The Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission Release FCPA Resource Guide
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today released A Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the Guide). The 120-page Guide provides a detailed analysis of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and closely examines the DOJ and SEC’s approach to FCPA enforcement.
The Guide provides helpful information to enterprises of all sizes – from small businesses doing their first transactions abroad to multi-national corporations with subsidiaries around the world. The Guide addresses a wide variety of topics, including who and what is covered by the FCPA’s anti-bribery and accounting provisions; the definition of a “foreign official”; what constitute proper and improper gifts, travel and entertainment expenses; facilitating payments; how successor liability applies in the mergers and acquisitions context; the hallmarks of an effective corporate compliance program; and the different types of civil and criminal resolutions available in the FCPA context. On these and other topics, the Guide takes a multi-faceted approach toward setting forth the statute’s requirements and providing insights into DOJ and SEC’s enforcement practices. It uses hypotheticals, examples of enforcement actions and matters DOJ and SEC have declined to pursue, and summaries of applicable case law and DOJ opinion releases.
“The fight against corruption is a law enforcement priority of the United States,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Our FCPA enforcement is critical to protecting the integrity of markets for American companies doing business abroad, and we will continue to make clear that bribing foreign officials is not an acceptable shortcut. The Guide is an important illustration of our transparency and a useful reference for companies and individuals who wish to act responsibly and in compliance with the law.”
“Investors must have faith that the economic performance of public companies reflects lawful considerations of markets, price and product rather than a mirage resulting from bribery and corruption,” said Robert Khuzami, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “This guide will protect investors by assisting businesses in preventing such unlawful behavior, thus avoiding FCPA violations in the first place, which is in the interest of law enforcement and business alike.”
The Guide is available to the public free of charge online at www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/fcpa and at www.sec.gov/spotlight/fcpa.shtml.
Related Materials:
FCPA Guide Fact Sheet
A Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act