prejudgment interest of $5,576,998.
Neither the DOJ nor the SEC resolution require the company to engage a compliance monitor.
Both the DOJ's NPA and the SEC's complaint specifically mention that Noble conducted a worldwide review of its operations. That no other conduct was mentioned in either the DOJ's NPA or the SEC's complaint, suggests that Noble's Nigerian import/export issues were an isolated incident, not indicative of systemic issues throughout the company's other operations.
In a press release (here) Noble's CEO stated that "ethical business conduct and strict compliance with the law remain central to Noble's operating philosophy," that the company "is pleased that these investigations have been concluded and a resolution has been reached," and that the company "is moving forward with a continuing commitment to ethical business practices and a dedication to compliance, ideas that are reflected in our core values, our policies, our training and our expectations for ethical behavior." The release notes as follows: "In May 2007, the Company self-reported to the DOJ and the SEC possible improper payments by a customs agent in connection with securing temporary import permits and extensions for the operations of Noble's rigs in Nigeria. An internal investigation was promptly conducted by independent outside counsel, and the Company has cooperated thoroughly with the independent investigator's review and the government's investigation."
In a 10-K filing yesterday, Noble stated as follows:
"We are currently operating three jackup rigs offshore Nigeria. The temporary import permits covering two of these rigs expired in November 2008 and we have pending applications to renew these permits. We have received notice that we will be allowed to obtain a new temporary import permit for one of the two rigs and are in the process of clarifying this approval. However, as of October 31, 2010, the Nigerian customs office had not acted on our application for the second unpermitted rig, but we are discussing undertaking the same process as for the first rig. We did obtain a new temporary import permit for the third rig in 2009 that had previously been operating with an expired temporary import permit, while the application was pending, by exporting and re−importing the rig. We continue to seek to avoid material disruption to our Nigerian operations; however, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain new permits or further extensions of permits necessary to continue the operation of our rigs in Nigeria. If we cannot obtain a new permit or an extension necessary to continue operations of any rig, we may need to cease operations under the drilling contract for such rig and relocate such rig from Nigerian waters. In any case, we also could be subject to actions by Nigerian customs for import duties and fines for these two rigs, as well as other drilling rigs that operated in Nigeria in the past. We cannot predict what impact these events may have on any such contract or our business in Nigeria. Furthermore, we cannot predict what changes, if any, relating to temporary import permit policies and procedures may be established or implemented in Nigeria in the future, or how any such changes may impact our business there.
Mary Spearing, a former DOJ attorney (here), represented Noble.
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